Those of us at TechOrchard just returned from the AirWatch Connect conference in Atlanta, and we are very excited about the developments on the horizon that were discussed at this event. In addition to recent releases, AirWatch will continue to create new tools and features that will be beneficial to us as we work to help organizations of all sizes design, deploy and support a comprehensive mobility management plan. The folks at Solutions Review did a great job of outlining the key announcements of the week in this article.
For a need-to-know summary, below are the highlights with links to additional information provided by AirWatch by VMware:
AirWatch Introduces the Mobility Security Alliance to Simplify Cybersecurity
AirWatch and its Mobile Security Alliance members support customers seeking to mitigate the growing mobile threat landscape by providing advanced security solutions that seamlessly integrate into the AirWatch platform. This not only includes device protection against malware and viruses, but also keys on scanning and analyzing public and private applications and deep analysis and remediation for traffic through networks. TechOrchard met with several of these MSA members, including industry leader CheckPoint, to discuss strategy and gain additional insights.
New Application Innovators Support ACE (App Configuration for Enterprise) Community
AirWatch and 21 additional enterprise application leaders announced support for the configuration and security of public applications through native mobile OS functionality by joining ACE (App Configuration for Enterprise), a community to drive native application standards in the industry. By standardizing the app configuration and security management leveraged by any EMM solution, enterprises can create a more seamless app experience for end users and increase adoption of their mobile apps.
VMware Welcomes SAP to ACE Community to Simplify Business Mobility
SAP and VMware plan to integrate the ACE approach to enable secure, instant deployment and login of SuccessFactors and Concur mobile applications on iOS and Android devices.
VMware Extends Partnership with Samsung to Include AirWatch EMM and Samsung KNOX Workspace
The extended partnership gives customers:
- End-to-end mobile security with AirWatch Enterprise Mobility Management and Samsung KNOX Workspace to deliver defense-grade, hardware anchored security.
- Easy and efficient enrollment with AirWatch and KNOX Mobile Enrollment, allowing IT to rapidly deploy thousands of devices from a single, intuitive management console.
- Advanced application management to easily manage, secure and record public, internal and purchased apps.
Furthermore, we personally met with VMware and AirWatch management to more closely align our partnership, combining AirWatch by VMware’s leadership in enterprise mobility management in the mobile cloud era with our expertise in consultative planning and mobility management project planning and leadership for our customers. Below are a few of the additional new AirWatch features that we were able to observe and learn about:
AirWatch and Windows 10 — New mobility management APIs provided by Microsoft’s new “Continuum” strategy will provide EMM capability exclusive to AirWatch that now allows management of Windows 10 devices, including tablets, phones and laptops, in a manner much more similar to how iOS and Android devices are currently managed. That includes the ability to push and manage Windows Store apps and internal apps and .msi packaged applications more easily.
Android for Work — Google is working closely with AirWatch, providing the ability for users to seamlessly utilize the apps they need and love most while allowing for separation of personal and work use in the same app. This is happening all while providing the enterprise with the ability to manage work-related data and applications, pushing “badged” versions of apps from the Google Play for Work store, and providing SSO access throughout.
Apple iOS 9 — AirWatch, as always, was ready to support iOS 9 the day it was released. Below are the key capabilities added in AirWatch now possible due to the new OS:
- Ability to push apps silently without user interaction on Supervised devices (DEP or Apple Configurator)
- For Supervised devices on iOS 9 or later, console admins can now restrict and push iOS updates going forward enabling full control of OS version in the device environment
VMWare Horizon and AirWatch Integration — VMware continues to leverage its leadership in the virtualization world with AirWatch to provide easier, more cost-efficient management of mobility while providing a more seamless and productive user experience. Apps and data can be securely accessed by users in the cloud or on premise on any device, regardless of the type of app (app store, web app or internal thin/thick apps).
If you have questions about anything you’ve read here or elsewhere related to the announcements from AirWatch Connect, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly for more insight.
