Its secure remote access and desktop application has been favoured by the Government of Canada and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and now MobiKey is coming to Apple’s iPad.
Developed by Toronto’s Route 1 Inc., MobiKey is described as a “complete desktop, secure remote access technology,” and security is one of its key attributes, with multi-factor authentication and identity management. Once the user is authenticated using multi-factor authentication and MobiNet’s authentication servers, a virtual desktop is accessed on the host device, with all data remaining on the corporate server.
With this latest announcement, MobiKey subscribers will now be able to use MobiKey on their Apple iPads, as long as they’re running iOS 5 or better. Route 1 promises them the same access and features available on a desktop.
Among the advantages the vendor touts are the lack of need for endpoint security, Active Directory integration, and support for iOS, max OS XC and Windows desktops. From a security perspective, 1024- to 4096-bit asymmetric keys are used with 256-bit AES encryption.
A number of vendors offer secure virtual desktop access, with or without multi-factor authentication. Citrix Systems is one major vendor that has played in this space for some time. Whether or not such a solution makes sense for your business will depend on just what level of remote access you need, how important security is to your organization, and how important being able to work remotely is to your business goals.
For a business that deals in sensitive data, or is in a regulated industry with compliance and reporting standards to meet, it may be worth considering. Otherwise, simpler file-based sharing options may make more sense.
