A new way for iOS and Android users to access corporate resources: The Application Gateway
Every CIO today has mobile VPN access sitting very high on the priority list and knows how mobile connectivity to corporate resources is an important yet complicate matter. In a quest to solve the VPN issue in a simple way, Microsoft Open Technologies, Inc. created AppGateway, an application of VPN access for Android and iOS based on the preview of a Windows Azure Application Gateway service meant to help mobile users be more productive on the go. With this app, developed in collaboration with the Windows Azure Active Directory team, Android and iOS users can experience easy connectivity to web sites behind the corporate firewall, leveraging Windows Azure authentication services.
For obvious security reasons, connecting to resources that are behind a firewall usually requires a fairly complex infrastructure such as VPN (Virtual Private Network). The AppGateway demo app is designed to make the process simpler yet highly secured. The mobile app connects to a service on Windows Azure that acts as the proxy to an agent that is running inside the network behind the firewall. Using the Windows Azure Authentication service, the proxy can establish a trusted connection to the agent so that the application on the mobile device can browse web sites that would not be normally accessible outside the corporate network.
The demo app is available on the Apple App Store, GooglePlay and Amazon marketplaces at the following links:
For more information on the Windows Azure Application Gateway service preview, visit http://appgportal.cloudapp.net/.
In our best tradition, we also released the source code of the demo app. You can find the Android application code here.
For detailed instructions and a quick ‘get started; guide is available here.
We look forward for your feedback, comments and suggestions.