Great news! Liquidware is proud to sponsor the Irish Citrix User Group Community (CUGC) event happening on March 9th at the Radisson Blu hotel on Golden Lane in Dublin
This is the first time Liquidware have sponsored the Irish User Group and I am delighted at the support from Liquidware and in particular Jason E Smith.
I will deliver a session on how Liquidware’s solutions can benefit you. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn more about how our solutions can enhance your Citrix environments
The event has a packed agenda and registration is still open
Check out Liquidware’s newest release of Stratusphere – version 6.6.2-2 – for a slew of exciting new features and enhancements! Among the new features are advanced troubleshooting capabilities, improved reporting, and expanded support for virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environments. These updates make Stratusphere an even more powerful tool for monitoring and optimizing end-user computing environments.
The ADVANCED > INSPECTORS & API now includes a SESSIONS tab and API, displaying a summary and details of session events such as LOGIN/LOGOUT, LOCK/UNLOCK, REMOTE CONNECT/DISCONNECT, CONSOLE CONNECT/DISCONNECT, and more. The information provided includes user and machine details, the time of the event, and even the session type (CONSOLE, RDP/RFX, ICA/HDX, PCoIP, BLAST, etc.) The STRATUSPHERE UX UI PREVIEW has been added, providing users with a sneak peek of the new user interface for future versions of the platform. It has limited functionality and is designed to gather user feedback to help improve the product.
Enhancements have been made to the ADVANCED > INSPECTORS & API, including adding support for multiple search values, Optimizer Profile as a BASIS in the ADVANCED > USERS, MACHINES, & LOGIN tabs, and new color-coded thresholds based on Standard Deviations from Mean for metrics within the Windows User Login Breakdown in the ADVANCED > INSPECTORS > LOGIN tab.
The domain the user has logged into on macOS machines is now displayed, reducing license usage. The macOS CID Key visibility has been improved by adding support for location information.
The Hub, Database, & Collectors have been enhanced, providing better visibility for error codes encountered by the CID Key while communicating by adding textual descriptions to explain the problem. The Apache Web Server now automatically compresses data while communicating with the client Web Browser for enhanced performance. The DIAGNOSTICS > REPORTS have new exception reports that only show machines with unencrypted disks and firewalls that are turned off.
In addition to these features and enhancements, a lot of time and effort was spent on the overall reliability and user experience of ADVANCED > DASHBOARDS. There were more than 30 updates made under the hood to enhance the overall reliability & usability of Dashboards.
Overall, the latest release of Stratusphere offers a range of new features and enhancements, improving the user experience and providing better visibility and functionality across the platform. These improvements include new reports, dashboards, and alerts, as well as enhanced application support and more granular control over user data. With these new features, users can better monitor and optimize their virtual desktop environments, leading to improved performance and a more streamlined user experience. All bug fixes for this release can be viewed here.
I’m excited to announce the release of ProfileUnity v6.8.5, the latest version of our leading user environment management solution. This new release is packed with features that enable further centralization of Windows application and user environment management, making it easier for IT admins to manage their digital workspaces.
ProfileUnity centralizes the context-aware deployment of any app including FlexApp, FlexApp One, MSIX, App-V. The new version also features universal folder and file redirection.
One of the most significant enhancements in ProfileUnity v6.8.5 is the ability to deploy and assign modern Windows applications of all types through the central management console. This includes Liquidware traditional FlexApp, FlexApp One, MSIX, MSIX App Attach, Microsoft App-V, and VMware ThinApp. With this new feature, administrators can now manage all their applications from a single console, reducing the need for multiple tools.
In addition to application management, ProfileUnity v6.8.5 introduces a new feature called Application Cloaking, which completely hides select applications from specific users while making them available to specified users based on a context-aware filter. This feature simplifies image management by allowing administrators to place certain applications in a base image while using that image across various user groups. Application Cloaking can be invoked on any ProfileUnity context-aware attribute, such as location, time of day, or any environment variable.
ProfileUnity has also gained two new feature modules: “MSIX” and “Microsoft App-V” management. These features enable the assignment of either MSIX or Microsoft App-V applications to any ProfileUnity context-aware filter user or group target, all without scripting. Application files can be on-premises or cloud-hosted, and MSIX App Attach is also supported for non-persistent use cases such as Microsoft AVD, Citrix Virtual Desktops, or VMware Horizon.
Another significant feature in ProfileUnity v6.8.5 is Universal Folder Redirection and Universal Registry Redirection. These innovative features open all Windows folders and registry keys to redirection, allowing administrators to redirect users’ customized settings from applications back into users’ profiles to roam with them. This is a notable industry first and provides Windows and application administrators with the flexibility they need to make changes to remediate applications that store user preferences outside the user profile.
ProfileUnity v6.8.5 is now available for a free trial, and you can download it here. We believe that this latest release will help our customers increase their productivity, streamline their IT management, and reduce their costs. We look forward to continuing to innovate and support our customers with the best digital workspace management solutions in the industry.
