Dell has launched a new version of its Secure Mobile Access solution that allows admins to restrict which applications can connect to the corporate network based on the specific security permissions assigned to individual users and devices. The offering is part of the company’s recently introduced Enterprise Mobility Management suite and runs on its SonicWALL E-Class Secure Remote Access Appliance.

By binding virtual private network (VPN) connections directly to approved applications, the software makes it considerably easier for IT organizations to ensure employees keep their work and private lives separate. Personal apps that might propagate mobile malware threats or keep users from being productive are simply locked out, functionality that Dell says eliminates a good bit of the administrative overhead normally associated with managing mobile devices in enterprise environments while tightening up privacy.

“The Secure Mobile Access solution and the Dell Enterprise Mobility Manager present evidence that Dell recognizes the challenges our customers face, and has responded with the right innovative, scalable solutions required to solve mobility and BYOD issues,” noted Patrick Sweeney, the company’s executive director of network security.

The solution makes it possible to tailor policies to specific groups, and avoids compliance surprises by presenting users with a detailed description of the rules pertaining to their specific departments that has to be accepted upon signing up. The time of registration is automatically recorded, along with other details, for audit purposes.

“We are not tackling a small piece of the problem. With our comprehensive lifecycle approach connecting security across data, infrastructure and applications, we are providing the complete set of solutions required in the market,” he said.

Secure Mobile Access is integrated with other components of Dell’s enterprise mobility portfolio, including SonicWALL firewall appliances and the Mobile Workspace container tool. Both apps and containers can be hooked up to the solution without requiring any code or configuration modifications, a major advantage for large organizations that would otherwise have to individually repurpose the hundreds if not thousands of mobile tools their employees use everyday at work.

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