Microsoft Employees in China Must Exchange Android to iPhone, Why?
It was recently reported that Microsoft has urged its Chinese staff to replace their business handsets with iPhones. According to the article, this move is part of Microsoft’s emphasis on security, which was highlighted as the company’s top priority in May.
According to Bloomberg magazine, based on a leaked internal document, Microsoft announced that all of its workers in China must hand up their Android-powered devices by September and replace them with iPhone 15. After that, they will be able to access their gadgets and work surroundings solely through iPhones.
Why?
According to a Bloomberg report, Microsoft is taking this step because the Google Apps Store is not officially available in China, which means Android devices in the country will be unable to release and update Android-based Microsoft Authenticator and other security and identity applications required by employees there.
Furthermore, these security-related improvements for Microsoft team members in China were implemented in response to large system breaches that happened during the previous year. One of these happened in the summer of 2023 when Microsoft said that a group located in China got access to Outlook email accounts in the United States and Europe.
Following the event, Microsoft launched a new Secure Future Initiative initiative in November 2023 to strengthen its overall cybersecurity efforts. However, in early January 2024, Microsoft reported that a Russian-based hacking organization gained access to the email accounts of numerous key Microsoft officials.
Since then, the corporation has stated that not only will security be a concern for the company, but workers will also play a significant role in enhancing security. They also indicated that their employees’ salaries and incentives might be altered based on their contributions to cyber security.
In essence, Microsoft employees in China must exchange their work devices for iPhone 15s provided by Microsoft for security reasons considering that Android devices available in China have different conditions than in the US including the absence of the Google Play Store and some applications that may be required for authentication. Microsoft employees.