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Pertino already enabled users with devices running Google Android, Linux and a range of Microsoft operating systems to leverage its cloud-based network-as-a-service platform. Now the company is expanding that support to Apple device users.
Using Pertino’s new iOSConnect mobile app, employees with Apple iPads or iPhones can now securely access corporate data and applications that are based in the cloud or housed behind the firewall, company officials said. The iOSConnect app can be found on Pertino’s AppScape app store.
The addition of support for iOS devices broadens the reach of Pertino’s Cloud Network Engine platform, which—along with the AppScape store—businesses can use to deliver network services and reduce the complexity found in many cloud computing solutions, according to CMO Todd Krautkremer.
“Securely connecting public cloud workloads and mobile workforces represent a significant challenge for IT organizations because of the cost and complexity of extending traditional WAN technologies to these modern environments,” Krautkremer said in a statement, adding that the addition of iOSConnect “gives IT organizations one platform to connect all of their mobile workers anywhere—on any device—and all of their instances and containers across any public cloud, without up-front costs or hardware, and with complete visibility, security and control.”
The Pertino platform now supports devices running iOS, Android, Windows 8 for smartphones and tablets, Windows 7 and 8, Windows Server 2008 and 2012, and Linux, according to the company.
Pertino leverages cloud computing, virtualization and software-defined networks (SDNs) to enable customers to easily create, manage and then shut down networks. Organizations can use Pertino’s Cloud Network Engine and other technologies to create secure virtual networks that are hosted on such cloud platforms as Amazon Web Services and Rackspace.
With an Internet connection, a Pertino subscription and an email address, businesses can quickly create a WAN, deploy it, add people to it and shut it down when it’s no longer needed. A Cloud Gateway securely connects the devices—via a VPN client—to the Pertino cloud network, where users can access their corporate data.
Trends like mobility, cloud computing and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) are driving the need for access to corporate data and networks for employees beyond the firewall and from any device anywhere. Network virtualization is among the technologies enabling businesses to meet the rapidly changing network demands.
The need to bring in support for iOS devices was apparent, according to Pertino officials, who cited a recent report from Spiceworks that found that more than 90 percent of small and midsize businesses that allow workers to use mobile devices and offer BYOD programs support iPhones and iPads. In addition, Apple devices are common in BYOD environments, and 44 percent of those employees using these devices want access to business files and applications.
All this demand puts pressure on IT departments to find ways to enable this access securely and without huge technology upgrades, which is what Pertino enables, officials said. Employees can use their mobile devices to access corporate files through any Internet connection—from private WiFi networks and public wireless hotspots to 3G and 4G broadband networks—while organizations don’t have to add VPN hardware or IT personnel to handle any growth, they said.
Pertino’s iOSConnect app is available via a public beta for customers of the company’s Business plan.