VMWare previews Horizon Suite cross-platform smartphone environment

VMWare has demonstrated its new Horizon Suite cross-platform smartphone environment, which will allow businesses to deploy internal apps to employee smartphones with the same look and feel across Android smartphones and Apple iPhones.

According to Tom’s Hardware, the Horizon Suite will allow employees to use a passcode to log-in to a “virtual work phone”, running the Horizon Suite platform, from their personal smartphone.

Once logged in, the employee will be able to access work applications, company files stored in a “DropBox-style” cloud storage system, download work applications to their “virtual work phone”, and access secure company data.

VMWare claims the use of a passcode means that, in the event that an employee’s smartphone is ever lost or stolen, other users won’t be able to gain access to sensitive internal information.

VMWare also claims the platform will mean that businesses embracing the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend won’t have to worry about creating separate versions of the same app for employees using Apple and Android devices.

The Horizon Suite is still in development, with VMWare aiming for a release during 2013.