Samsung Galaxy S5 Active – Tough Enough for Canadian Businesses?

There’s no doubt that today’s smartphones are incredibly convenient for the large majority of business users. Their impressive computing power, large screens and massive app libraries allow business users to churn through virtually any workload, even when they’re in the middle of nowhere. But what happens when these devices are subjected to extreme workplace conditions? Unfortunately, not all devices are built to stand up to all workplace environments.

Enter the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active^TM, the latest in the company’s popular line-up of Galaxy S smartphones. It boasts a rugged design for protection in extreme work conditions and privacy protection with KNOX — all of which make it perfect for the rugged work environment.

A few of the many things that impressed me about this device include:

1. It’s engineered for the outdoors – Salt, dust, rain, vibration, solar radiation and thermal shock — these are the workplace conditions faced by today’s outdoor workers and the smartphones on which they rely to do their jobs. The Samsung Galaxy S5 Active^TM is built to withstand all these harsh conditions. Its IP67 certification means it is totally protected against dust and is water resistant. It is also MIL-STD-810G certified, which means the device is able to withstand a number of additional environmental shocks. This combination of environmental protections make the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active^TM a reliable tool for outdoor workers while making it equally reliable for IT managers who want to reduce expensive repairs and replacements of broken equipment.

2. It provides quick access to critical communications and safety features – The Safety Assistance feature is critical. Pressing the power button three times triggers a novel safety routine that takes a picture of the user’s surroundings and sends it to four key contacts along with a preset message and the phone’s GPS coordinates.

3. It features robust mobile security for enterprise users – Whether you issue a Samsung Galaxy S5 Active^TM to your workers or they provide their own under your BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy, Samsung’s enterprise-grade KNOX delivers multi-tiered security, device management capabilities and enterprise features designed to provide advanced data and privacy protection for enterprise users. Container technology allows users to switch easily between their work and personal environments by simply tapping an icon. IT administrators can ensure the security of enterprise data and can remotely manage devices without invading the privacy of employees’ personal data.

But is it useful for all Canadian businesses?
Just because the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active^TM is optimized for rugged environments doesn’t mean it skimps on delivering business utility and the latest in smartphone functionality.

• The screen is a 5.1-inch full HD Super AMOLED with Adaptive Display that measures and tracks external factors to make it easier to view emails, presentation decks and videos in bright, outdoor light conditions.
• With a screen that size and software that allows easy side-by-side display of two apps at once, multitasking is a snap on this device.
• An Ultra Power Saving mode switches the screen to black and white and shuts down unnecessary features to dramatically minimize battery use.
• Samsung’s Download Booster technology lets Bell users combine the speeds of Canada’s largest LTE network and the largest Wi-Fi network across Canada to significantly improve file sharing, which is especially useful with large files or when on a tight deadline.

The bottom line
The Samsung Galaxy S5 Active^TM combines all the functionality of Samsung’s most advanced family of smartphones with industry-leading ruggedized protection to make it the ideal tool for outdoor workers or those whose jobs take them from the office to harsh environments. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to Canadian businesses.