Microsoft said it aims to supply Apple’s iOS-based devices to its employees in China to access authentication apps due to absence of Google’s Android services in the country.
Microsoft does not reveal the number of its employees in China.
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 Windows OS-maker instructed its employees in China to use Apple devices at workplace from September, Bloomberg News report said.
The move to switch to iOS-devices, as a part of Microsoft’s global Secure Future Initiative, 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.
“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 has a strong presence in China. Microsoft entered the Chinese technology market in 1992 and also operates a large research and development center in the country. Microsoft website says it boasts a partner ecosystem with 17,000 partners. For every RMB that Microsoft earns in China, Microsoft partners earn 16.
The company will provide iPhone 15 models to employees, currently using Android handsets across China, including Hong Kong.
Microsoft President Brad Smith told Congress that about 1.5 percent of Microsoft’s revenue comes from China. Microsoft’s China revenue primarily comes from Windows, Bing, cloud computing, and various corporate applications.
