This is our third blog post highlighting the Open Mobile client v2.0 for Windows. Last week we provided an overview of the new Endpoint Integrity Verification feature, and the previous entry focused on a high level overview of the Open Mobile client v2.0 for Windows release. This week we are going to take a closer look at the brand new Login Assist capability introduced with this release.
Login Assist expedites the login process for users when accessing commonly visited cloud based applications/Web sites by allowing the Open Mobile client to automatically present the user’s login credentials to the application’s login page. The credentials can be the user’s corporate credentials or can be credentials that are unique to each application. Meaning I can log in to Salesforce.com and have my corporate credentials presented (assuming Salesforce.com has been set up to accept corporate credentials) and then log into a corporate travel site and have the Open Mobile client present a unique username and password. This works by either selecting an application from the quick launch bar or accessing the application/Web site directly as long as Open Mobile is running in the background.
Now this just doesn’t happen magically. Open Mobile administrators will need to set up each Web site or application that they want Login Assist enabled for. iPass has provided some base templates to use when setting up Login Assist for common applications, and administrators can add their own applications. As long as the site/application uses some form of an HTML based login page, Login Assist should work. The first time the user logs into the web site or application, they will be prompted to enter their user name and password. On subsequent visits, they will be automatically logged in.
Want to learn more? Feel free to check out the video below which provides a short demo of Login Assist in action.
Last week I introduced the Open Mobile client v2.0 for Windows to everyone. This week we are going to take a closer look at the new Endpoint Integrity Verification feature introduced with this release.
The concept of checking the security of the endpoint is not new. Many organizations use different VPN and NAC solutions to ensure that a Windows laptop is configured correctly before allowing the user onto the network.
However, many of these solutions only do their check after the user is already connected to the Internet, and often require the user be in the process of connecting, or already connected to the network in order to perform the security check. What happens if the user never connects to the network? With more and more organizations deploying cloud based applications that don’t sit on the organization’s network, there is the increasing chance that mobile users will spend less and less time connected to the network itself.
This is where we knew Open Mobile could add value. Since Open Mobile is built to manage all connections to the Internet, it is uniquely positioned to be able to enforce security at the moment of connection. With the Open Mobile client v2.0 for Windows, we set out to make it much easier to do exactly that.
With this release, administrators can easily create policies that look for specific Anti-Virus, Personal Firewall and Anti-Spyware applications at the point of connection. We make it easy by providing an extensive list of applications to pick from so it is as easy as just checking an item off a list. If the user attempts to connect and everything is running as required, they can connect.
However, if they don’t meet the requirements, either the required application is not running or is running the wrong version, then organizations have the choice of prompting the user and allowing the user to continue or take several different actions that block the user to the Internet and/or the VPN. Organizations can customize the message that the user sees so the required action on their part can be made very clear and match the languages used in the security policies that employees are used to.
Want to learn more? Feel free to check out the video below which provides a short demo of the Endpoint Integrity Verification capability in action. Also, make sure to read more about the Open Mobile Portal and Open Mobile Client.
Be sure to check back next week as we continue to highlight some of the great new features with the Open Mobile v2.0 client for Windows.
This week we made available to our customers and partners the Open Mobile client v2.0 for Windows.
This is a great release that enables hassle-free universal connectivity for the Enterprise, making getting onto the internet or corporate network simple and consistent at work, at home and on the go.
When we talk about the benefit that Open Mobile provides to our customers, we frame it from the context that Open Mobile can help organizations get hold of the economics, help with security at the point of connection and provide seamless connectivity for everyone within the organization. This release provides several great enhancements that match these benefits, including:
Enhanced Endpoint Integrity Verification for ensuring that laptops meet security policies as soon as users connect,
Enhanced Usage Limits & Alerts for keeping mobility costs under control, and
the new Login Assist capability that provides an easy way for employees to connect to Cloud/SaaS applications.
Rather than talk in detail about all of the new features today, I’m going to invite everyone to check back to the blog in the coming weeks, as we will be doing a series of posts that will talk about many of the features in greater detail. However, for current Open Mobile customers who can’t wait, feel free to log into the Open Mobile Portal today and build an Open Mobile client v2.0 for Windows profile and check out all of the new features for yourself.
Had a chance to attend the Gartner ITxpo conference last week. This was a good conference that allows an opportunity to hear Gartner’s opinion on Enterprise IT trends, as well as talk to people responsible for IT decisions within the Enterprise.
It should come to no surprise that one of the trends covered was the impact of ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) and some of the innovation on the horizon in mobile devices and also cloud applications (and the relationship between the two).
One term we heard a few times at the conference was ‘Creative Destruction’ which talks about embracing these trends for the betterment of your business even if it fundamentally changes how you support your business and employees.
