VMware wants to remove the hassle of managing mixed fleets of Windows PCs, Macs, and Chromebooks as well as Apple and Android mobile devices with the latest upgrades to its Workspace One system.
Workspace One aims to eliminate the "complex, expensive, and error-prone desktop management model" by using the same approach as mobile device management from Airwatch, which VMware acquired in 2014.
It offers staff out-of-the-box enrollment for their new laptop, whether Windows or MacOS. Cloud-based peer-to-peer software distribution technology allows customers to deliver large applications to distributed PCs at scale, eliminating the need for branch office servers.
VMware claimed Workspace One would offer Office 365 users the ability to avoid complicated provisioning and enforce and manage security policies and data loss prevention alongside applications and devices.
Also new is Workspace One Intelligence, an add-on service that lets IT teams get insights into application deployments, usage, device security, and end-user experiences. A built-in rules engine will allow customers to automate actions and enable real-time security and optimise performance.
VMware announced the support for Chromebooks last week, timed with Google's launch of Chrome Enterprise.
At VMworld, HP revealed it was embedding Workspace One in its device-as-a-service platform.
HP device-as-a-service offers customers a single contact and single contract for commercial devices and services, allowing customers to pay on a monthly per device basis, and VMware's Workspace One will allow HP service agents to more easily manage fleets of devices.
Sumit Dhawan, senior vice president and general manager, end-user computing, VMware, said: "Partnering with major endpoint platform providers gives us the ability to deliver a modern unified solution that enables our customers to break free from silo-ed management stacks and user experiences.
"Workspace One will give businesses the agility and security that is critical to digital transformation initiatives," Dhawan added.
The journalist travelled to VMworld as a guest of VMware
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