Blank tablet initiative by Verizon promotes security, performance

Verizon Wireless has announced plans to introduce a new "blank tablet" initiative aimed at improving the performance and security of Android-based tablet computers in the workplace, technology news provider TabTimes reports.

According to the report, the Secure Enterprise Blank Tablet will remove many of the "consumer-oriented" settings that come pre-installed on Android™ tablets. Verizon will also enable several enterprise-oriented functions, including a private app storefront that can be customized to determine what apps tablet users can and cannot access.

This emphasis on enterprise-friendly tablets is becoming especially important given the number of companies that now support the technology. According to a December 2011 study from Good Technology, 72 percent of surveyed companies already support bring-your-own-device programs, which allow employees to use their own smartphones, tablets and other devices in the workplace.

Verizon Wireless Business Solutions Group associate director Sowmya Varadarajan tells TabTimes that several other items will be included under the Secure Enterprise Blank Tablet initiative to promote enterprise tablet use. Among these are card- and bar-code scanning, a ruggedized case and other offerings to make the tablet more secure.