Citrix offers BYOD fix with XenMobile MDM tool

Citrix has unveiled an enterprise mobility platform designed to help IT departments meet regulatory and compliance obligations while still allowing workers to choose the device they want to use.

Available from 25 February, XenMobile MDM is a mobile device management tool that provides role-based management, along with configuration and security capabilities, on both corporate and employee-owned devices, according to Citrix.

"The promise of mobility hinges on the ability for IT to deliver secure apps and data to users on any device," said Citrix vice president for mobile platforms, Amit Pandey.

"When customers bring their own devices to work, as is increasingly the norm, IT doesn't have the tools to manage or secure the content on them."

Supporting Apple's iPad and iPhone, Android devices, BlackBerry, Symbian, and Microsoft's Windows 8, XenMobile MDM is designed to address this by allowing users to enroll their device of choice into the company infrastructure via a self-service portal.

Once enrolled, the IT department can then provision policies and apps to devices automatically. XenMobile MDM also provides for whitelisting and blacklisting of apps, and the ability to detect and protect against jailbroken devices, as well as providing the standard device management capabilities to wipe data from a device that is lost or stolen.

The platform integrates with Microsoft Active Directory and public key infrastructure systems, Citrix said, as well as security and event management tools.

While XenMobile MDM is available as a standalone product, Citrix is also offering it along with CloudGateway for mobile applications management, as part of what the firm dubs its Mobile Solutions Bundle for Enterprise Mobility Management.

This further provides an enterprise app store, along with the capability to deliver iOS, Android or HTML5 mobile apps to devices in a secure app container and secure email, browser and data sharing apps for iOS and Android, in the shape of Citrix @WorkMail, @WorkWeb and ShareFile integration.