Mocana hopes to simplify mobile access to enterprise apps with Atlas

The platform lets users access all apps wrapped with Mocana's technology using single sign-on

Mocana's Atlas platform is intended to make it easier for users to access enterprise apps from their smartphones without compromising security.

The growing number of smartphones in the hands of employees is opening the door for new, more effective ways of working -- but the tug of war between the security requirements of the IT department and users' demands for ease of use is holding back adoption of enterprise mobile apps, according to John Aisien , senior vice president of marketing and corporate development at Mocana.

The problem is that most users have to enter multiple passwords to access one app, which takes up too much time. Having to spend more than a minute to access an app when you only want to use it for 20 to 25 seconds isn't acceptable. Mocana is hoping to solve that with the Atlas extended enterprise platform, Aisien said.

Mocana thinks CIOs need to worry less about trying to secure the device and more about securing specific apps and critical data. By securing an application using Mocana's app-wrapping technology MAP (Mobile App Protection), enterprises can protect their data, regardless of the device on which the app is installed.

MAP is a critical component of Atlas, but the company has also built a whole platform around it that handles user provisioning and encrypts the communication between the app and enterprise. The heart of the system is the new Atlas hardware appliance, which in its first iteration will be able to handle 25,000 sessions. Later this year that will increase to 50,000 sessions and a 100,000 session upgrade is also on Mocana's road map.

Installing new hardware is a big hurdle for many organizations, but the hardware form factor was a must to get the functionality and scalability the company was shooting for, according to Aisien. For smaller installations, Mocana is also working on a virtual appliance.

To make life easier for users, Atlas lets them access all MAP-protected apps using single sign-on. The connections are persistent, so users don't have to log in again even after a connection for some reason has been lost. Mocana's goal has been to make the security as transparent as possible to users.

Atlas works with iOS and Android, and can extend security policies to applications on unmanaged devices used by partners, contractors or others outside the enterprise network.

The Atlas extended enterprise platform started shipping on Tuesday. Mocana didn't say what the platform costs.

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