Liquidware announced this week a Stratusphere UX Integration Kit for ServiceNow. The kit is not only now available to joint customers in the ServiceNow Store, it is also officially certified. ServiceNow Certification verifies that the Kit has successfully completed a set of defined tests focused on ServiceNow Platform security, compatibility, performance, and integration interoperability.

The kit provides joint Liquidware and ServiceNow customers with an intuitive approach to truly integrate rich user experience data from Stratusphere UX directly into ServiceNow. Customers leveraging the Integration Kit can also easily customize their ServiceNow experience to include Stratusphere UX data that is unique to their operations, providing significant Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) benefits and ROI.

Stratusphere UX’s unparalleled user experience data from user desktops can now be seamlessly viewed within a customer’s ServiceNow console. This enables IT and Help Desk staff to easily view user experience metrics without leaving the ServiceNow user interface. Joint customers wishing to integrate the kit can reach out to any Liquidware partner or contact Liquidware directly at info@Liquidware.com.

For more information about the Stratusphere UX ServiceNow Kit, please visit https://www.liquidware.com/products/stratusphere-ux/servicenow.

With the release of Stratusphere UX v. 6.5 this week, we are proud to announce that our solution is currently the only certified end user experience monitoring solution to provide visibility into all three major cloud platforms, including  Amazon Web Services (AWS) Digital Workplace Competency status, advanced monitoring for the  Google Cloud Platform and detailed metrics for WVD on the Microsoft Azure Marketplace.

The Importance of Cloud

Cloud platforms to support digital workspace transformation is increasingly important at a growing numbers of enterprise organizations.  Cloud platforms enable uncoupling workers from static devices, thereby letting their workspaces “roam” as needed.  They can perform their jobs anytime, anywhere, on any device with an Internet connection. This approach has become a paramount consideration during the pandemic, which is pushing more businesses to provide Work from Home options

Moving desktops to the cloud provides many major benefits, including cost savings and security which make them the preferred choice.  Cloud provides the best option for businesses with fluctuating workloads since this infrastructure can scale based on demand. Companies no longer need to anticipate, procure, and manage fleets of individual devices that they may or may not require, because they can pay- as-you-go.  Cloud providers also offer specific prebuilt tools and features so business can customize solutions and ensure that all their workers — task, knowledge and power –  can get the level of resources they need and are not limited by “what comes in the box.”

Shifting to cloud platforms also enhance security as cloud providers adhere to the best and latest security standards and procedures to protect their clients’ data saved in the cloud.

Business have the flexibility to select from private cloud, public cloud, and hybrid- cloud solutions, each with different features or go with SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS, if they  better meet their needs.

Finally, being in the cloud provides all sizes of business —  small, medium, and even large enterprises – with a more efficient and reliable way to backup and restore their data and applications.

The Significance of Visibility into the Cloud

While cloud platforms can bring many benefits to organizations, it may be difficult to realize these benefits unless the migration path to is clear and straightforward.  When you move to the cloud, you are flying blind unless you have a means of gaining deep visibility into the infrastructure.

Earlier this month Liquidware was invited to present to the CUGC (Citrix User Group Community) on how to Simplify Citrix Base Image Management with Liquidware FlexApp.

Jack Smith of Liquidware also joined us while Citrix CTA, Jake Walsh, moderated the session. We discussed when it is of great benefit to use Liquidware FlexApp and how some joint customers of Citrix and Liquidware have even used it in conjunction with Citrix App Layering – managing OS updates and apps in the base with Citrix App Layering while using Liquidware FlexApp to deliver dynamic (elastic) applications at boot, login, or on a Click-to-Layer basis.

The webinar was well attended and is now available for on-demand viewing as a recording. In case you missed the live session you can watch now at this link.

We’re excited to share with you a new format for interactive webinars – built exclusively for the end-user computing (EUC) community. Liquidware UNPLUGGED began this past summer as a new way to engage and discuss end user computing ideas.

Liquidware UNPLUGGED is unlike anything you’ve ever seen in the industry before. It’s like a live talk show with dozens or hundreds of you closest peers in EUC. VIPs from the community form a rotating panel of monthly UNPLUGGED interactive webinars. Attendees get to participate live and get to ask their questions and/or help give answers as part of the panel! The webinar series has been well received. We keep it real and unscripted, all content is always fresh. Check out a select past UNPLUGGED sessions below and be sure to join us for our next UNPLUGGED event by registering here.

Liquidware Unplugged: Portability, Data Availability and Business Continuity

Liquidware Unplugged: Is Work From Home Here to Stay? – Pictured above: Theresa Miller of 24x7ITConnection, Jason E. Smith of Liquidware, Trond Eirik Haavarstein (Eric) of XenAppBlog, Ray Swanson of Liquidware, Doug Brown of IGEL, Dane Young of YoungTech

Liquidware Unplugged Cloud Virtual Desktop Market : State of the Market

Liquidware Unplugged: Work From Home

With more users than ever connecting with devices enabled with an edge OS like IGEL, it’s important to gather user experience metrics of this “First Mile” of connectivity.

Monitoring the user experience of your virtual desktop environment (Citrix, VMware, Amazon WorkSpaces, Nutanix XiFrame, etc) is nearly mandatory these days but knowing the complete end-to-end user experience should not be ignored. You don’t want any blind spot for your total connection path for end users. Your desktop UX is only as good as your weakest link so not having performance visibility of any edge OS and connections could be the downfall of your overall user experience. Many things may impact users’ session including their local network or WiFi access point performance, local hardware, resources, etc.

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In the face of disruptions from Coronavirus (COVID-19), many organizations are asking their employees to work from home or be prepared to do so if there is a local outbreak. Continue reading →

We just returned from Citrix Summit 2020 in Orlando. Although this show is for Citrix community channel partners, it is the first event of the season. As such, it seems to serve as a jump start for the community each year. 2020 was no exception!

Citrix began its first events at the Swan and Dolphin in Orlando and many Synergy (Thinergy/iForum etc.) and Summits have been held there. This was the first Citrix show in many years to be held at this same venue – so it was a bit nostalgic for many of us longtime community members. I was at the first Citrix “Thinergy” in 1998 and it was a bit of a walk down memory lane to have the Citrix Summit exhibit space in the same hall this year. For a while it seemed that the community outgrew this venue but now it seems perfectly sized for Citrix Summit again. It’s not that the community is necessarily shrinking, the Swan and Dolphin have also added meeting space over the years so it is a bigger venue now. Continue reading →

The latest Stratusphere UX release (v. 6.1.4) has made it to both the Amazon Workspace Marketplace and the Microsoft Azure Marketplace. Continue reading →

Over the years, succeeding versions of Windows OS have consumed greater levels of resources, particularly CPU and RAM. This trend is not surprising, as each new version needed to support a wider set of more robust applications and features.

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I personally took this picture while on the edge of Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona in 2018. The drop, just three feet from me, was 1,000 feet straight down. You can’t tell it but I was crouching so I would not dare fall…because I did not have a safety net. With a wife and three kids looking on, I had too much to risk! Many others have not been so cautious and have fallen to their death at the exact same spot. But I had a strategy to play it safe.

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