VMware secures web-based services with Horizon App Manager

VMware is rolling out a service that aims to bring single sign-on and user access rights to web-based services.

The Horizon App Manager platform offers IT administrators a way to secure web-based services and control user access to shared accounts, the firm said.

The service combines an on-premise system with web-based management tools,  and lets administrators connect web-based services and social networks to a management console to set user account permissions and log activity.

Web applications and social networking sites add support for the platform by integrating the sites with a VMware API. Log-in to accounts is then handled by the App Manager through a single sign-on token.

End users access the service through the browser with style sheets customised for tablets, mobile devices, desktops and notebooks.

Noah Wasmer, VMware director of advanced development, told V3.co.uk that Horizon App Manager extends user access management tools from on-premise applications to web-based services and social networks.

"We think this is the fastest and simplest way to help customers bridge out to these applications," he said. "It allows administrators to extend what is going on behind the firewall to these services."

Wasmer also argued that the rise in IT consumerisation is helping to make the case for Horizon App Manager.

The platform could help to improve security as end users increasingly bring their own devices into the IT space, and companies look to social networking sites and services to connect with customers.

"Some of these personal applications have been blurring the line between what is corporate and what is personal," he said.

"This provides a way where they can get into the application but not have to worry about the credentials being owned by a lot of people."

VMware Horizon App Manager platform is offered to businesses of all sizes at $30 per user per year.