Dell unveils business VoIP smartphone service

Dell's virtual smartphone
Dell's virtual smartphone

Dell's Enterprise Mobility Management service has debuted a new service called Business Phone Service which is pitched as a virtual smartphone service.

The solution, which is part of Dell's Mobile Workspace, offers Box for Dell as well as Microsoft Office 365 email integration.

The product is powered by VOIP (voice-over-IP) specialist, Vonage Business Solutions, which operates in the same market as Skype and countless other VOIP service providers.

Dell's Business Phone is compatible with Android and iOS devices (no BlackBerrry or Windows Phone for now) and is essentially an app that allows employees to use their personal devices for work without having to share their personal details.

Taming the BYOD beast

Sensitive data is held in a secure, encrypted containerised area within the user's device and that workspace is controlled by the IT department of the employer.

Most importantly, additional details such as call logs and location data can be remotely pulled by system administrators for compliance with regulatory and legal requirements.

Ultimately, however, this drive towards consummerization is motivated by the need to managed BYOD within the enterprise.

Doing so allow companies to control their communication costs thanks to better resource management - and in the case of Vonage - the user of Wi-Fi rather than 3G when indoors.

Available from October 2014, Dell's Business Phone powered by VBS costs as little as $19.99 (about £12.40, AU$21.50) for 1000 minutes and unlimited texts per user.

The service is currently available in the US only and Dell has yet to say when the service will be rolled out to other territories.

Desire Athow
Managing Editor, TechRadar Pro

Désiré has been musing and writing about technology during a career spanning four decades. He dabbled in website builders and web hosting when DHTML and frames were in vogue and started narrating about the impact of technology on society just before the start of the Y2K hysteria at the turn of the last millennium.