May 9, 2024

Strengthening Mobile Security - The Samsung Knox and Cisco Secure Access: Zero Trust Collaboration

Samsung Knox Team
 Top Image

In today’s digital-first environment, where the traditional boundaries of workspaces have blurred, the need for robust, adaptable security solutions has never been more critical. Recognizing this imperative, Samsung has embarked on a groundbreaking collaboration with Cisco, integrating Knox, our leading mobile security solution with Cisco Secure Access, their innovative, Secure Service Edge solution to provide zero trust access from Samsung Galaxy mobile devices. This partnership marks a pivotal advancement in the quest for a more secure and flexible approach to protecting organizational assets in a cloud-centric world.

 

A Unified Approach to Security

The collaboration between Samsung Knox and Cisco Secure Access brings together two industry-leading platforms, each with a storied history of providing comprehensive security solutions. Samsung Knox, known for its robust mobile security capabilities, offers a secure and manageable platform for business mobile devices. Cisco’s Zero Trust Access client, a ZTNA solution, on the other hand, is at the forefront of the Zero Trust security model, ensuring secure access to applications and data regardless of the user's location or the device used.

This partnership is built on the foundation of a shared vision for a standards-based approach to Zero Trust access, as emphasized in recent discussions on Cisco’s blog. The integration of Samsung Knox with Cisco’s ZTNA solution is a testament to our commitment to not only adhere to but also drive the development of industry standards for cybersecurity.

 

A Seamless user experience

With this collaboration, the users get a seamless and user-friendly approach to accessing work resources. With zero trust access policies implemented through Cisco Secure Access, Galaxy users benefit from enhanced protection without cumbersome security steps. Organizations can easily enforce granular policies based on user identity and posture status, ensuring least privileged access to private applications and resources.

Leveraging a modern MASQUE proxy and the QUIC (HTTP/3) protocol, this innovative zero trust architecture provides quick access while safeguarding corporate resources. By preventing exposure of private apps to the internet and enabling policy-controlled access on an application basis, this integration reduces the risk of lateral movement throughout the network. For end users, the experience is streamlined and efficient, eliminating the need for complex VPN setup and providing quick access with just a click. This simplicity, coupled with faster, more performant connections, boosts productivity and enhances security, ultimately benefiting both users and IT teams alike.

“At Samsung, both user experience and security are paramount. We want it to be exceptional, seamless, and secure. We have collaborated with Cisco to develop a new approach to Zero Trust access for Samsung mobile devices. If you have the Cisco Zero Trust Access client, and your employees are working on a Samsung Galaxy mobile device, they can safely access sensitive data and applications from anywhere at any time.”
Jerry Park, Corporate EVP, GM, and CIO; Global Mobile B2B Team (GMBT); Samsung Electronics.

 

The Benefits of Integration

The integration of Samsung Knox with Cisco’s Zero Trust Network Access solution offers numerous benefits, chief among them being:

  • Enhanced Security:
    By leveraging the strengths of both platforms, businesses can now enjoy an unprecedented level of security for their mobile devices. This integration ensures that all access to corporate resources is continuously verified, minimizing the risk of unauthorized access and data breaches.
  • Simplified Access for Users:
    One of the key challenges in implementing robust security measures is ensuring that these measures do not impede user experience. This collaboration addresses this challenge head-on by providing a seamless and secure access experience for users, regardless of their location or device.
  • Streamlined Management for IT:
    For IT departments, this integration simplifies the complexity of managing a diverse device ecosystem while enforcing security policies. IT administrators can now leverage Samsung Knox’s management capabilities in tandem with Cisco’s security framework, enabling a more streamlined and efficient management process.
“With Cisco Secure Access and Samsung Galaxy devices, we're redefining the boundaries of zero trust access to private applications and resources. This solution enables organizations to verify the user, device, and request context before granting access. The modern architecture provides quick connections and enforces least privilege access rights to authorized users from compliant devices.”
Jeff Scheaffer, Vice President, Product Management, Cisco

 

A Commitment to Standards

This collaboration is a step forward in establishing a standards-based approach to Zero Trust security. By aligning with industry standards, Samsung Knox and Cisco are not only enhancing the security and usability of their solutions but also facilitating a more interoperable and cohesive ecosystem for cybersecurity solutions.

 

Looking Ahead

The partnership between Samsung Knox and Cisco is just the beginning of our journey towards a more secure digital workspace. As we move forward, our commitment to innovation, security, and the development of standards-based solutions remains unwavering. Together, we are setting a new benchmark for what is possible in the realm of mobile and cloud security, ensuring that businesses can navigate the complexities of the digital age with confidence and resilience.

We invite you to join us on this journey, as we continue to explore and develop solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. Stay tuned for further updates on our collaboration and the exciting possibilities it holds for the future of cybersecurity.