Enterproid Divide Video Hands-On: Work Meets Play on Android Phones

With Enterproid’s new Divide platform, your Android device develops split personalities: one for work and another for play. When Enterproid is inactive, you are able to use your smartphone as you see fit, download apps, check Facebook, and stream music. When you switch to the business profile, Enterproid takes over, giving you to access your business e-mail, SMS, and text messages, while also allowing your company’s IT department to enforce specific rules such as blocking access to app stores. During our hands-on time with the app, we were surprised by how easy it was to switch from the personal to the business profile. Just double-tap the home button, enter your corporate credentials (password), and you’re in.

Despite the fact that Divide’s business profile has a different UI than your smartphone’s standard profile, it still offers the same familiar Android feel. The business side features a gray and green color scheme, making it easily distinguishable from your normal Android UI.

You still swipe from panel to panel and perform  tasks as you would with your personal Android profile. However, the business side can be completely controlled by your IT department. We especially appreciated the server-side search capabilities Enterproid built into their e-mail feature. Most mobile e-mail options don’t offer server-side searching, which is a massive pain for business users. 

Powering Divide is an intuitive IT control interface that allows companies to manage their employees’ actions when they are logged into their phone’s business profile, but not their personal; something that more privacy-conscious users should really appreciate. The software can even tell if a user has rooted their Android device and gives IT techs the option of sending the user a warning or completely wiping all of the corporate data stored on the device. Additionally, the IT controller allows companies to view their employees’ voice, SMS, and data usage, and push specific apps to their devices.

Users also get access to their own web-based device control portal, which they can use to lock, wipe, or locate their phone on a map should they lose it. A beacon function will also make the phone chirp so users can find it if they misplace it in their home or office. Like the IT portal, the user portal was easy to understand and navigate. Enterproid also made it easy for new users to access their company’s Divide service. All you have to do is download the free Enterproid app from the Android Market and either have your IT department set up your network access or set it up yourself.

Interestingly, Enterproid’s Divide also allows IT departments to control employees’ iOS devices, despite not offering an iOS app… yet.