Appurity delivers work and personal Android Enterprise solution for Scotland’s largest law firm Brodies LLP

-Established a clear distinction between how employees use their devices for work and personal purposes-

Appurity, a company providing cyber security solutions and services for mobile infrastructure and applications across all verticals, today revealed details of the delivery of an Android Enterprise solution that has helped Brodies LLP, Scotland’s largest law firm, solve the challenges presented by BYOD.

Brodies LLP required a solution that established a clear distinction between how employees use their devices for work and personal purposes, and provide Brodies LLP with full control and management of device OS. The firm’s IT team also wanted to find a solution to “lock” devices in such a way that work data cannot be accessed through personal accounts.

Brodies LLP needed a secure, fully managed solution that enabled easy device updates. The firm also wanted to give employees the flexibility of a work profile, so that the same device could be used securely and privately for professional and personal purposes. The firm needed assurance that no work data could be transferred to personal apps and the option to lock devices when required.

As part of the Cyber Essentials scheme, it was essential that Brodies could fully manage the operating systems installed on the devices in its fleet. Prior to implementing Appurity’s solution, Brodies were facing lengthy provisioning times with device updates required at inopportune moments and often taking over an hour to complete. Additionally, updates were being installed through mobile carriers without the firm’s knowledge.

Appurity, a verified Android Enterprise Service Provider and Device Reseller, carried out a comprehensive security assessment before implementing a solution using their Gold Build standard. This included: Full device build documentation, enhanced security with Android zero-touch enrolment, complete control over OS upgrades and security patches with Samsung E-FOTA (Knox Enterprise Firmware-Over-The-Air), Lookout Mobile Endpoint Protection for malware, and protection against MITM and SMS phishing threats.

As part of a security assessment, Appurity reviewed all the firm’s apps and its current security posture. All device builds provided by Appurity adhere to Cyber Essentials Plus, ISO and other necessary regulations. The firm’s devices now provide the following workflow:

• Email
• Calendar
• Document viewing
• Time recording
• Dictation
• Nine Work email client integrated with Rubus for Android, an app developed by Appurity Connect. Rubus allows lawyers to send and file, open iManage document links, file from inbox directly to iManage, and the ability to check in and out of documents for review and mark-up.

As part of this solution, Appurity also worked with Brodies LLP to plan the firm’s migration to BlackBerry UEM Cloud from the on premise system. Appurity now manages almost 700 Samsung A52 Enterprise Edition devices for Brodies LLP, which include the use of Samsung E-FOTA for managing the OS version, in accordance with Cyber Essentials Plus and with enhanced support.

Brodies reported a seamless transition to the new Samsung devices complete with the latest and improved version of Android Enterprise OS. The process of getting devices into lawyers’ hands has been streamlined, which the firm notes has reduced the volume of office administration work previously associated with rollouts. To date there have been zero complaints and no critical issues reported with the improved work processes. Previous issues with compatibility and conflicting employee requirements have been solved with the help of the advanced Android ecosystem.

With the benefits of Lookout Mobile Endpoint Protection, Brodies LLP has excellent protection against mobile security threats, with custom policies set for apps, devices, and networks. The firm is also positioned to mitigate against new and unknown risks from bad actors.

“With Appurity’s knowledge of the Cyber Essentials framework, and as a verified Android Enterprise Service Provider, Device Reseller and Samsung Managed Service Provider, we were well placed to provide highly secure devices and deliver a solution that enhances productivity and user experience. “Working with Brodies LLP for a number of years, we know that they take security and compliance very seriously. Their users are at the heart of everything they do, so delivering a device refresh with minimum user disruption was essential.”- Steve Whiter, Director, Appurity

“Security is an important part of the landscape for law firms, and we take our duties and responsibilities in terms of data security seriously. Working with Appurity we have been able to put in place the processes and technologies we need to be able to manage risk on our mobile endpoints and protect our information assets. Their industry expertise, combined with a can-do attitude, has resulted in a highly productive working relationship between our organisations.” – Damien Behan, IT Director, Brodies LLP