Secure Application Delivery For A Mobile Workforce

White PaperSecure applicationdelivery for a mobileworkforceEmpowering people to use any application on any typeof device—with full securityMobility has given people the freedom to work anywhere, at any time—but it hasalso brought endless complications to IT. Instead of relying solely on Windowsapplications running on Windows-based devices, people now use native mobile andweb apps for work as well, and they need access to all of these types of apps on anytype of device, from Windows and Mac laptops to tablets and smartphones.citrix.com

White PaperSecure application delivery for a mobile workforceWhile Windows and web apps have been used for some time,native mobile apps have introduced user experience challenges.Why? Because mobile apps distance the client from the back-enddatabase, introducing user experience challenges—as does thetendency of mobile apps to work differently on different mobileplatforms. Application management and delivery has becomemore complex as well; how do you get the latest applications tomobile employees on all their devices? As people roam acrosslocations and devices, can you ensure strict security for the mostsensitive enterprise content, while allowing more flexibility for lesssensitive data?Citrix Workspace Suite empowers new levels of enterprise mobility and productivity by providinga streamlined way to deliver Windows, native mobile and web applications and data securely onany device, anywhere people choose to work, with a great user experience. Providing a complete,mobile workspace solution, Citrix Workspace Suite lets IT support any device people choose—corporate-owned or personal—as well as the applications and data they use.Delivering the applications people need,the way they need themWhen people need to get work done, it’s all aboutthe applications. In less mobile times, IT couldsimply deploy enterprise applications on desktopcomputers to provide people with the productivitytools they depended on. Now enterpriseapplications are only part of the picture—and thedevices people use come in more shapes andplatforms than ever. To address the broaderrequirements of today’s mobile workforce, it’simportant to begin with a clear understanding ofthe evolving application landscape.Traditional enterprise (Windows)applications still play a vital role in mostorganizations. While they support a variety ofbusiness processes and use cases, they alsoshare certain core attributes. Built for aWindows operating system, they provide acitrix.combroad set of functionality and a robust userinterface to support interactions with large datasets—often including highly sensitive businessinformation. While some applications, such asthe Microsoft Office suite, run natively on aWindows device, other enterprise applicationsrequire an available network connectionbetween the client and a back-end database.Typically these networked applications arepowerful, mission-critical applications that drivethe business, such as SAP and Siebel.Web apps are becoming increasingly popularas organizations look to implementapplications that are available from anywhere,on any device. These apps run in a web browseror are created in a browser-supportedprogramming language and rely on a commonweb browser to render the application. Theprimary benefit to web apps are the ability to2

White PaperSecure application delivery for a mobile workforceupdate and maintain these apps withoutdistributing and installing software to all thedevices in the environment as well as theinherent support for any device or operatingsystem. Like traditional enterprise applications,they require an available network connectionbetween the browser and application hosted bythe provider. Applications that fall into thiscategory are apps such as SalesForce.com andMicrosoft Outlook Web Access.To enable full enterprise mobility, IT needs to beable to mobilize Windows apps securely andefficiently—as well as to secure native mobileand web apps for use within the enterprise.Enterprise mobile apps are enterpriseapplications designed to run on mobile devicessuch as tablets and smartphones—but theirdistinctions from traditional apps go further.Enterprise mobile apps often exist in multipleversions, each built for a different mobileplatform such as Apple iOS or Google Android.Smaller than enterprise applications, they offermore narrowly defined functionality andmanipulate a limited set of data. Instead ofoffering a sprawling, Windows-style interface,they are optimized for a small screen, with quickaccess to the most popular functions. Touchscreen controls take the place of track pad ortwo-button mouse inputs. Usually lightweightin design, an enterprise mobile app either pullsa small data set across the mobile network tothe mobile device or sends commands over themobile network to a backend database.Depending on how it handles data, a mobileapp may also be usable offline.Enterprise mobile apps come in three forms: Mobilized Windows applications – versionsof traditional enterprise applications adaptedby IT for use on mobile devices Native mobile apps – apps built, often bythird party vendors, explicitly and exclusivelyfor use on mobile platforms Web apps – apps that are inherently mobileas they are built to run with any browser onany devicecitrix.comMobilizing Windows applications withCitrix Workspace SuiteYour organization has invested vast resourcesprocuring and developing Windowsapplications to support every aspect of yourbusiness; now you need a simple, efficient wayto mobilize them. That means addressingchallenges in several areas. Development – Mobilizing the huge numberof Windows applications in your environmentwould be challenging enough if you only hadto do it for one platform—but as bring-yourown device (BYOD) becomes the norm, youneed to ensure full compatibility with an everincreasing variety of device types and mobileoperating systems. To enable full productivity,you need to give people a native mobile-likeexperience for their Windows applications,including touch-screen inputs and aninterface optimized for smaller displays. Youalso need to ensure that the customapplications you develop in the future will befully mobile, accessible and optimized for anydevice productivity. Management and delivery – Mobility issupposed to enable seamless, convenientaccess across devices and locations—notconfuse people with multiple methods foraccessing the latest applications dependingon the type of application or device they’reusing. IT needs a single, unified store to makethe full range of applications available on anydevice people choose. Security – While some types of informationneeds to remain secure in the datacenter tomeet compliance or risk managementmandates, other types, such as MicrosoftExchange account data used to access email3