One of the interesting topics that really resonated with me had to do with how to support BYOD. It was mentioned several times that you should not look at BYOD just as a cost savings mechanism- and remember that it doesn’t eliminate costs but instead it just spreads them around. While it may be by design to spread the cost to the employee, you need to understand the impact of that. More on that later.
BYOD should look at enabling expression and productivity within an organization, as part of a ‘user-centric design’ that Gartner believes extends to the Enterprise, not just in the products you build, but how you support your users. That doesn’t mean that IT-supported devices goes away. Nor does it mean that the user bears all the cost of personally-liable devices. This is an ongoing topic that I discuss with customers frequently.
There essentially is a matrix that looks at the mobile stack device type (e.g. laptop, tablet, smartphone) and user role (e.g. C-Level, Director, Manager, Sales, etc.). Within that matrix is a call out on who owns the devices and who pays for access. Some users will get their device from IT, because their role demands it – whether it has to do with security or seniority. Some may buy their own device, but part or all of the voice/data cost is paid for by the organization. And then some will pay for everything but still be entitled to access data.
One good point I heard is the following question: what if you require users to pay for their device and you then roll out a video application that consumes all of the data in their data plan? Users may stop using that device for work-related purposes costing the organization the productivity benefit that may come along with that application. That may be a scenario where you consider paying for all or a portion of the user’s access in order to make that user more productive on their personal device.
And lastly, don’t forget about security. One thing I heard mentioned – that I’ve witnessed firsthand – is that often there is little continuity in security policies between laptops and tablets/smartphones, personal devices and corporate devices. There should be. It doesn’t mean the approach in securing a laptop is the same as securing a smartphone or tablet. The point is that the policy should focus on securing corporate information vs. securing the device, and that information security policy will have different levels similar to the matrix I described above. Access may be more limited for a more junior member of your organization on a personal device than a more senior member of the organization. The key is to set that policy, consult different business units in your organization and ensure it is well communicated.
For more information on the impact of BYOD on today’s enterprise, feel free to download our Mobile Enterprise Report.
I just had a chance to come back from a great visit to the UK, talking with some of our European customers as well as talking to some of the European press and analysts.
This visit allowed me to ask some questions and get some insight on the impact of data roaming in Europe- especially in light of the EU legislation in this area, and also to get some real world examples of how organizations are working with personal smartphones and tablets being brought into the organizations.
The hot topic with the press and analysts (other than Rupert Murdoch) is the EU legislation regarding roaming tariffs/controls. What would the impact be for European companies when it comes to roaming costs? I think most are taking a wait and see approach, but the early consensus was that this won’t do much to impact roaming bill shock in the short term as the caps will phase in over a number of years.
One concern raised several times is that carriers won’t just let this revenue go away, and may make up for any losses by pushing up roaming rates for EU travelers to leave the EU, or for non-EU travelers coming in to the EU. In short, still potential for complexity and bill shock – although it may make things simpler for inter-European travel. Still a strong need for good user notifications and good controls for data roaming (both domestic and roaming), which is something that iPass is really investing in.
We talked to a couple of large pan-European customers, and both were fully embracing employees selecting their own smartphone or tablet. However, they are offering to fund the mobility costs on the personal device when it is used for business purposes.
The bring-your-own-device trend is definitely a global phenomenon, but I’ve seen many organizations offer different approaches when it comes to who pays for the data access on those devices, varying from the employee pays for everything, to the employee is compensated partially, to the employer pays for access.
Our view (and our Mobile Workforce Report backs this up) is that the more the user has to pay for access, the less likely they will use the device for work-related purposes. It was good to talk to these customers and hear their approach- they will fund data access for personal devices, but at the same time they expect that employees make sensible choices with that access (meaning avoid data roaming when possible, when using a paid access point, limit personal usage- save the personal usage for when the company is not paying for access).
This is another area that iPass is investing in; providing smartphone and tablet users with usage information that will help them make informed decisions on when to use Wi-Fi vs. mobile broadband, and which applications are consuming the most data.
What devices were our European customers seeing?
When it comes to IT-managed devices, still no change there – Windows is the dominant platform (but with a wider acceptance of Mac for certain job functions). With personal smartphones and tablets, I expected to hear that iOS (iPhones, iPads) was what everyone was choosing.
Yes, iOS is popular, but I was equally surprised to hear that many of the devices being selected by employees were Android devices. You may argue that is not surprising given the Android sales numbers, but often times in the Enterprise we don’t hear that much about Android, so from that perspective, it was interesting to hear.
The other platform that was mentioned many times by both customers and the press/analysts was Windows Phone 7, with the expectation that when Nokia rolls out their first Windows Phone that there will be immediate adoption across Europe.
Are you seeing the same thing if you are in a European country?
It should come to no surprise that one of the trends covered was the impact of
