Today at Connect 2016, VMware, Inc., a global leader in cloud infrastructure and business mobility, shared how businesses can embrace the future of mobility powered by its suite of End-User Computing solutions. The next-generation VMware AirWatch Unified Endpoint Management and VMware Workspace ONE extends VMware AirWatch into cloud-based management for traditional desktops and new-age connected devices, while providing users with the apps and services they need to work digitally.

"Connect is a time to reflect on the mobility industry's advancements in the last year, and also look into the future of how work can be reimagined," said Noah Wasmer, senior vice president, mobile products, End-User Computing, VMware. "In the nearly 10 years since the launch of the iPhone, enterprise mobility management has transformed from simple wipe and lock commands to a unified endpoint management platform for all devices, including Windows 10 and the Internet of Things. No longer will IT run different systems for different devices; instead we built the single platform to manage all endpoints. With scalability, security, productivity and privacy at the core, VMware is uniquely positioned to deliver on this new digital work experience."

Rethinking Legacy Desktop and Laptop Management

Industry analyst firm Gartner reports "the future of endpoint management lies in consolidation of management tools that manage traditional PCs and mobile devices as a common management framework evolves across the two." To address the industry shift from separate client management, EMM, cloud and on premise tools, VMware is bringing the two together with VMware AirWatch Unified Endpoint Management. VMware AirWatch Unified Endpoint Management provides a holistic and user-centric approach to managing all endpoints in an organization -- from mobile and desktop to IoT.

VMware AirWatch Unified Endpoint Management, available as a standalone solution or as a part of VMware Workspace ONE, extends the VMware AirWatch Enterprise Mobility Management capabilities into advanced cloud-based Windows 10 PC lifecycle management. This includes configuration management, operating system (OS) patch management, client health and security management. VMware AirWatch Unified Endpoint Management enables IT to deploy security patches and OS updates faster, install software more reliably and consolidate operational processes across all devices -- on or off the domain. This extends the robust mobile device management technologies for Windows management already available in AirWatch to deliver the industry's first comprehensive UEM solution that brings together desktop and mobile management under a single modern platform.

Collectively, VMware provides a comprehensive solution to help organizations migrate to Windows 10 by assessing their environment, determining the optimal path to migrate to Windows 10 (both physically and virtually) and take advantage of a modern approach for securing and managing all devices on or off the network. To learn more about VMware AirWatch Unified Endpoint Management, visit the AirWatch Blog and read about the new VMware SysTrack Desktop Assessment Service.

Scaling and Managing the Internet of Things, Augmented Reality and Mixed Virtual Experiences

Just as VMware AirWatch is expanding into traditional desktops, it is also branching out to manage IoT devices, smart glasses and touchless sensors. Businesses are beginning to see the impact of IoT technology in their workforces, and it is anticipated that IoT devices will far outnumber BYOD and other mobile devices in the enterprise. As businesses envision this shift, they need to consider how the wide range of emerging wearables, IoT connected devices, smartphones and tablets will fit into one holistic management framework involving data, cloud and mobile interactivity.

To address this rapidly growing market, VMware is expanding the VMware AirWatch Unified Endpoint Management platform to include support for Windows-based IoT devices, such as Surface Hub, as well as Android-powered IoT and smart devices, in the unified platform alongside their existing mobile deployments. The updates will bring IT a simplified onboarding experience to easily set up devices with networks and applications. VMware also partnered with leading smart glasses manufacturers and AR app developers, including Atheer, APX, Intel, ODG and VUZIX Corp to build Android wearable management and app delivery at scale.

Workspace ONE Reimagines Work for Modern Employees and Contractors

While VMware AirWatch Unified Endpoint Management delivers IT a unified approach to managing the array of devices that may require access to corporate information, VMware Workspace ONE brings this same unified approach to the users. Workspace ONE builds on AirWatch to offer a comprehensive end-user experience to employees and contractors across all of their devices, managed or unmanaged. Launched in early 2016, Workspace ONE is a consumer-simple, enterprise-secure, platform that provides users with instant access to all of their apps, including web, native, mobile and remote apps, with an enterprise app catalog available on any device, including desktops, laptops, smartphones and tablets.

Workspace ONE enables organizations to scale and tailor their management across unmanaged, BYO and corporate owned devices in a single platform. The flexible mobile application management (MAM) framework with adaptive management technologies provides organizations a way to easily manage all use cases, from standalone MAM for containerized enterprise apps, to a managed workspace with OS-level MAM, to full device management.

In this latest update to Workspace ONE, VMware provides real-time security across apps through expanded support for multi-device BYOD employees and contractors with new continuous access policies and consumer-simple application support including:

• Continuous access policies that can instantly block access to an application already in use if a device fails compliance tests. An example of this use case leverages beacon technology to create a tightly controlled geographic perimeter. Once removed from the beacon's proximity, the application may be immediately blocked or removed.
• Password form fill capability that extends the consumer-simple single sign-on experience of Workspace ONE to non-standards based web-apps. Administrators simply "teach" Workspace ONE where the username and password entries occur within an app and the Workspace ONE Browser Extension can inject those credentials as needed. These credentials are never stored in the cloud.
• Internally developed mobile applications that can now be distributed to unmanaged devices directly through the Workspace ONE app catalog without requiring applications to be loaded into public app stores, greatly simplifying the delivery of new business innovations to employees.
• Device compliance-based conditional access for VMware Horizon apps and desktops to extend VMware's industry leading access policy engine for virtual apps and desktops. "If this, then that" (ITTT) logic can now include the state of the device itself including location, beacon perimeter, jailbreak status and pin strength highly desired in regulated environments such as healthcare or retail.
• Self-service password reset for employees and contractors now available within Workspace ONE. The average cost of resolving a password issue is $31 according to Forrester research, so self-service password reset is a valuable tool that every employee and contractor can access from any device for immediate self-service.

To continue to bring the best experience across all users, VMware Boxer is now available for Android, delivering an integrated email, calendar and contacts experience that's designed to be both intuitive and secure. Additionally, VMware is rebranding its set of Workspace ONE Productivity Apps to better reflect the mission to provide a consumer simple, enterprise secure environment that inherently protects user privacy.

Paving the Path for a Unified Approach to Endpoint Management

As the industry consolidates and services like VMware AirWatch offer unified and holistic endpoint management, organizations are rethinking the point-solution approach. Many businesses are finding themselves with one solution MDM, another for PC lifecycle management, one for IoT management, and others for services like identity and security management.

To help customers transition to comprehensive UEM, VMware is offering several services for organizations to migrate from traditional MDM players to VMware AirWatch with minimal end-user impact. VMware expanded its Safe Passage program to help BlackBerry customers who must now migrate from Good for Enterprise with the recent End of Life announcement. An MDM Migration Tool is also available that migrates legacy MDM vendor profiles to VMware AirWatch, removing one of the major barriers for EMM platform migrations for customers. These services will streamline the process for transitioning to VMware AirWatch with low end-user impact.

Pricing and Availability

VMware Boxer for Android and the MDM Migration Tool are available today. VMware AirWatch Unified Endpoint Management, VMware AirWatch 9.0 and new advancements to VMware Workspace ONE will be generally available later in the quarter.