We’re excited to share a new community and customer-focused resource to address real-world challenges faced by our clients. This new initiative, the Liquidware Advisor Series, consists of regular video broadcasts on YouTube by Liquidware’s esteemed end-user computing experts, our talented Systems Engineers.
While our award-winning solutions are market leaders, community members and customers still love tips and tricks to get the most out of their environment. The Liquidware Advisor Series provides the community with access to our systems engineers, who discuss scenarios from the field and how the we can help address them.
The Liquidware Advisor Series aims to showcase the wealth of expertise that our systems engineers possess. It will provide insights into how leading organization’s solve today’s dynamic workspace challenges. It also serves to provide tips and tricks about our solutions – which encompass User Environment Management with ProfileUnity™, Application Layering with FlexApp™, and Digital Experience Monitoring and Diagnostics with Stratusphere™ UX – can help resolve the most pressing problems that clients face.
We had a great Liquidware Unplugged with Gabe Knuth (Senior Analyst, ESG), Scott Manchester (Director of Product Management Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365), James O’Regan, and myself last month and this blog post highlights some of the key elements we discussed.
The format of our Unplugged sessions always starts with informal banter between the panelists prior to attendees joining. ChatGPT was discussed with, ironically, Scott informing everyone of an ‘argument’ he had with the AI solution about whether or not a certain Microsoft product was, indeed, a Microsoft product! Scott shared that he holds 25 patents and Gabe described himself as an EUC “lifer”, having been involved in the market since 1998.
There was a lot of discussion surrounding the impact Covid-19 had on Work from Anywhere solutions and how EUC, in particular virtual desktop solutions, were up for the challenge when the world needed it. Gabe also reflected on the fact that for ten plus years there have been rumors of Citrix being acquired that finally came to fruition in 2021. He also noted that with VMware being spun out of Dell in 2021 and then the announcement that it is to be acquired by Broadcom. The panel noted that there is no mention of “EUC” by Broadcom in the resulting impending acquisition.
This acquisition of VMware is resulting in Microsoft AVD, Windows 365 and Cloud PC becoming a ‘first-party’ solution that others run on. The panel suggested that Microsoft is now being in the driver’s seat, both behind the scenes as well as in front, working with third-party vendors like Liquidware (as well as others) to deliver best-of-breed solutions on top of Microsoft.
Scott and the panel took time to discuss Windows 365 and AVD options and which solution seems to be resonating with certain use cases, small to medium sized accounts, and enterprise customers. Scott further shared a sneak preview of some of his presentation that will be delivered at IGEL Disrupt and NerdioCon.
The ‘click, click, boom’ principle of ease of use for admins in deploying both virtual desktops and applications should be the same as management of physical desktops. A slide was shared technological advancements; from the disruptive, to evolution, revolution. If you missed it you can watch the recording now.
Liquidware is pleased to announce that it will be a Gold sponsor at the upcoming NerdioCon in Cancun, Mexico. This user conference will bring together IT professionals and industry experts to discuss and learn about all things Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365.
During the conference, Liquidware will be hosting a breakout session, titled “Achieve App Delivery Nirvana with Liquidware FlexApp™ and Nerdio Manager for Enterprise.” Liquidware founder and CEO, David Bieneman, and Jason E. Smith, VP of Alliances and Product Marketing will present the session.
The session will focus on how organizations can achieve a highly efficient and effective app delivery process by using Nerdio Manager for Enterprise in conjunction with Liquidware FlexApp. Together, these two solutions provide a comprehensive solution for achieving app delivery nirvana, enabling organizations to deliver applications to users quickly and seamlessly, while simplifying the management and maintenance of virtual environments.
If you’re looking to streamline your app delivery process and achieve a more efficient virtual environment, be sure to attend the session and learn more about how Liquidware FlexApp and Nerdio Manager for Entperise can help. Additionally, you can also visit Liquidware’s booth during the conference to learn more about our other digital workspace management solutions, including Stratusphere™ UX and ProfileUnity™.
We will also be giving a sneak peek of CommandCTRL, our innovative forthcoming helpdesk remediation SaaS solution, that is ideal for Windows environments and MSPs. Be sure to get an exclusive early look at CommandCTRL while at NerdioCon!
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from industry experts and discover the latest solutions for achieving app delivery nirvana. Register now and we look forward to seeing you at NerdioCon in Cancun!
As we know more and more people are working from anywhere. Gartner states that currently 50% of employees will continue to work remotely and this continues to rise. According to IDC by 2024, mobile workers will account for nearly 60% of the total US workforce. This is a massive shift from Pre Pandemic.
Support any worker anywhere with CommandCTRL.
While this gives employees freedom and flexibility, it also increases IT Admins’ workload and creates new challenges in managing endpoints located anywhere.
