Virtual Mobile Phone Architecture for Work-Personal Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Enterprise computer networks face challenges in efficiently managing and customizing mobile devices due to their short replacement cycles and user reluctance to hand over personal devices for configuration, leading to cumbersome data transfer processes and the need for multiple devices for personal and work use.
Innovation Solution
An enterprise network architecture that supports multiple virtual mobile phones within a single client device, allowing users to customize and switch between them using a back-end network architecture, with features like session management and data labeling for organized data storage and retrieval.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If enterprise users hand over mobile phones to IT departments for configuration and customization, then enterprise control and security are improved, but user convenience and device availability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device is segmented into multiple virtual phones, each with distinct configurations and access rights. The enterprise virtual phone can be configured and controlled by IT departments, while the personal virtual phone remains under user control, allowing simultaneous enterprise security and user convenience
Solution Approach 2:
A single physical mobile device provides multiple virtual phones that can serve different purposes (enterprise and personal). This multi-functionality allows the device to act as both a corporate-controlled entity and a personal device, eliminating the need for users to hand over their personal phones for enterprise configuration
2Loss of information
If users maintain multiple mobile phones for personal and enterprise use, then separation of personal and work data is improved, but device complexity and user burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple virtual phones are merged within a single physical device, allowing users to maintain separate personal and enterprise data spaces without carrying multiple physical phones. The system combines the functionality of multiple devices while reducing the actual number of devices users must manage
Solution Approach 2:
The solution adds a virtualization dimension to the traditional single-device model. Instead of separating data across multiple physical devices in space, the system creates separate virtual spaces within a single device, adding a layer of abstraction that enables data separation without increasing physical device count
3Reliability
If enterprise configuration is applied to mobile phones, then security and policy compliance are improved, but user autonomy and device flexibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into enterprise and personal virtual phones with different configuration levels. The enterprise virtual phone receives full security configuration and policy control, while the personal virtual phone maintains user autonomy and flexibility, allowing both security compliance and device flexibility to coexist
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are examples of systems and methods that may provide multiple virtual mobile phones for a user. For example, a back-end enterprise computer network architecture may interact with an application installed on a client device. Using the application, the user may generate multiple virtual mobile phones for different purposes, e.g., a “work” phone and a “personal” phone. The computer network architecture may further allow the user to label data to correspond to the different virtual mobile phones for an efficient storage and retrieval of the data. A back-end session manager may allow the user to seamlessly switch between the different virtual mobiles within a single client device or across multiple client devices.