VMware today announced a networking and security bundle that combines its secure access service edge (SASE), endpoint and workload protection, and device management technologies.

It’s called VMware Anywhere Workspace, and it comes as a growing number of technology and service providers put a SASE spin on ways to connect and secure a remote workforce that, even post vaccine, looks like it will remain distributed and hybrid with employees working from the office and from home.

Specifically, Anywhere Workspace combines three key VMware technologies. This includes Workspace One, which provides unified endpoint management as well as desktop and app virtualization. It also includes VMware Carbon Black Cloud for cloud-native endpoint and workload protection.

And finally, the third piece: VMware’s SASE, which combines SD-WAN and cloud-delivered security including secure web gateway, zero trust network access, and firewalling capabilities. “We’re going to be adding additional capabilities like cloud access security broker and DLP [data loss prevention] very shortly after the public launch,” added Shawn Bass, CTO of end-user computing at VMware, in a briefing with reporters.

These security and networking capabilities are delivered from a global network of points of presence (PoPs). VMware claims its SASE platform has more than 100 global PoPs located within 10 milliseconds of 80% of the world’s population, and within 5 milliseconds of all the major public cloud providers.

Anywhere Workspace also includes integration points between the solutions. For example: an integration between Carbon Black Cloud and Workspace One unifies physical and virtual endpoint management and security capabilities. Additionally, Workspace One and VMware’s SASE services integrate to deliver zero trust network access over globally deployed PoPs.

“And ultimately, what this means is that instead of routing all your applications and data to where the security controls are, we’ve moved the security out to where the applications and data are located because that’s how it should be done,” Bass said.

The solutions that make up VMware Anywhere Workspace are available today. The Cloud Web Security service for VMware SASE will be available this summer.

Anywhere Workspace represents VMware’s solution to the challenge of securing a remote workforce and while also enabling employee productivity from anywhere, said Shankar Iyer, SVP and GM of end-user computing at VMware.

While the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly ushered in a shift to remote work, “as things set in, it was very clear that this was here to stay,” he said. “We all started working, not just remotely, but in different modes.”

“And we believe this is going to lead to what we call an ‘anywhere organization,’” Iyer continued, citing several studies VMware commissioned last year.

In one, 61% of respondents said remote work is no longer a perk, but rather a prerequisite. In another, 90% said it is on employers to provide appropriate access to digital tools to enable remote work. And finally, 73% of buyers said that an integrated workforce solution is a critical priority.

The future of work, Iyer said, is distributed, with people working from the office and from home. Applications will span corporate data centers and multiple clouds, and employees will access software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications from work-provided and personal devices, and via corporate, home, and, of course, Starbucks’ networks.

“When you look at the collection of the challenges, it actually boils down to three main things,” he continued. “The first is suboptimal experience for the employees. The second is fragmented security models, because the model is no longer a trusted device within a corporate network and accessing and applications inside the data center — it spans a distributed edge. And finally, this tremendous operational complexity.”

VMware’s answer to these challenges is Anywhere Workspace. It provides a consistent employee experience across networks and devices, Iyer said. “We are delivering security across this distribute edge in a zero-trust model by leveraging situational intelligence and connecting the control points,” he added. “And finally, for IT that is experiencing this operational complexity, we’re providing automation and analytics to automate the workspace completely, which is driven by outcomes and not just tasks.”

IDC analyst and VP Phil Hochmuth called VMware’s approach “a smart combination of three critical technologies for successfully supporting a remote/hybrid workforce.” These include reliable remote access, endpoint security, and endpoint device management, and the ability to deliver all three to customers via a single channel from an integration and support standpoint, he added.

“Many vendors can address one or two of these technologies across their portfolio but hitting all three is somewhat rare. There are probably a handful of vendors with that particular technology lineup,” Hochmuth said. “Cisco, Citrix, Microsoft to some extent.

In fact, VMware’s Anywhere Workspace theme sounds similar to Cisco’s overarching message from its recent Cisco Live event, during which its executives championed flexible work, easier networking, and simpler security.

However, Hochmuth added, other technology and service providers could put together a similar, packed offer to address distributed workforce challenges — or partner with other vendors to do so. “If VMware executes and demonstrates TCO from this combination, they might quickly find themselves with more competition.”