By Telecom Lead Team: Apriva, a provider of wireless
transactions and information solutions, announced the release of its Android
SDK Version 2.0 that enables application providers and mobile device
manufacturers to deliver products compliant with HSPD-12 (Homeland Security
Presidential Directive 12) and federal security policies.
The new SDK gives developers and manufacturers a robust
development toolset that does not require root-level access to the Android
operating system, to meet the federal government’s growing interest in adopting
Android-based mobile devices to complement legacy Windows Mobile and BlackBerry
solutions.
The Android SDK gives providers the ability to create
products and services that comply with stringent STIGs issued by the Defense
Information Security Agency (DISA), which define policies for personal identity
verification, and integration with the Department of Defense’s Common Access
Card (CAC) standard, as well as Government and non-Government Personal
Identification Verification (PIV/PIV-I) cards.
The use of PIV-I cards in security-conscious industries
such as energy production and transmission, healthcare, and financial services
is a strong indicator of the demand for strong authentication and security in
the private sector. As with many enterprises, those requiring the most secure
capabilities are facing bring your own device (BYOD) and financial challenges
that are introducing more Android-based devices into the equation. Enabled by
the Apriva Android SDK, solution developers can help to navigate this new
corporate landscape to ensure secure operation.
In addition, pilot projects such as the Connecting
Soldiers to Digital Applications (CSDA) initiative underway by the US Army are
examining a multitude of educational and potential operational benefits that
can be availed through ubiquitous use of commercial smartphones.
The upcoming second phase of CSDA is reported to include
the evaluation of applications for tactical operations that will require secure
transmission capabilities. And with Android-based smartphones representing the
largest and fastest growing segment of the commercial smartphone market,
enabling security is of a high priority for many agencies and developers.
The growth of PIV and other smart card credential
reliance in private industry, and projects like CSDA are evidence of the
growing and increasingly urgent demand within the government and the private
sector to accelerate solutions that meet stringent security requirements for
mobile devices on an Android platform,” said Jeff Ford, chief operating officer
of Apriva.
