New Integrated BYOD Solution Architecture
New Integrated BYOD Solution Architecture by UCStrategies Staff
A New York-based value-added distributor, Westcon Group, is to collaborate with BlueCat and Fiberlink on a new, integrated BYOD solution, which will make it easier for the on-boarding process to occur. It will also improve security and mobile device management, and will lift BlueCat’s network security technology and on-premise virtual appliance, along with the cloud-based MDM capabilities of Fiberlink.
Westcon’s Goldshield support will also be included, and tech support and pre-sales support comes as part of this. The senior vice president of Westcon Group (North America), Lynn Smurthwaite-Murphy, said: “Market forces around mobility drove the development of our BYOD Shield solution. Mobility is bandwidth intensive and moves the perimeter from the desktop to wherever the mobile device happens to be, and opens up a variety of security threats. We realize that this could be overwhelming so we came up with a reference architecture that brings together the technology of two vendors, and wraps our services around it. This is more than a bundle. These two vendors came together and wrote code over a period of months in order to make sure the user experience was very simple.”
Users are most inclined to direct BlueCat’s IP Address Management (IPAM) system so that a customized start page can be automatically directed to. Network access will be granted once registration is complete, and this is dependent upon the policy. Furthermore, the mobility-as-a-service application from Fiberlink, MaaS360, will ensure compliance and scan for viruses. Quarantine solutions are available for infected devices, and this will remain in place until the problems are resolved.
Reseller installation assistance from Westcon will be made available for the initial 30 days, as will an end-user help desk, customer administration, training, and emergency and critical response which allows lost devices to be wiped remotely.
The senior vice president of business development at Frederick, Maryland-based (VAR) Patriot Technologies, Trish Southwall, said: “Mobility is a focus for our company, and I think they have a unique approach that I think will resonate with our customers. Providing these functions through a subscription model will make it easier for the customers as well as make it easier for us, because it is very much a turnkey solution. Access control and mobile device management are core to any mobile security solution, so this is a step forward.”
It is also possible for partners to white label the solution, if needed. Smurthwaite-Murphy added: “This is the future of distribution in our mind. It's about the integration of point solutions and having them work together into a solution that solves a business challenge, as opposed to integrating preconfigured technology. We are bringing to the market a reference architecture upon which we will add additional services over time.”
Pricing of this service will become available this week, and is dependant upon the Westcon badge level, as well as other related incentives. However, it is expected that prices will range between $8 to $10 per device per month. (CY) Link