For today’s workforce, the same mobile device often serves two roles: personal companion and business tool. While that flexibility supports productivity, it also introduces risk.
Organizations adopting bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies face a clear challenge: How do you secure corporate data without compromising employee privacy? That balance is increasingly difficult as cyber threats grow in frequency and sophistication.
Samsung addresses this challenge with Android Work Profile, a feature that can effectively separate business apps and data from personal content. IT teams can gain better control and visibility over corporate resources, while employees can retain privacy within their personal profile.
Android Work Profile is available on Samsung devices such as the Galaxy S26 Series, Galaxy Z Fold7 and Galaxy Z Flip7, and can be deployed through Samsung’s enterprise mobility management platform, Samsung Knox.
Here’s how Android Work Profile works, and why, when combined with Samsung Knox security and management capabilities, it can provide a scalable, enterprise-ready approach to mobile device management.
What is Android Work Profile?
Android Work Profile creates two distinct, isolated profiles on a single device, establishing a clear separation between business and personal use. As part of Android Enterprise — a set of built-in enterprise features within the Android operating system — Work Profile enables organizations to manage corporate apps and data on both company-owned and employee-owned devices.
For security-focused businesses, this separation provides meaningful assurance. IT teams can customize the work profile to align with organizational policies, including approved applications, security configurations and automatic updates. Profiles can also be provisioned and managed remotely, giving administrators the ability to deploy, monitor and troubleshoot devices without requiring in-person access.
In practice, Android Work Profile supports a balanced approach to mobility. Organizations gain greater oversight of business resources, while employees maintain control over their personal content, eliminating the need to carry separate devices without sacrificing security or privacy.
How Android Work Profile balances IT control with employee privacy
On both company-owned and employee-owned devices, IT administrators can manage and monitor all the apps and data in the work profile, including network activity, location information, app usage payment transactions and client messaging. However, they have no visibility into the personal profile, including browsing history, medical reports, purchases or other messages. This clear separation ensures organizations can enforce security and compliance policies without encroaching on employee privacy.
Although the two sides are segmented, IT staff can customize connections between them when needed or preferred. For example, they can link calendar data from work and personal profiles, allowing employees to see their complete schedule in one view, while preventing personal apps like social networking applications from accessing work contacts and data.
From an employee perspective, Android Work Profile allows them to better separate their work and personal lives. They can even use two versions of the same app, such as Microsoft Outlook. Switching between them is easy, too, simply tapping the “Personal” and “Work” buttons near the top of the screen. Work apps are also marked with a briefcase icon that helps distinguish the two types of apps.
During off-hours or vacations, and to ensure work-life balance, employees can press a “pause work apps” button, so work apps don’t run, generate notifications or drain the battery.
How to set up Android Work Profile
To configure Android Work Profile on mobile devices, companies must use an Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solution to manage the devices and install the Android Device Policy app on each device. They also have to create a corporate app store using Managed Google Play, where approved work applications can be downloaded.
Businesses can select an EMM tool that supports Android Enterprise features, such as Samsung Knox Manage, which is part of the Samsung Knox Suite, a comprehensive set of software for managing and securing Samsung devices.
Several tools within Samsung Knox Suite enable organizations to set up Android Work Profile on company-owned and personal mobile devices. With Knox Mobile Enrollment, organizations can remotely enroll and configure the mobile devices in bulk or individually. Knox Attestation checks the health and integrity of devices and makes sure they are not compromised. Through Knox Manage, IT teams can apply security policies and push OS, firmware and app updates.
Organizations wanting to implement Android Work Profile on devices can use Samsung Knox Suite as a standalone suite or integrate it into their organization’s broader unified endpoint management software for managing and securing devices, such as Microsoft Intune, Omnissa Workspace ONE and SOTI MobiControl.
How Android Work Profile benefits businesses and employees
In the digital age, data security goes together with brand reputation, and any measures taken to ensure the first burnishes the second. Android Work Profile offers one powerful way to do this, with a return far greater than the investment.
The benefits extend to employees as well. By clearly separating work and personal activity on a single device, Work Profile supports a more sustainable work-life balance and greater confidence in how data is handled. It also improves day-to-day efficiency, eliminating the need to switch between devices or carry multiple phones. Without a structured separation, convenience often overrides policy and increases the likelihood that sensitive data and personal activity become intertwined. Android Work Profile reduces that risk while preserving flexibility, enabling organizations to support modern mobile work without compromising security or employee trust.
Learn more about Samsung’s latest mobile devices for businesses and how Samsung Knox Suite can provide a comprehensive security and management solution.
