I've built https://cophone.io - your online smartphone, complete with a phone number. It is an Android system running in the cloud that you can access via a browser, even on mobiles. Things like microphone and webcam work nicely, so you can even have meetings on cophone.
After iterating on it for a while, customers seem very happy and now growing day by day.
No marketing so far, just being out there and posting on various channels once in a while.
Indeed risk mitigation is crucial for companies. Your points are really good, I think they struck a good balance between functionality and security.
One other thing that I am considering, since it is a popular request, is to provide an app that can be installed on a physical device. The device would basically act as a proxy for the cophone's notifications but in addition would also notify the user about potential unauthorized accesses.
> 3rd line item ...
Totally! Thanks!
> use this for my MFA applications and various other internal applications
The VM without a phone number was a way to offer free trials without having a phone number. Will see if it takes the test of time.
> I assume the VM's are running /e/.
Yes.
> Have you tried installing any of the MDM's out there like AirWatch or InTune?
No, I haven't tried. Cophone is very new and because of this lacks some functionality or app support.
> What would happen if I rammed a couple TB of BitTorrent data through that VM. Maybe used it as seedbox. Or maybe a proxy so I can access a streaming service.
Any tool can be abused. I have some bandwidth checks in place and some monitoring. More sophisticated abuse prevention is under development.
> why wouldn't I get a Skype number...
It's not just about the number, it's the whole package. Think BYOD but without the hassle of mixing work and private data. These devices could be supplied by your employer, with all the apps and number(s) that you need from day 1.
That's great input! This is all very fresh so I'm still building connections. I have to admit Voip providers were not on my list but it totally makes sense.
a) AFAIK Canonical's Anbox does NOT give you a phone number. Also afaik, they don't provide a recent Android version, so you're stuck with a really old version.
b) This is a really good point! I don't know atm, I'll have to look into it.
Yes, this is (also) on high priority. But it depends alot on the country, some have very strict regulations around this. Which countries are you mostly interested in?
Indeed, this is something that I have learned from the comments here: that cophone needs to forward the notifications from the virtual smartphone to the physical one(s). Will put it on high priority!
Think BYOD, but without mixing personal and business data. So you can just open a browser on your personal mobile phone and access your work phone. Then, when you're in front of your (work) laptop, you just open a browser tab to access the same cophone instance.