Microsoft has announced it will extend support for the Windows Phone 8 mobile operating system for another 36 months.
According to Windows Phone Vice President Tony Mestres, in a Windows Phone blog post, the extension is considered as an investment to the "Windows Phone enterprise capabilities."
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"We've decided to increase the length of our support lifecycle from 18 months to 36 months," wrote Mestres. "Beginning with Windows Phone 8 we'll make updates, including security updates, available for 36 months. These updates will be incremental, with each update built on the update that preceded it."
The future updates, however, may vary on the mobile carrier and manufacturer. The update's availability also depends on country, region, and device hardware capabilities.
Mestres also revealed Microsoft will release an enterprise feature pack that will be referred to as an update to Windows Phone 8. The feature pack will reportedly provide IT departments more control over Windows Phones and gives employees a "fuller productivity experience."
Elements in the enterprise feature pack will include S/MIME to sign and encrypt email; access to corporate resources behind the firewall with app aware, auto-triggered VPN; enterprise Wi-Fi support with EAP-TLS; enhanced MDM policies to lock down functionality on the phone for more enterprise control, in addition to richer application management such as allowing or denying installation of certain apps; certificate management to enroll, update, and revoke certificates for user authentication.
The enterprise feature pack has been given an expected release date of the first half of 2014.
"By lengthening the Windows Phone support lifecycle policy and announcing of the enterprise feature pack, we show Microsoft's commitment to the Windows Phone platform. This gives business customers the confidence to invest in Windows Phone today, with the knowledge that their investments are secure, and the platform is evolving to be an even better choice for business."
Notable devices with Windows Phone 8 include the Nokia Lumia 920, Lumia 925, Lumia 928, Lumia 520, and the recently announced Lumia 625 and Lumia 1020. HTC also utilizes the Windows Phone 8 platform with the Windows Phone 8X.