The budding virtual reality industry has a long way to go before it’s ready to take on the enterprise, but if and when business users do start bringing their headsets to work, VMware Inc. will have come prepared. The vendor today unveiled a new iteration of its application virtualization client that aims to provide a unified experience across every endpoint on the corporate network, both present and future.

After installing Workspace ONE, an employee is able to choose the security level of the software based on the specific requirements of their device. A personal phone, for example, would warrant more restrictions on navigation than a company-sanctioned laptop that is rarely taken outside the office. The necessary changes are automatically applied to the underlying operating system and a link is established to the backend management system of the user’s employer. It’s then possible to log into the client using VMware’s cloud-based authentication service.

Identity Manager offers the usual single sign-on functionality in addition to integration with the AirWatch device administration platform, which lets organizations set conditions for when to accept user credentials. An access attempt can thereby be blocked if the originating device is not properly patched, or happens to be located outside the geographic region where its owner is authorized to use Workspace ONE. The mechanism provides an added layer of defense for the accounts of key personnel like executives who are at high risk of phishing attacks. And basic precautions like requiring that end-points not be jailbroken can be enforced for the rest of the workforce, too.

After clearing all the obstacles that their organization has set for potential hackers, the user is finally able to access the application catalog in Workspace ONE, which is tailored to the device running the client. If it’s a smartphone, then touch functionality is automatically enabled for compatible services. Administrators, meanwhile, are able to similarly customize access controls inside the client through the new version of VMware’s Horizon endpoint virtualization suite that is rolling out in conjunction. It’s possible to regulate the usage of even basic features like copy-paste in order to ensure that workers don’t export any sensitive company information.

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