Today is a big day for Windows Phone. Windows Phone 8.1 developer preview is now available to download! 8.1 was first outlined at the Microsoft BUILD conference last week. The developer preview is a complete OS update to the phone giving you early access to all of the new features in 8.1. Rest assured, this is an RTM build of the OS, not a beta.
What's in it for your organization?
Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet has done a great job outlining the new features with links to more details:
Enterprise VPN, supporting IPsec and SSL VPN gateways, is built in. Enterprise Wi-Fi, manageable by mobile-device-management systems, is built in, as well. Certificate management, S/MIME support for secure email, the ability to lock down documents in OneDrive via information-rights-management software and policies are all there, too. There's a free mobile-device-management guide available for download from Microsoft that details these new enterprise features. There's also a downloadable guide focusing on security enhancements in Windows Phone 8.1.
What's new in 8.1?
Windows Phone Central posted a great review detailing all of the new features in the operating system. Many features users considered to be "missing", as compared to iOS and Android, are now present, and even better. Be sure to check out their review.
How do I get it?
Windows Phone Central outlines the program in more detail and how you can obtain it. Any Windows Phone 8 device can be updated. This is a great opportunity to start reviewing Windows Phone 8.1 to see if it fits in your organization. I hope you're as excited as I am.