In the digital age, there is an application to accomplish almost anything, but those app developers more than likely didn’t have corporate security at top of mind. Hopefully, you have asked what applications your users need to be successful, but you’ve hired smart people, and they may have applications they like to use that aren’t necessarily approved by IT. There are also 3-D intensive applications that can sometimes take a tower stack computer to run, and unless you allow your employees to roll their computers out of the office on their desk chairs, they might not have access to those applications right now. How you deliver your applications is equally important to what applications your business needs. Are they secure, how do you deliver them remotely, and if not, what are your alternatives?
Charlotte Citrix Services provide the security and functionality to allow any application to be secure
Security
Regardless of the demand for remote work, security has always been at the forefront of business technology. Network security is an important piece, but you also need to look at the actual actual applications to ensure they are secure and to what extent. A great example is Dropbox, a third party application that allows sharing and receiving of large files. Let’s take a deeper dive into looking at the security considerations surrounding using an application like Dropbox:
- Where is your corporate data being stored? Are you allowing your users to copy files to their own device? What if their device is on a compromised network?
- Your cloud or theirs? When you pay for storage do you have control over where that sits? What happens in a disaster recovery scenario, where do your files backup to?
- Do you have protection against ransomware? External, and sometimes internal, agents may hold your files for ransom, costing your company millions. Are you being proactive in monitoring and protecting against those types of attacks?
It is a lot to consider. There are solutions like Citrix Sharefile that will give you a lot of those management and security options. And it will even allow you to integrate your users’ Dropbox accounts (or the like) to your company cloud, giving you better control of your data. Wincourse provides Charlotte Citrix Services and can help your company learn more about Citrix Sharefile.
Web and SaaS Based Apps
Many applications have moved to a subscription-based model. The old model of installing software was to have a user bring in their device and your IT department would run the discs or install it from a USB key. But now, a lot of software companies have allowed the user to download a client online, and some even run from the browser itself, e.g. Salesforce. This movement has taken a burden off your IT department, however it may have created some work for them. Here are some considerations:
- If an application is running locally on a user’s device, how do you prevent them from copying and pasting corporate data into another application your company does not have insight to?
- Sometimes you need all of your users to be on the same version of an application and rolling out updates to individual user can be cumbersome. Virtual Desktops and Apps would ensure all your users are always on the same version.
- The internet browser itself is an application! Gain granular control and data of what sites your users access and maintain and deliver those SaaS-based web apps securely with a solution like Citrix’s Secure Browser.
Legacy and Server-Based Applications
If you were to talk to the IT departments at some Fortune 500 companies, you might be surprised to find they are running applications on software and server resources that are more than a decade old. But, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” If you have some dated applications, that is okay, but know that there are solutions and services to help:
- Remote access can allow your users to access these apps from home. Our recommendation is to go beyond a VPN to ensure that the connection to your servers is secure, and improve its efficiency so that your users have a positive experience to get work done.
- Microsoft might be moving to Windows 10, but that doesn’t mean your applications will work on that OS. Virtual Desktops are a workaround to maintain their functionality and allow you to use a multitude of operating systems.
With new each application you add to your environment, you will have to consider a couple things like access, versioning, and compliance. Regain control and secure the delivery of all your business apps. Our experienced team of engineers would be happy to provide your company with a free IT Health Check. Wincourse is proud to provide top Charlotte Citrix Services.