Vmware, Inc.

Stephen Deasy

Craig Farley Newell

Paul Wisner

David Furodet

Fanny Strudel

Emil Sit

Robert Meyer

Viktor Gyuris

Claire Reynaud

Mark M Burton

Hoofar Razavi

In some aspects, a mobile application package is bound to a privileged component of a mobile device operating system. The mobile application package includes a software virtualization layer and a management service component. The software virtualization layer and the management service component are enabled to execute in a privileged mode based on the privileged component. A virtual phone image is downloaded from a management server. A virtual machine based on the virtual phone image is launched by the software virtualization layer.

Provisioning work environments using virtual phone images

A virtual business mobile device can be provisioned on a personal mobile device, by binding a mobile application for provisioning the business mobile device to a privileged component of a host operating system of the personal mobile device, wherein the binding enables a software virtualization layer and a management service component of the mobile application to execute in a privileged mode. The mobile application is then able to download a virtual phone image for the business mobile device and security-related policy settings relating to use of the business mobile device from a mobile management server, wherein the software virtualization layer is able to launch a virtual machine for the business mobile device based on the virtual phone image. Once the virtual phone image has been downloaded, the management service component initiates a periodic attempt to establish a connection with the mobile management server to comply with the downloaded security-related policy settings.

Provisioning work environments on personal mobile devices

A business environment on a mobile device can be controlled by an enterprise server by receiving identifying information transmitted from a mobile device, wherein the identifying information identifies a user of the mobile device to the enterprise server. A virtual phone template is transmitted to the mobile device, wherein the virtual phone template (i) corresponds to the identifying information, and (ii) is configured to provide the business environment on the mobile device as a virtual machine running on a hypervisor installed on top of a host operating system of the mobile device. The enterprise server then receives a periodic transmission from the mobile device to indicate that the mobile device remains in periodic communication with the enterprise server.

Controlling use of a business environment on a mobile device

A graphical user interface to provision business environments on mobile devices presents a navigation panel that displays a virtual phone template menu item and a policy setting menu item. Upon selection of the virtual phone template menu item, a template user interface is presented that enables an administrator to customize virtual phone image templates for users to be delivered to mobile devices that are configured to run the virtual phone image templates as virtual machines on the mobile devices in order to provide a business environment. Upon selection of the policy setting menu item, a policy user interface is presented that enables the administrator to set security policies, wherein each of the security policies specifies a time interval within which a mobile device running a virtual machine corresponding to one of the virtual phone image templates should communicate with an enterprise server to comply with the security policy.

User interface for controlling use of a business environment on a mobile device

One or more embodiments of the invention facilitate displaying application icons of a guest environment in a host environment of a mobile device, wherein the guest environment is running in a virtual machine supported by a hypervisor running within the host environment. One method comprises forwarding, by a hypervisor-aware service running in the virtual machine to the hypervisor, a list of applications installed in a guest operating system (OS) of the virtual machine. For each of the installed applications, the hypervisor provides metadata to a host OS running in the host environment, wherein the metadata comprises an application icon and an instruction to launch a proxy application installed in the host environment. Upon a launch of the proxy application when a user selects the application icon, the proxy application requests the hypervisor to communicate with the hypervisor-aware service to launch the installed application in the guest environment.

Displaying applications of a virtual mobile device in a user interface of a mobile device

One or more embodiments of the invention facilitate switching between a host environment of a mobile device and a guest environment of the mobile device. One method comprises configuring the host environment to launch a user interface (UI) proxy application upon receiving an indication by a user on a user interface (UI) of the mobile device of a desire to switch from the host environment to the guest environment. Upon a launch of the UI proxy application as a result of receiving the indication, the UI proxy application initiates a request to wake-up the guest environment and facilitates access by a hardware framebuffer of the mobile device to contents of a memory buffer that is updated with display data for the guest environment as a result of a waking-up of the guest environment.

Mobile device maintaining adequate security and data partitioning between user mode and business mode

A virtual business mobile device can be provisioned on a personal mobile device, by binding a mobile application for provisioning the business mobile device to a privileged component of a host operating system of the personal mobile device, wherein the binding enables a hypervisor component and a management service component of the mobile application to execute in a privileged mode. The mobile application is then able to download a virtual phone image for the business mobile device and security-related policy settings relating to use of the business mobile device from a mobile management server, wherein the hypervisor component is able to launch a virtual machine for the business mobile device based on the virtual phone image. Once the virtual phone image has been downloaded, the management service component initiates a periodic attempt to establish a connection with the mobile management server to comply with the downloaded security-related policy settings.

A system maintains a workspace environment of enterprise applications on a mobile device. The system receives enterprise applications for installation on the mobile device, wherein functionality has been inserted into binary executables of the enterprise applications to force the enterprise applications to communicate with an application management agent to obtain a security policy including a validity time period value related to keeping the workspace valid. The application management agent provides cryptographic keys to the enterprise applications to share encrypted messages. Upon launching, an enterprise application stores a workspace expiration time value as an encrypted message. The workspace expiration time value is extended if the user continues its use or, by another enterprise application, if the other enterprise application is launched by the user before an expiration of the expiration time value. The application management agent requests authentication credentials from the user if the workspace expiration time value expires.

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Brighton, MA, United States of America

Stephen Deasy