Give and go: New Orleans Hornets and Array Networks

Using personal devices for work

With Array, Caflisch says his team was able to leverage and extend existing applications to mobile devices, while at the same time create a clear separation between mobile devices and the corporate network.

“DesktopDirect is an innovative, appliance-based remote desktop solution that enables workers to use personal devices to control physical or virtual office desktops and applications from any location,” says Lior Rappaport, vice president of mobility at Array Networks, a global technology company with U.S. headquarters in Milpitas, Calif. “Whether users are on their home PCs, on a laptop at a customer or partner site or on an iPhone, iPad or Android device, they can work just as if they were sitting in the office without the risk of data leaving the network.”

The DesktopDirect appliance is installed on the corporate network and integrates with existing identity management solutions to establish user credentials, says Caflisch. Physical or virtual office desktops and applications are registered for remote and mobile access either by users or IT, or automatically via a database. 

To use a personal device to remotely control office desktops or applications, users need only a common web browser or the free DesktopDirect mobile app for smartphones and tablets, Rappaport adds. Users simply launch a browser or mobile app, login and begin using their registered applications and desktops.

In comparison to VPN and MDM solutions, DesktopDirect does not allow devices to connect to the corporate network at the network level, says Rappaport. Because sensitive data never resides on mobile devices, there is no need for provisions – like remote wiping, etc. – and the sticky questions that come along with it, such as how to avoid erasing personal data when having to purge business data, he adds.

Further, in comparison to server-based computing solutions, DesktopDirect can provide access to physical desktops and laptops, as well as virtual infrastructure from multiple vendors. In this way, users have one streamlined process for accessing their enterprise desktops and applications. In addition, it provides a single platform to manage.

The tool quickly demonstrated its ability to securely extend office desktops and applications to mobile devices, says the Caflisch. At that point, he says, his team selected the Array solution, and there has been no looking back.

He says Array's registration technology helped him quickly provision iPad access for individual employee PCs, and within a short time, the entire Hornet's staff was up and running. “Basically the solution allows each employee to be responsible for naming and registering the resources they wish to access over a mobile device.” This offloads work from him, he says, but also makes it easier for workers to recognize the custom names they give their desktops and applications.  

As far as issues go with meeting compliance mandates, Caflisch says his organization doesn't need to meet any specific requirements, but there certainly is a need to keep control over sensitive information. “This was a primary factor in selecting Array Network's DesktopDirect and moving away from traditional VPN solutions that open the corporate network and allow remote and mobile devices to directly connect,” he says. “While we still use VPN to provide connectivity from managed laptops where select users require it, we are scaling back reliance on VPN.” Today, he says, DesktopDirect serves the majority of the Hornets' remote access requirements due to security advantages and the ability to make business applications available to mobile devices.