File sync-and-store firm Egnyte next week is introducing an iPad 2 enterprise app that provides mobile data security, access to files whether or not the iPad is connected to the Internet and file management services such as version tracking and access rights.
Egnyte, which just closed on a $10 million round of series B funding and competes with similar services such SugarSync and Dropbox, is offering a dedicated enterprise app on the heels of
Apple's demonstration today of the iPad 2.
iPad in the enterprise
Egnyte CEO Vineet Jain said the firm's move into the iPad app space underscores the rapid clip at which the tablet is being used in the enterprise. "We had not anticipated how fast and widely it would be adopted. We are amazed at what our larger accounts are saying. There has to be a robust iPad app in place for a complete 360-degree view or it's a deal breaker," he told
EnterpriseMobileToday.com.
The
Egnyte Enterprise for iPad app allows access to corporate files with or without Internet connectivity and prevents employees from having to lug their laptops around to get their jobs done.
For instance, using the Egnyte iPad application on an iPad when working from home prevents an employee from having to bring a business laptop back and forth between the office and home each day. The employee can leave the corporate laptop at work and use his or her iPad to access files when working remotely.
Enterprise-level mobile security for iPad
All data exchanged between the iPad application and the cloud file server is encrypted using 256-bit AES encryption over SSL. Network Intrusion Detection Systems are in place to safeguard corporate information. Egnyte ensures that all data is secure by having redundant independent storage units using RAID, according to the company.
Tablet app space hot sector
The news of Egnyte's iPad app for the enterprise comes at a time when analysts are predicting a huge surge in tablet app sales. "Tablet devices alone will generate $8.1 billion in global app sales in 2015, up from $300 million in 2010. This is a huge number, but...it's only a fraction of the total spend on apps when you factor in the cost to develop the apps and reinvent the processes behind the apps," writes
Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps.
Egnyte's services also mirror a hot trend outlined in a recent report from another Forrester analyst.
John McCarthy just published a report on the "App Interenet," a phenomenon defined by "specialized local apps running in conjunction with cloud-based services across smartphones, tablets, and other devices."
