EMC World 2011: VMware bigs up virtualised smartphone apps

LAS VEGAS: VMware is gearing up to launch new mobile software to help IT administrators make the necessary transition to the post-PC era.

Paul Maritz, chief executive of VMware, told attendees at EMC World 2011 that IT administrators can no longer assume control over all employee devices, and that it is "naive and dangerous for enterprises to believe we live in a Windows-only world".

"Individuals no longer live in a world where creating documents is an essential activity," he said.

"More and more of us are digesting information in much smaller chunks. We filter those streams, we recombine them and we stream information back out again."

Maritz briefly outlined VMware's plans to release two mobile-centric applications designed to help IT administrators deploy tablets and smartphones to employees.

The firm's MVP virtualisation app, although still in an experimental phase, will provide corporate users with a secure virtual environment on smartphone devices, Maritz explained.

IT admins will be able to load two operating systems onto a smartphone so that emplyees can have one for personal use and the other controlled by an IT administrator.

VMware's forthcoming Horizon software, meanwhile, is aimed at delivering access to IT services and applications via a single software client, using a single user sign-on and via any device a worker is using.

"[Data] cannot live inside any particular device and needs to be in a digital repository," he said.

V3.co.uk was given a preview of VMware's MVP app during the CeBIT trade show in March. We have a video demonstration of the Android app running on an LG Optimus Black handset.

Availability and pricing of the Horizon and MVP applications are yet to be announced, but the software is expected to make an appearance before the end of 2011.