Palo Alto, California-based VMware that provides cloud and virtualization software and services has announced the extension of its AirWatch mobile device management (MDM) platform, which was acquired in January 2014 for $1.54 billion.
Dubbed as AirWatch Express, the cloud-based application is designed to get devices like tablets, smartphones and noteboooks configured with apps, email and Wi-Fi on a single console, while enabling the data encryption and security that is necessary in today’s environment. According to the company there is no software required to setup the MDM suite. It protects data on devices with security policies and can remotely wipe, lost or stolen devices to keep data out of wrong hands.
The company claims that it is more cost effective and consumer-friendly than the existing version of AirWatch, which is an Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) platform that enables Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and self-service capabilities to serve the mobile workforce.
Blake Brannon, Vice President, Product Marketing and End-User Computing, VMware, said:
The transformative nature of mobility has cause the mobile endpoint to become the primary computing device for many businesses, and these same organizations are struggling to keep up with the device and app proliferation. The truth is managing mobile devices can be a timely and complicated process. Without the need for technical knowledge or additional IT staff, AirWatch Express empowers organizations to support an ever increasing mobile workforce.
Amongst other features, AirWatch Express offers Blueprints as-a-service where users can store apps credentials, security, email and Wi-Fi settings for devices in one place. Customers can create a blueprint for each use case in a company to customize all the devices. As it targets small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with smaller or no IT departments, AirWatch Express claims to take into account the security risks associated with employees using their smartphones, tablets and laptops for work purposes.
According to the 2016 Data Breach Investigations Report, prepared by Verizon, the three most common mobile security breach incidents were a result of configuration or end user issues. And Airwatch Express aims to address these challenges by enabling companies to control these configurations and prevent probable data leakage.
The company has made AirWatch Express available for iOS, macOS, Android, and Windows 10 for $2.50 per device.