Microsoft today announced several changes headed to Windows Phone that it hopes will make its enterprise customers happier. First, Microsoft is extending the amount of time it will support WP8 devices from 18 months to 36 months. That means Microsoft will provide security and other incremental updates to each WP8 device for a period of three years. In addition to the extended support, Microsoft will soon distribute a feature pack that adds business-specific features. Some of these include S/MIME to sign and encrypt email; automatic access to corporate VPNs with app aware; and support for EAP-TLS security in enterprise-class Wi-Fi networks. The enterprise feature pack will also add new mobile device management tools that businesses can use to control more granular aspects of employee devices (such as approving/disapproving app select installs.) Microsoft said that feature pack will be delivered soon.


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