Building on AirWatch by VMware Mobility Momentum, VMware Horizon FLEX to Further Enable IT to Embrace BYO and Macs in the Enterprise With Local Virtual Desktops BARCELONA, SPAIN--(Marketwired - Oct 14, 2014) - Today at VMworld 2014 Europe, VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) announced new products, program and service that add to the growing list of innovative solutions for end-user computing. Among them is VMware Horizon FLEX that will enable enterprises to centrally provision, manage and secure virtual desktops and applications running locally on Macs and PCs, using policy-based controls to more securely embrace bring your own (BYO) policies.In addition, a new cloud service for desktop disaster recovery will allow organizations to protect their business and enhance workforce continuity, expansion of cloud hosted services in Europe will open opportunities for customers, and a new storage program will help customers quickly predict and control virtual desktop deployment costs at scale.
We continue to dramatically accelerate the pace of innovation with new end-user computing and mobility solutions that will help VMware customers address the needs of their workforce, said Sanjay Poonen, executive vice president and general manager, End-User Computing, VMware. Building on the strong launch momentum for VMware Workspace Suite and new innovations in the AirWatch Enterprise Mobility Management platform, VMware Horizon FLEX joins a growing line-up of VMware End-User Computing products that transform legacy systems into a modern workspace that solves modern day challenges.
VMware Horizon FLEX: Local Virtual Desktops for Macs and PCs with Enterprise Security
According to a recent June 2014 survey by Dimensional Research commissioned by VMware, 73 percent of IT administrators reported that user preference is forcing organizations to officially or unofficially support Macsi. In addition, many companies use contract workers for temporary assignments, making it difficult for IT to deploy, secure and control corporate desktops, applications and data.
VMware Horizon FLEX will be a comprehensive enterprise solution that will enable organizations to provision and manage local, corporate Windows-based virtual desktops to groups of employees that were previously difficult or costly to support. IT will be able to give Mac users, contractors and remote workers access to a secure corporate desktop in a cost effective package without sacrificing security or corporate compliance. This will allow IT to save on training and support costs, while end-users can quickly become productive on a Mac or PC while disconnected from the network.
VMware Horizon FLEX will provide:
Flexible Deployment Options -- Standardized virtual desktops for PC and Mac end-users can be provisioned for customers, contractors or remote employees through the corporate network or locally on a USB drive.
Centralized Control -- Centralized policy-based management creates a more secure virtual desktop environment that assists with securing data, configurations and virtual disks. Device control can allow or deny use of peripheral devices, expiration control enables IT to set a timeframe for virtual desktops to expire and remote kill can disable virtual desktops remotely in case of theft, termination or lack of corporate compliance.
Unified Image Management -- Virtual desktops can be managed as a set of logical layers owned by IT or the end-user. Dynamic layer for desktop and application management using VMware Mirage technology enables IT managed layers to be updated while maintaining end-user files and personalization.
IT Cost Reductions -- Enable Bring Your Own PC (BYOPC) and support Macs in the enterprise without having to support the system itself. This can reduce training needs by allowing employees to use their system of choice, expedite new employee on boarding, and eliminate the cost of sending a physical laptop.
Interoperability with AirWatch -- Utilize AirWatch OS X management to provision and manage Mac OS X devices including the configuration of VMware Fusion and the installation of desktop and application containers.
With the addition of VMware Horizon FLEX to the VMware end-user computing portfolio, customers will be able to choose between three different virtual desktop and application options from a single vendor to match their specific needs:
VMware Horizon FLEX -- A local solution with centralized controls that will enable the quick deployment of virtual Windows desktops to Mac and PC users so companies can embrace BYOPC policies without compromising security or control.
VMware Horizon 6 -- A data center solution that delivers published applications and virtual desktops on a single integrated platform to empower IT with a streamlined approach for managing Windows applications and desktops.
VMware Horizon Air -- A cloud solution that will deliver cost-effective enterprise-class virtual desktops that gives customers the ability to blend public and private cloud desktops for a seamless end-user experience.
New Solutions to Support Adoption and Deployment of Virtual Desktops
VMwares virtual desktop solutions are inspired by the mobile experience, built for the software defined data center and can be delivered using any cloud. They will help eliminate the tradeoff between performance and costs, and solve specific challenges faced by customers using the speed and agility of the mobile-cloud. New product and program solutions designed to support the adoption and deployment of virtual desktops will include:
VMware Horizon DaaS European Expansion and Rebranding -- VMware Horizon DaaS has been rebranded to VMware Horizon Air. The complete line-up of end-user computing hosted cloud services that includes VMware Horizon Air Desktops, VMware Horizon Air Apps and VMware Horizon Air Desktop DR is scheduled to expand to new loc
