14 DAY TRIAL // Next year, Microsoft will make available for download a major update for the Windows Phone 8 operating system, one that will arrive on devices in the form of a Feature Pack, as the Redmond-based giant has already confirmed.
The update is meant mainly for enterprise users, and should provide them with some appealing improvements on their devices, including Enterprise Wi-Fi support with EAP-TLS, auto-triggered VPN, and more.
As Tony Mestres, vice president of Windows Phone partner and channel marketing, notes in a blog post, the main purpose of the feature pack is to increase the control that IT departments have over Windows Phone devices they need to manage.
The feature pack should arrive on devices in the first half of the next year, in an attempt to reassure business users that their investment in Windows Phone is secure and that the platform is evolving with more capabilities for them.
The list of enhancements that said feature pack will bring along include:
- S/MIME to sign and encrypt email - Access to corporate resources behind the firewall with app aware, auto-triggered VPN - Enterprise Wi-Fi support with EAP-TLS - Enhanced MDM policies to lock down functionality on the phone for more enterprise control, in addition to richer application management such as allowing or denying installation of certain apps - Certificate management to enroll, update, and revoke certificates for user authentication
In addition to unveiling plans on the release of this update, Microsoft also announced that it will expand the support lifecycle of Windows Phone 8 to 36 months, double than the current 18-month support timeframe.
Starting with Windows Phone 8, owners of devices powered by Microsoft’s mobile operating system will receive new updates, security patches, and the like for a period of three months, Tony Mestres said, stressing on the commitment the company shows to the platform.
“These updates will be incremental, with each update built on the update that preceded it. The mobile operator or phone manufacturer may control the distribution of these incremental updates and update availability may also vary by country, region, and device hardware capabilities,” Mestres noted.