Mobile working in the public sector: Virtual Desktop Infrastructure as an essential building block

The topics of IT security and data protection play a decisive role, especially for public authorities and public offices. For example, the public sector regularly deals with sensitive, personal data - which must be protected accordingly. The introduction of a VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) environment can make a significant contribution to securing data. It makes no difference whether employees access the data in the office or in the home office. The online seminar "Apple in Enterprise - iPad as a VDI Workplace" explains in detail how the iPad can be used as a VDI workstation with the help of CANCOM. Click here to register.

According to a study, trust in public authorities depends to a large extent on how competent public authorities are when it comes to data protection and IT security. There is a great need to catch up here. Only 45 percent of the survey participants would trust authorities and institutions to protect and secure personal data. Only 15 percent had a very high level of trust.

Need to focus on mobile working

In order to optimally implement the topics of data protection and IT security today, authorities and public organizations must pay particular attention to the area of hybrid work. The reason: since the outbreak of the COVID19 pandemic at the latest, public sector employees no longer work exclusively in the office, but also from home.

This is evident, for example, from an article by Haufe. According to this, public administration will no longer be able to get by without mobile working and home offices in the future. In addition to the reduction of business trips, service agreements are likely to be concluded in the meantime that allow employees to complete up to 60 percent of their work at home.

Ensuring security and data protection with a virtual desktop infrastructure

But how can the public sector operate securely and in compliance with data protection regulations in this age of mobile working - so that, for example, access to personal data from the home office is secured at all times?

A central building block for implementing this is the introduction of a virtual workplace. VDI environments are designed to provide companies with flexible and secure access to data and applications. For this to succeed, several factors play a role. Among the most important are:

1. Data storage on virtual desktops: In a VDI environment, data and applications are stored and processed on the respective virtual desktop - instead of in the local storage of the end device. On the one hand, this has the advantage that no data can be viewed if the end device is lost. After all, no data is stored on the device itself. On the other hand, IT can manage all data and applications on the virtual desktops in a centralized manner - which further increases the level of IT security.
2. Encrypted access: To ensure secure access to the virtual workplace, VDI environments use modern encryption protocols. These include single sign-on and multifactor authentication.
3. Policy definition: Policies defined and implemented by IT restrict user access. This means that users can use their devices to access only those applications and data for which they are authorized.

The iPad as part of a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

One option for government agencies and other public organizations to introduce a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure is CANCOM's "iPad as VDI Workstation" solution. As the IT group describes, this is a holistic solution for the virtual workplace.

The basis for this is the Citrix Workspace App (or alternatively the Microsoft Remote Desktop App or a virtualization solution from VMware), which can be installed on the iPad. Employees could then use the iPad to securely access all data and applications stored on the virtual desktops from anywhere.

The advantages of "iPad as VDI workstation" at a glance

According to CANCOM, the offering includes the following key added values:

• Compliance with and enforcement of standards for IT security and data protection.
• Simple and fast provision of virtual workstations
• Reduced administration effort and costs
• Central management
• Uncomplicated integration into existing IT infrastructure

Detailed information on these and other added values can be found in the online seminar "Apple in Enterprise - iPad as a VDI Workplace". In addition, a live demo will show how the CANCOM solution "iPad as a VDI Workplace" works in practice.

The fact that the iPad was chosen as the work device in the solution is no coincidence, however. As CANCOM points out, in addition to mobile use, the iPad can also be used as a thin client - in other words, like a laptop. All employees have to do is connect the iPad to a suitable monitor and a mouse and keyboard. In principle, an additional work device is then no longer necessary (one-device strategy).

In addition, the iPad's "secure by design" approach offers, among other things, secure, biometric authentication via facial recognition (Face ID) or fingerprint (Touch ID). In addition, the iPadOS operating system has extensive security and data protection functions - especially since iPadOS is always up to date thanks to regular patches. For example, all data stored on the iPad is encrypted so that unauthorized persons cannot read the relevant information. Last but not least, employees have the option of strictly separating business and private data.

Would you like a no-obligation consultation on CANCOM's "iPad as VDI workstation" solution, or would you like more information? Then please get back to us, send us a pm and ask.

Article by Christian Schinko, edited by Petra Gericke