Amazon has unveiled its latest range of Kindle Fire HDX tablets, with the retailer pushing the enterprise benefits of the devices in light of the Bring Your Own Device trend.
Although primarily aimed at consuming multimedia content from Amazon's online store, the tablets are able to run enterprise-focused apps such as Evernote, Cisco AnyConnect, GoToMeeting and Documents To Go.
However, Amazon has added hardware encryption and a number of other software features to make the devices more workplace friendly. The Kindle Fire HDX will allows users to:
- Connect to corporate networks, apps and resources such as SharePoint using the WPA2 and native VPN support.
- Better sort corporate emails by grouping conversations by subject, for example.
- Read documents, spreadsheets and presentations via the built-in OfficeSuite.
- Print documents and photos wirelessly.
- Use single sign-on through Kerberos authentication and browse secure intranet websites.
- Retrieve digital certificates for secure resources using the Native SCEP (Simple Certificate Exchange Protocol) client.
- Manage devices using third-party tools from companies including AirWatch, Citrix, Fiberlink, Good Technology, and SOTI.
Raghu Murthi, VP of enterprise and education at Amazon, claims the Kindle Fire is the second most popular tablet used in US workplaces.
"As employees increasingly bring their own devices to work, the new Kindle Fire tablets can be easily integrated into the workplace with the new enterprise features, including encryption, secure Wi-Fi, a native VPN client, integration with leading MDM solutions, and Kerberos support for Intranet access," Murthi said.
With the Kindle Fire tablets also among the most wished for and bestselling tablets on the Amazon.co.uk site, it is likely the inclusion of these enterprise-friendly features could see the UK workforce getting more benefits out of them too.
