In response to the rapid increase of mobile devices and the need to access corporate files and documents from any location, on any device while preventing data leakage, NetApp as released NetApp Connect, providing a secure and easy mobile access to data stored on NetApp storage systems.

Based on technology NetApp acquired from ionGrid it can integrate seamlessly into a NetApp environment without a complex VPN setup or separate authentication tools, while keeping  all data completely on-premise with ease and simplicity.

Brendon Howe, vice president of, NetApp’s Products and Solutions Marketing started, "Enterprise customers today are challenged with connecting their people, devices, and data seamlessly but without compromising IT security. With the introduction of NetApp Connect, our customers now have the ability to provide secure, instant, and easy mobile device access to corporate data stored on NetApp storage without changing the data or the security infrastructure. Our customers no longer need to make a trade-off between securing their business and realizing the value of the connected, global enterprise."

In today’s world where data leakage is a series concern and keeping all data securely behind the corporate firewall is a necessity, NetApp Connect offers increased productivity benefits of bring your own device (BYOD) policies against the risks of corporate data leakage /compliance violations that can occur with unsecured public cloud offerings.

Jorge Pazos, CIO, City of Melrose, Massachusetts stated, “Our police force, fire department, school system, and other municipal services all run on NetApp, and all require mobile access to data that sits behind the firewall. However, the solution we're forced to employ today to ensure data security to remote users is less than elegant, to say the least. NetApp Connect promises to streamline mobile data access and reduce the pain points our users are experiencing today. We look forward to exploring a proof of concept this summer."

NetApp Connect functions like other apps on the iPhone (News - Alert) or iPad, but instead it creates a secure container on the mobile device; this "containerized" approach allows IT control of information at all times and eliminates many common device-management, BYOD, and corporate compliance concerns while giving IT control over users and their corporate data, thus, maintaining existing rules, policies and user access.

Alan Pelz-Sharpe, research director, 451Research said that, "The use of consumer services has long been spilling over into the enterprise world, with employees using their personal cloud services to store work-related files for easy access and sharing. It remains a constant and, indeed, a growing problem for enterprises, one that is proving very difficult to control."