Virtual work environment for remote users

Abstract

An arrangement provides a work environment to a remote user who is logged-in as a member of an enterprise, which work environment includes both a telecommunication capability and a data processing capability, and both are concurrently associated with the logged-in user. The data processing capability is restricted to the user obtaining only views of files, rather than the files themselves, and all file processing that can potentially store data is restricted to applications that can store files only in a range of locations specified by the enterprise.

1 . A hardware arrangement under control of a sponsor enterprise that provides a work environment that appears to be within the arrangement to user data device that is at a location remote to the arrangement and communicates with the arrangement through a network, characterized by: 
 a viewing server that provides to said user access only to files that are made available by the sponsor enterprise, under conditions that are specified by the sponsor enterprise, where one of said conditions is that only applications provided by the sponsor enterprise have access to these files, and the range of locations into which these applications can store files is limited to locations specifies by the sponsor enterprise, which excludes any storage devices at the remote user's location.    
   
   
       2 . The arrangement of  claim 1  further comprising a telecommunication server that is adapted to interact with a communication module in a device employed by said user at said remote location to said user to employ communication services of the arrangement in a manner that hides from parties that communicate with said user the fact that said user is employing a device that is at said location that is remote to the arrangement