VMware Inc. today said it has broadened platform support in its Workspace ONE endpoint management suite to now include Windows, MacOS, Chrome OS, iOS and Android.

Workspace ONE will also now integrate application programming interfaces from major endpoint platform providers to stay current with updates and new versions.

Workspace ONE provides a single platform for managing mobile and desktop devices, encompassing a unified application catalog that integrates native applications, cloud-based services, internal applications and virtual desktops. VMware has been aggressively targeting this market since its 2014 acquisition of AirWatch LLC and more recent purchase of mobile intelligence startup Apteligent Inc.

The new release strengthens integration with personal computers from VMware’s parent company, Dell Technologies Inc., to enable automatic provisioning without user or information technology department intervention. This enables PCs to be drop-shipped to users and automatically configured at initial startup.

“At boot-up the user is asked for credentials.  We call the AirWatch cloud to configure the system over the air,” said Jeff McGrath, senior director of product marketing for VMware End-User Computing. “It sets up that user into a specific group with a set of configurations and policies” pre-defined by the IT organization. Patches and updates can be pushed out from the cloud using AirWatch, and devices can be quarantined until updated.

The new release also incorporates technology from Adaptiva Corp. that enables cloud-based peer-to-peer software distribution for large applications. This means that applications and updates can be replicated from a single PC without the need for a local server, a feature that is intended to appeal to companies with branch offices.

Windows desktops and applications can be automated with the VMware Just in Time Management Platform and a technology preview that integrates the company’s Instant Clone, App Volumes application layering technology and User Environment Manager personalization and dynamic policy configuration management toolset into a single console.

VMware said Workspace ONE is now the first endpoint manager to address devices based on the Chrome operating system. Previously, Chrome devices could only be administered by Google’s Chrome Enterprise management suite.

Device intelligence

A new add-on called Workspace ONE Intelligence provides insights into device usage and automated actions to help IT administrators better understand the performance and security of user devices. “We’ve had basic reporting in the past, but weren’t able to do a lot of the customization that IT was demanding,” said Renu Upadhyay, director of product marketing for the End User Computing group.

With its acquisition of Aptelligent in March, VMware got the ability to track such user activities as application downloads and installations. “We can see where the users gets stuck in the on-boarding process or if they deleted an application,” Upadhyay said. “IT can now look at historical trending data to plan deployment more intelligently.” Pricing has not yet been set.

Workspace ONE is also getting a boost through integration with VMware’s Horizon and Dell EMC’s VDI Complete desktop and application virtualization products. The combination provides a single point of management for both physical devices and virtual desktops delivered form the cloud. VMware also said Horizon is also now available on a limited beta test basis on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, fulfilling a commitment the company had announced in May. Pricing for virtual desktops begins at $7 per month per desktop.

App delivery without desktops

Barely noted in the broader Workspace ONE announcements is a new partnership with Mainframe2, Inc., which does business as Frame, that themakes it possible for users to securely access Windows applications from the cloud using just a browser. The technology works on any device and doesn’t require or plugins and without sacrificing performance.

Runing in both the AWS and Microsoft Azure clouds, Frame provides enough power to ensure that “even the most complex visual applications run as smoothly as they do on a physical desktop or workstation, and much more securely,” wrote Nikola Bozinovic, Frame’s CEO, in a blog post. The service enables updates to be performed on a single image and distributed without disruption or downtime to users. Billing is hourly, meaning organizations only pay for the virtual applications they use.

The service is integrated with Workspace ONE to enable secure application access from a single catalog with single sign-on authentication. Frame’s pricing begins at $20 per user per month for up to 25 users. VMware didn’t say if pricing will change.

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