VMware Launches Identity Manager to Solve BYOD Risks

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This article originally appeared at The WHIR

VMware has launched an Identity Manager service to centralize authorization for applications across different environments and devices. Hosted on-premise or in vCloud Air public cloud, VMware promises secure, convenient, one-touch access for what it calls “the mobile/cloud era.”

Identity Manager works with AirWatch Adaptive Access to provide single sign-on access to web, mobile, SaaS, and legacy applications. It works across iOS and Android, and does not involve changing app code or “app wrapping,” so updates can be applied without extra steps.

The service includes a token generator, but also integrates with existing identity providers. It comes with an enterprise app store, app usage analytics, and a conditional access policy engine.

BYOD risks, whether from misconfigured apps, prolonged app vulnerabilities, or the dark web, come with the flexibility and productivity benefits of “the mobile/cloud era.” Symantec launched new services earlier in June to address the same concerns.

Creating device profiles and binding them to user identities allows an unlocked device to be used as a seamless authentication factor. “More importantly,” VMware’s Kevin Strohmeyer, senior director, product marketing, End-User Computing, says in a blog post, “because people have such a strong connection with their personal devices, it is less likely that they will lose control of them, and when they do, are more likely to report them stolen and/or initiate their own remote wipe to safeguard their personal information, as well as corporate information.”

Identity Manager launched to VMware’s Blue and Yellow Management Suites, out of US data centers. The company plans to offer it as a stand-alone product, and also to add European and Asia Pacific regions in the third quarter. The service starts at $150 per year, and a free trial is available through AirWatch.

This first ran at http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/vmware-launches-identity-manager-to-solve-byod-risks