VMware unveils AirWatch 8 with biometric integration

VMware recently unveiled AirWatch 8, the first major update to its enterprise mobility management platform since the company acquired AirWatch in January 2014, according to a report by Fierce Mobile IT.

The AirWatch update includes hundreds of improvements to the system that simplify the mobile management process for IT and end users, as well as adds new features to enable the next generation of mobile enterprise apps.

IT departments will benefit from unified endpoint management for almost all devices in the enterprise, along with biometrics (fingerprint and eye recognition) being integrated into device authentication, and new improvements to its app management and deployment capabilities.

With its unified endpoint management capabilities, IT administrators are able to manage various devices including PC, laptops, smartphones and tablets, as well as wearables and Internet of Things devices.

In addition, the Apple Touch ID’ fingerprint recognition and EyeVerify’s eye scan recognition capabilities will simplify the process for end users to securely access their devices.

“If I am a pilot using an electronic flight bag trying to get access to charting data, landing approach material, the PDF for the Boeing 737 plane I’m on–all of that information is protected behind an eight to ten character passcode that my IT organization makes me change every 15 to 30 days. There is a good chance I could forget the passcode and lock myself out,” AirWatch lead solutions engineer Blake Brannon told FierceMobileIT.

“What this integration does is it allows you to use biometrics in lieu of a passcode to reduce complexity on the end user and ultimately reduce the calls to the help desk.”

AirWatch 8 also offers significant improvements in the areas of app management and deployment, with a new app dashboard that provides stats, deployment schedules and version adoptions for enterprise apps.

Additionally, the update includes greater app deployment flexibility for IT departments to configure parameters across groups and prioritize those deployments.

Article Topics

authentication  |  biometrics  |  eyeverify  |  fingerprint recognition  |  mobile  |  Touch ID