INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Microsoft (Photo: Reuters)2 min read Last Updated : Jul 09 2024 | 10:05 AM IST
Microsoft intends to offer Apple's iOS-based devices to its
employees in China to access authentication apps, a company spokesperson said on Monday, citing absence of Google's Android services in the
country.
Microsoft has been under increased scrutiny after a series of security breaches, the latest being that of Russian hackers who
spied and accessed emails of the company's employees and customers earlier this year.
The development was first reported by Bloomberg News,
which, citing an internal memo, said the Windows OS-maker instructed its employees in China to use Apple devices at workplace from
September.
As a part of Microsoft's global Secure Future Initiative, the move to switch to iOS-devices stems from the lack of availability
of Google Play Store in China that limits its employees' access to security apps such as Microsoft Authenticator and Identity Pass, the
report added.
"Due to the lack of availability of Google Mobile Services in this region, we look to offer employees a means of accessing
these required apps, such as an iOS device," a company spokesperson told Reuters in an email.
Microsoft is among those U.S
companies that have a strong presence in China
It entered the Chinese market in 1992 and also operates a large research and development center in the country.
The company will provide
iPhone 15 models to employees, currently using Android handsets across China, including Hong Kong, the Bloomberg report said.First
Published: Jul 09 2024 | 10:05 AMIST
