Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: VPN, iPhone, Windows, Application | Themes: Smartphones, 3GSM
Citrix, the company behind some of the most widely used Virtual Private Networking solutions, announced (unofficially) via its community blog that it has been working on a XenApp solution for the iPhone.
XenApp is the Citrix application platform that allows for on demand access to applications hosted locally or remotely without the need for a full installation. Applications are processed and stored locally or remotely as CAB (cabinet) files, which are then accessed dynamically with the XenApp client.
Being able to run Windows applications on the iPhone is certainly not the highest priority of Apple or other developers; however, if the iPhone is to succeed in the business market, compatibility the most widely used OS is necessary. And Citrix sees that as the main reason for creating a XenApp receiver for the Apple iPhone.
If such an application receiver were to be published on the iPhone, it would mean that hundreds of Windows applications could be instantly accessible for all iPhone users with a WiFi/Data connection.
Citrix boasts a 99.999 percent application availability with their existing XenApp platform for Windows and if even a fraction of that would be available for the iPhone, it could potentially increase the iPhone’s effectiveness as a true all-in-one device for the business user.
The benefit of this platform is that user preferences and data are stored locally while the application is hosted elsewhere; therefore, saving storage space for a mobile device and improving access time. According to the Citrix blog, plans are in place to release a XenApp Receiver Application by the first half of 2009. It would certainly be interesting to see if Apple has an issue with Citrix’s creation as other VPN applications currently allows very rudimentary access to your Windows machines.
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I found out this weekend that the iphone comes w\ built in VPN. I got a free RDP app from the app store and in minutes was connected to my workstation @ the office...
However, upon connecting I got a message about my iphone being low on memory. Overall navigation of a remote system is a little sluggish and just a little hard to navigate w\ the 4'' screen.
This is still great though, especially for the next time somebody tells me they can't connect into the vpn and i can just be like.... well, i'm connected w\ my phone !
Sounds like a security risk, especially in the business sector.
I agree that it sounds like a good idea. As far as security, the VPN administrator is responsible for securing the existing network. Adding another device shoulnd't be a big deal. As far as bogging down when in remote - it depends on the application. If you're just viewing files then it's not a big deal. If you're working across multiple programs and a large database, you'll run into the same memory and speed problems as you would with any other VPN and remote machines.
To clarify the Citrix Receiver for iPhone will enable windows apps to run securely on a remote Citrix XenApp server. The user feels like the app is local its actually managed by IT in the data center.