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MWC: Good Technology gets Behind Wearables in the Work Place

Good Technology has announced support for the rapidly expanding ecosystem of connected things and wearables on the Good Dynamics Secure Mobility Platform.

Good Dynamics enables security and protection of business data accessed by and stored on wearables and shared between other Good-secured apps. Good is also enabling a new era of productivity with access to corporate email and calendars on paired wearable devices through Good Work.

The Internet of Things represents the next frontier for secure mobility, extending beyond smartphones and tablets to include connected cars, smart meters, vending machines, wearables and other non-traditional connected devices in the enterprise. With IDC estimating that the installed and connected base of IoT units will reach approximately 30 billion in 20201, the impact on the enterprise will be huge.

Wearables are already enhancing productivity by keeping employees connected without having to reach for a paired smartphone. For example, with Good Work a user now has the ability to glance at a wristwatch to quickly scan email or accept a meeting invitation. But much more is possible with Good-secured apps for wearables and the Internet of Things. For example, a mechanic on a manufacturing line could use a wearable to scan parts for defects and automatically log an order for repairs.

“As more connected devices proliferate across the enterprise, it’s imperative to understand the implications they present so that organizations can permit increased employee productivity without endangering sensitive data,” said Christy Wyatt, chairman and CEO of Good Technology. “Good has a long history of innovation and securing data across a large ecosystem of devices.”

The Good Dynamics Platform enables the development of secure mobile apps for a broad range of features on wearable devices, such as mobile identity and access management features including two-factor authentication and access control. For example, a fitness tracker or a smartwatch could be used to unlock access to Good Work or any other Good-secured app running on a smartphone.

Support for Android Wear with Good Work brings a broad range of interaction and collaboration to the wrist. Users can get push notifications, accept or reject meeting requests, and respond to emails using voice recognition or preset responses all from the wearable. Centralized policy controls allow IT departments to enable or disable wearable capabilities for Good Work and for any other Good-secured app built on the Good Dynamics platform.

"Wearable devices give people powerful new ways to access the information and services that are most important to them, whatever they may be," said Rick Osterloh, president of Motorola Mobility. "While much of the focus has been on consumers, there is also a huge opportunity for wearables to better connect people to the productivity services and applications that have become so essential in the workplace."