AirWatch Adds Windows 10 Support And Security, Samsung And SAP Partnerships

VMware-owned enterprise mobility management (EMM) specialist AirWatch has boosted its platform with Windows 10 support, new features as well as security and integration partnerships with the likes of SAP and Samsung.

“As the leader in enterprise mobility management, we continue to relentlessly innovate for our customers,” said John Marshall, general manager of AirWatch at the firm’s ‘Connect’ event in Atlanta. “Today, we are building a platform for the next phase of mobility – providing the tools to transform organisations and deliver true business transformation.

“We deliver consumer simple, enterprise secure solutions with user privacy in mind, and are working with our customers to define the future of what’s possible with business mobility.”

Windows 10

Enhanced support for Windows 10 and the new capabilities it affords are available from today. Azure Active Directory integration allows devices to be automatically enrolled without the need for IT, meaning off-the-shelf products can quickly be added. End users can also add a work account if they operate in a BYOD environment.

Admins can also take advantage of bulk provisioning and there is also support for Win32 applications and universal apps. This means administrators can deploy even more applications, including legacy software, from a single control panel.

Additional device management policies are now available to provide end users with access to resources, such as new email, advanced VPN, security and device configuration settings

Beyond Windows 10, AirWatch has added other features like iBeacon support and dynamic conditional access which only grants access to applications if a device hasn’t been compromised. If this is the case, the platform automatically takes actions to rectify the situation. Privacy has also been a focus for the company, with admins given access to controls for data privacy and policy management, while users will be made more aware of what data is collected.

Partnerships

Also announced at AirWatch Connect is a raft of new partnerships. VMware will sell Samsung Knox globally, while Samsung will sell AirWatch in the US.

“The synergy of device deployment using the industry’s best enterprise mobility management solution combined with the enterprise-grade security of Samsung KNOX Workspace is a compelling offer to our customers,” said Susan Nash, vice president of end user computing at VMware. “Together we are helping enable business mobility in organizations around the world that want to transform business processes and enhance security.”

SAP is one of the newest members of the App Configuration for Enterprise (ACE) standard, spearheaded by AirWatch, Box, Cisco and others to simplify the development and deployment of business-oriented apps. Twenty other firms have also signed up, with total membership reaching 40.

Security enhancement

And finally, AirWatch has secured the support of ten security firms to integrate their products into the EMM platform. Palo Alto Networks, Check Point, FireEye, Appthority, Lookout, Pradeo, Proofpoint, Skycure, Veracode and Zimperium have all agreed to integrate with AirWatch APIs and boost security for customers.

Products are divided into three categories – device, application and networking – and if they detect a threat, they communicate with AirWatch, which then takes an automatic or admined-defined action to protect the device and data.

“Our customers are making strategic investments in mobility and want to protect their devices, apps and networks end-to-end,” said Noah Wasmer CTO of end user computing at VMware. “In the increasingly complicated realm of mobile security, this alliance provides flexibility while enabling simplified deployment and implementation of security solution.”

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