Enterprise Mobility Management: Cisco

Unsurprisingly, Cisco’s approach to Enterprise Mobility Management starts with the physical hardware that underpins your networking and security solution. From there, it rapidly builds to something highly usable for your mobile users.

The flagship of Cisco’s mobility solution is AnyConnect, which is powered by the Cisco ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliance.

With AnyConnect, there’s no application re-architecting required to seamlessly make your applications and data securely available to users on Mac or Windows, or the latest iPad, iPhone and Android devices.

Cisco ASA appliances provide SSL connectivity through a variety of browsers across multiple platforms, so that administrators can provide secure access to various web and TCP/IP-based applications, even on unmanaged devices.

The Cisco ASA can also securely terminate a VDI session and seamlessly enable access to virtualised applications and desktops. Client and clientless access to virtual resources are offered for mobile devices, laptops and desktop devices.

Undoubtedly, the best part of the Cisco solution is the single authentication and seamless network roaming for users. This allows the truly mobile worker to roam between wired and wireless networks (public or private) and the VPN, obtaining a consistent quality of service. There is also a heap of savvy technology in the background, such as Cisco CleanAir, which provides proactive protection for radio frequency interference, silently enhancing the user experience.

Figure 1: Cisco AnyConnect and ASA provide truly mobile access from anywhere

This solution is right for organisations that are…

This is a solution that minimises administration without compromising security and application availability, and Cisco advertises full scalability from 10 to 10,000+ users.

The solution is best for enterprises that already use Cisco hardware and software, and need a rapid solution to support mobility within and outside the organisational premises, plus BYOD and other features such as easy-to-manage guest network access.

Business outcomes

You will achieve business productivity gains for your users, based on their streamlined access to business systems and data from a range of devices, anywhere, while at the same time, you protect against enterprise security vulnerabilities from unmanaged devices and ad hoc security policies.

It simplifies connectivity for your users thus improving the user experience while simultaneously reducing helpdesk calls.

It also supports administrators, removing the need for end point software management on user devices, and offering tools for network and IT management to provide controlled access to corporate resources and applications through granular policy setting and enforcement for each user group and device.

There are different Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Solution VPN licensing options – Essentials, Mobile and Premium – which offer various levels of connectivity and functionality. Which is most suitable for you depends on your immediate and medium term goals. Data^#3 consultants can help you work out the right product mix and deployment program.

Supporting the Enterprise Mobility pillars

Data^#3 and Cisco

A Cisco Gold Partner, Data^#3 is now one of the few Cisco Gold Partners with national delivery capabilities.

With a partnership that has evolved over 25 years, the Data^#3 Cisco practice has helped thousands of customers across Australia to realise the business benefits of Cisco technologies.