If you run an IT shop today you probably fall into one of two categories: A. You already allow employee access from an iPhone ( supported or not ) or B. You are constantly barraged with employee requests to allow iPhone access ( and the employee might be your boss or the CEO ).

If you are in camp A and already allow email access you may also be frequently scanning the net for the latest iPhone vulnerability and perhaps training employees on the use of Passcode Lock and Auto-Lock features. You are also probably getting requests for access to more company apps and data beyond just email.

If you are in camp B. your probably comfortable with your existing BlackBerry or Windows Mobile support and can point to the 200+ security policies the BES server enables to assure security like remotely wipe the device and reduce the dependency on employees to assure compliance. Beyond email you're probably concerned about Network VPN access from mobile devices especially employee owned devices, and regarding apps the Blackberry has limited app and browser support anyway. You might even be spending money to buy or develop apps that will only work on the Blackberry.

The new release of Citrix Receiver for iPhone 2.0 now offers Enterprise IT shops in either category a new option to provide safe access to email, data, and company apps. Currently over 200,000 companies trust Citrix to deliver apps to PC's and laptops to over 100,000,000 employee's, but traditionally that has not included mobile devices like the iPhone. However since the release of the 1.0 version of Citrix Receiver over 300,000 have downloaded the app and are using it today. Many IT Pro's have been waiting for some specific features to be implemented which are now available in 2.0. Some of these features include 128 Bit HDX/ICA Encryption, 2 Factor Authentication support for RSA ( Tokens and SecureID iPhone app ) and SMS Passcode, plus improved Password control for IT. Other's have been waiting for support to access Virtual Desktops from XenDesktop.

So for those who already support native email the iPhone, you can now provide safe access to IT enabled apps and data hosted on XenApp. You don't need to depend on users to enforce security and your users will be happy with improved features like faster access, multiple account support and improved usability gestures.

For those IT shops that have held off support of the iPhone ( legitimately in many cases ) you now have an option beyond the BES server for controlling email, apps and data even if the company does not own the device ( BYOD ). In a Citrix XenApp or XenDesktop environment the real data never gets sent to or saved on the device, it's for Eye's-Only while the authenticated user is running the app remotely. So many of the 200 BES policies are not relevant to this implementation. If a device is lost or stolen nothing is on it, if an employee leaves the company, IT disables their access with just a click. It's that simple. If you are a Blackberry shop Citrix is also planning release of a Citrix Receiver for Blackberry that will work with or without the BES server. Email clients like Outlook or Notes can run on XenApp servers in the data center and get published to mobile users just like a PC or laptop. The app itself can be easily configured to fit an iPhone screen users get the ability to view AND edit attachments with nothing required on the iPhone besides the Citrix Receiver. So if you have been holding out for a better Enterprise Ready solution before supporting the iPhone, the time may be now to consider the Citrix Receiver. It is a free download in the app store and there is a built-in live demo system to start testing it right away.

http://citrix.com/iphone

http://community.citrix.com/iphone

http://twitter.com/chrisfleck

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