Today, Oracle announced a new release of Oracle Secure Global Desktop, part of Oracle's Desktop Virtualization portfolio.

Oracle Secure Global Desktop 5.0 extends secure, anywhere access to cloud-hosted and on-premise enterprise applications and desktops from Apple iPad and iPad mini tablets, without the need for a VPN client.

Through support of the HTML5 standard, Oracle Secure Global Desktop 5.0 allows tablet users to access enterprise applications with just a Web browser, allowing them to easily use their own devices for work.

This new release provides tablet users, in addition to PC, MAC and desktop users, certified access to Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud and Web-based Oracle Applications, including Oracle CRM.

Delivering Enhanced Productivity through an Improved Mobile Experience

• Oracle Secure Global Desktop provides secure access to a broad range of server-based applications and desktops, including those running on Windows, Oracle Solaris, Oracle Linux, and legacy mainframe and midrange systems.
• Oracle Secure Global Desktop 5.0 delivers:
• Simple mobile access: Users can login to the Oracle Secure Global Desktop 5.0 sessions and access all of their applications and data using the built-in mobile Safari web browser on iPad and iPad mini, without the need to establish a cumbersome VPN connection. Support for HTML5 enables a rich, browser-based user interface that provides simple, intuitive gestures and navigation, as well as extended keyboard capabilities, without the need for downloading or maintaining separate client applications.
• Full user productivity: For maximum productivity, copy and paste to and from applications, printing, and automatic session resizing, when rotating the iPad is supported.
• Security enhancements: Oracle Secure Global Desktop Gateway uses multi-factor authentication methods to access applications, increasing security when accessing cloud-hosted applications, regardless of location. With the included Oracle Secure Global Desktop Gateway, users can securely access their workspaces from PCs, laptops, or tablets both inside and outside the corporate firewall.
• Extended session mobility: Extends the session pause and resume feature to the iPad, allowing users to pick up their workspace right where they left off, even when moving from one client device to another.
• Improved performance: Delivers reliable performance and responsiveness for cloud-based applications and desktop sessions, even at cellular network speeds.
• Expanded server, client, and browser support: Oracle Secure Global Desktop 5.0 adds support for servers running Oracle Solaris 11.1 and Oracle Linux 6.4, and clients running Windows 8 (desktop mode) and Mac OS X Mountain Lion.  Browsers supported now include Internet Explorer 10, Chrome, and Firefox ESR.  See links for a complete list of supported server and client environments.

"Enterprise users expect increasingly more mobile access to applications which are often designed to run on desktop PCs. Oracle Secure Global Desktop provides IT with a highly secure remote access solution for such applications, and even full desktop environments, from tablets," said Wim Coekaerts, senior vice president, Linux and Virtualization Engineering.

"Oracle provides the world's best foundation for applications with Oracle's Exalogic Elastic Cloud engineered system. Oracle's customers deploying Oracle Applications within the Exalogic Elastic Cloud engineered system can now use Oracle Secure Global Desktop as a certified solution to extend the reach of Oracle Applications to tablet devices such as the iPad while at the same time attaining improved security," said Mohamad Afshar, vice president, Product Management, Oracle.

"Oracle provides the world's most complete customer relationship management solution with Oracle CRM. When combined with Oracle Secure Global Desktop 5.0, customers now have the option to access Oracle CRM on the go. The Web-based Oracle CRM application is hosted in the data center and rendered accurately over the network on the iPad, increasing speed and ensuring that no local data is stored on the device, which increases security," said George Jacob, group vice president, CRM Applications.