White PaperSecure application delivery for a mobile workforcethrough a local client, can be allowed to resideon mobile devices for offline use—provided itcan be stored securely. Your mobility strategyshould provide the flexibility to handledifferent types of mobile data differently. User experience – Windows applicationswere designed to run best in a traditionalenterprise environment—not on mobiledevices where packets may have to travel overmobile networks and connections of varyingquality to reach the datacenter. PoorWindows application performance on mobiledevices can quickly disillusion users about theeffectiveness of your mobility strategy.cases more efficiently than the full-fledgedenterprise application version. By using a single,centrally managed application to support userson any type of device—desktop, laptop, thinclient, tablet or smartphone—you candramatically reduce development cycles whilemaking new applications available in everyusage scenario simultaneously.Citrix XenApp , an application virtualizationsolution, helped power the last transformationof IT by enabling on-demand delivery ofcentrally managed applications to anycomputer in the enterprise. Now, as mobilityand BYOD bring new requirements for IT, CitrixWorkspace Suite helps enterprises transformtheir application environment once more to letpeople access the applications they need onany type of device—including their ownpersonal tablets and smartphones.Mobilize Windows-based enterpriseapplicationsCitrix Workspace Suite makes it simple tomobilize Windows applications for use onsmartphones and tablets. Instead of writingnew mobile versions of your enterpriseapplications, you can use the Mobile SDK forWindows Apps to tweak their interfaces so theyact like native mobile apps on mobile devices—without having to touch their back-end code.An optimized mobile look and feel includes atouch interface, multi-touch gestures, nativemenu controls, camera and GPS support. Asmaller subset of functions fits mobile usecitrix.comSimplify application management anddelivery on any deviceFor your workforce, Citrix Workspace Suitemakes accessing Windows applications onmobile devices as easy as it would be on atraditional computer. Using a universal client,people get self-service access to every kind ofapplication in your environment—Windows,native mobile and web—on any kind of device.Secure sensitive data while allowing userflexibilityInstead of transferring data to the device, asmobile apps do, Citrix Workspace Suite providesremote access to centrally managed content.Although devices—and the people who usethem—are mobile, the data itself stays secureand protected within the datacenter.Ensure a native-like user experience formobilized Windows applicationsWith Citrix Workspace Suite, Windowsapplications run in the datacenter, alongside theirdatabases. This delivers better performance thana locally installed mobile app sending queriesacross mobile networks. The suite furtherenhances the performance of Windowsapplications accessed on mobile devices byintelligently coping with the variability and packetloss of mobile networks and improving graphicsand multimedia with hardware acceleration ontablets and smartphones.4