VMware, a maker of software that enables computers to run multiple operating systems simultaneously, is working on a new product to make it secure for corporations to open their networks to contractors or telecommuters . . .
The EMC subsidiary plans to announce on Monday a test version of Assured Computing Environment, which lets an outside computer run a second instance of Windows that can be locked down to prevent unauthorized copying or network access. ACE will be shipped by the end of the year, said Michael Mullany, vice president of marketing at VMware.

Without something like ACE, a company would have to supply a remote user or contractor with an entirely separate computer, Mullany said.

"It allows you to completely control the user environment at a very fundamental level," he said.

To keep proprietary information from spreading to computers outside a company, ACE can be configured to block access to USB memory devices, floppy drives, printers or other devices that could be used to save or print information stored on corporate networks. In addition, it enables outsiders use a company's approved software collection, making it harder for foreign computers to infect corporate networks with viruses or other dangerous software.

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