Abstract

Most people use their smartphones more than any other computing tool, and businesses must adapt to these trends if they want their employees to be as productive as possible. Businesses can capitalize on their employees’ smartphone use if they are strategic in their implementation of mobile device tools and strategies—including work profiles on Android devices.

How Does a Work Profile Work with Android Devices?

A work profile is effectively a separate profile that contains all of your applications for business that require a user profile to operate. This feature works on devices that run Android 5.0 or newer. It creates a partition between the apps you use for your personal life and those used for work life. Your organization can also add applications as needed, and these profiles are controlled by an IT administrator to ensure that control can be maintained.

Businesses using Google Workspace as their preferred productivity suite will find that they now have capabilities to deploy everything their employees need all at once. Workers benefit from this change as well, since they can turn the work profile off when it’s not in use. It’s often the case that businesses which have their employees use their personal devices for work are bombarded by notifications even outside of normal work hours, but with this work profile feature, there is a much healthier separation between work and home life.

This separation of data on the device means that businesses don’t have to worry nearly as much as they might otherwise have to. In short, it means businesses can be reassured that sensitive information is not being exploited or stolen by hackers.

Turn Off Your Work Profile for Android

So, we know that you as a business owner can implement work profiles for Android, but it will be important for you to explain how to turn them off for your employees. All they have to do is go to the system tray, then swipe down again from the system tray. This will show some of the quick toggles available for your Android operating system. The Work Profile toggle will probably be on the second or third screen, so you’ll need to swipe to the left if you want to see those options. You can then use the toggle whenever you want to turn it on or off, particularly when you are off or on the clock and need to see or hide notifications.

With such a great tool at your fingertips, you’ll be one step closer to keeping your business safe. Partitioning data is one part of a comprehensive mobile device management strategy, so we recommend contacting the IT professionals of NetMGM at 888-748-2525 if you want to maximize your odds of successfully protecting your business.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Explaining the Work Profile Feature in Android

Rafiq Masri

With over 25 years of experience in Information Technology, Rafiq is one of the most accomplished, versatile and certified engineer in the field. He has spent the past 2 ½ decades administering and supporting a wide range of clients and has helped position Network Management, Inc. as a leader in the IT Managed Services space.

Rafiq has built a reputation for designing, building and supporting top notch IT infrastructures to match the business objectives and goals of his clients.

Embracing the core values of integrity, innovation, and reliability, Rafiq has a very loyal client base with some customer relationships dating back 20+ years.

Rafiq holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and has completed graduate programs in Software Engineering and Business at Harvard and George Mason University. Rafiq is a former founder and CEO of Automation, Inc. in Ann Arbor, Michigan as well as a valued speaker on entrepreneurship and technology at industry events such as ExpoTech and others.