Google’s Android operating system dominates smartphone usage throughout the world — in every region except North America and Oceania, in fact. Thus, businesses in many regions are likely to support and issue Android devices to employees as their mainstay mobile devices. Even in areas where Apple’s iPhone dominates or is comparable in market share, businesses are likely to support or issue Android devices at least as a secondary option.
But Android security has long been an IT concern, despite significant security improvements made to the platform a decade ago in response to security standards put in place for iPhones, which quickly gained the security seal approval as a result. That makes the buying and support decision around Android phones more complex for CISOs — whether as corporate-liable devices (that is, the devices that enterprises buy for their employees) or as employee-liable devices or bring-your-own devices (BYOD) that IT allows access at least to work email and calendars, and often to web-based services.