Cortado, which describes itself as a provider of cloud desktop services, says the latest version of its Corporate Server now includes mobile device management (MDM) for iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry smartphones.
Cortado’s technology essentially ‘beams’ corporate web-based applications and files on corporate file servers to practically any browser-enabled device, securely.
But unlike some rival approaches, users of mobile and remote devices can still interact with local applications on their device – this is not a VPN solution. But the thin client approach has a number of advantages, according to the firm: it’s faster than a VPN, able to mix local and corporate data and applications where security allows it, and allows the IT department more granular control over user configuration management.
"We don’t run all your Windows applications at the back end like you do with a VPN," says the company’s president and CEO Carsten Mickeleit. "With iPads and other mobile devices people want local applications not a remote Office app."
While they could simply rely on those local apps exclusively, Cortado adds remote, secure access to their corporate files, printing features, collaboration and central management. It saves on bandwidth versus some rival offerings by offering a preview of remote files prior to download.
The company says version 6.0 is the first remote desktop access offering that adds MDM. It says it allows companies to keep control of devices, user and device activities and permissions in a secure way without interfering with the native user experience of a device.
"Integrating devices into the corporate network has always been one of the main focuses in developing Cortado Corporate Server, which in its latest version has been enhanced with additional MDM features," said Mickeleit. "The result is Cortado Corporate Server 6.0, the world’s only mobile device management system to deliver a full range of desktop features for iOS, Android, and BlackBerry devices as well as PCs and Macs, enabling organisations to realize their BYOD (bring your own device) programs."
The firm is privately owned and its HQ is in Berlin. As well as the Corporate Server it offers a free version to single users.