To assist with this increased workload Liquidware will release CommandCTRL™ in Q2 of 2023, a powerful and innovative solution designed to allow IT to be able to monitor and remediate remote endpoints from anywhere.
CommandCTRL is a SaaS solution, so there are no infrastructure requirements and you can be up and running in a matter of minutes. As it is cloud-based it can scale to whatever your requirements and you can support users anywhere in the world. As it’s a SaaS solution, your admin can be anywhere and all they need to access the console is a browser!
The console provides you with Real-Time Metrics for the following:
• CPU Usage • Memory Usage • Disk Usage • Network • Identity Location • Wi-Fi • Plus much more…
CommandCTRL’s intuitive GUI helps to quickly remediate helpdesk calls.
While CommandCTRL displays real-time data metrics it can do so much more; such as killing off rogue processes or start, stop or restart services all via the console. You can even open up a PowerShell, CMD, or Bash session, and all of this can be achieved without interrupting the user by needing to take control of their endpoint. Of course, if you do need to take control this can be achieved using the built-in Quick Assist, Remote Assistance, and Teleconferencing options.
A key feature of CommandCTRL is the DVR-like functionality, this is extremely powerful and allows an Admin to go back in time and review what metrics were displayed at a particular point in time and this data is retained for 30 days. This is incredibly helpful in the troubleshooting process and dramatically reduces the time to resolution.
We will be releasing many more new and exciting features for the CommandCTRL beta, so stay tuned for a series of videos where I will go into detail and demonstrate each of the solution’s key features as we get closer to the launch date.
You can get in on the benefits of using CommandCTRL today by applying for the BETA!
For example get access to all the latest features, we just dropped Display Protocol on Friday!
With the Display Protocol, you can display metrics for Citrix, VMware and Microsoft remoting protocols.
Finally we now have an MSI package available to make it easier to deploy CommandCTRL.
For the next several weeks, there will be a weekly drawing for a $50 dollar Amazon gift card. All you have to do is complete the Beta Survey to have a chance to win.
Microsoft AVD and Windows 365 Cloud PC are sure to gain even further traction in 2023. Liquidware has been a leading Microsoft Alliance partner in Microsoft’s ecosystem since and before the introduction of these virtual and SaaS based solutions. Liquidware FlexApp is an especially great fit for AVD and Cloud PC because you can deploy apps without modifying base images, or even needing to restart user instances.
Here are five reasons Liquidware FlexApp and Microsoft AVD and Windows 365 are better together:
Layering of applications: FlexApp allows for the attached layering of applications within a virtual environment, while AVD allows for the virtualization of the entire desktop environment. Together, these technologies can provide a more flexible way to manage and deliver applications to users.
Improved Application Compatibility: FlexApp allows for applications to be delivered in a layered format, which can improve compatibility between different versions of applications and operating systems. FlexApp is 70% more compatible with Windows applications than MSIX alone.
Security and Compliance: Windows 365 offers additional security and compliance features that can be beneficial in a virtualized environment, FlexApp and AVD can help to protect the company’s data and applications from unauthorized access by limiting application access by time of day, location, or any context aware rule.
Increased Flexibility: FlexApp and AVD provide a more flexible way to deliver and manage applications, allowing users to access applications from any device, and providing administrators with the ability to quickly update and deliver new applications to users.
If you are an enterprise Windows administrator you don’t need to stop at five benefits of using Liquidware FlexApp with Microsoft AVD and Windows 365, there are many more! Download your fully functioning trial version and experience the simplicity and ease of deploying and updating apps with FlexApp today.
Microsoft’s Scott Manchester and ESG’s Gabe Knuth will join us on January 24 at 10:15 am (Central Time) for our next Liquidware Unplugged to discuss the state of EUC (End User Computing) in 2023. As the host, I’ll also be joined by James O’Regan, Product Marketing Manager at Liquidware and longtime Citrix User Group (CUGC) Leader.
Big changes have occurred in the end user computing industry in the past year. Microsoft has continued to innovate with Windows 365/Cloud PC and Windows AVD adoption is growing. Long-time platform leaders Citrix and VMware are undergoing radical company changes in the wake of being acquired, while also embracing Windows 365 and AVD. Analysts are fielding many questions from concerned clients about the future of innovation within both Citrix and VMware, with particular consternation surrounding future investment in VMware’s EUC suite under the planned Broadcom ownership.
Gabe recently wrote a superb analysis of the desktop virtualization market that really summed up the current chaos. And, of course, Scott recently took on the mantle of director of product management for both AVD and Windows 365.
Liquidware Unplugged webinars are LIVE interactive panelist and participant sessions. This is a great opportunity for you to directly ask these industry experts what is going to happen this year and beyond.
Insider tip: Join us 15 minutes early on that day when we start with an informal chat amongst the panelists and then get into the real conversation at 10:15 am Central.
Scott Manchester, Microsoft Director of Product Management Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 Gabe Knuth, Senior Analyst, End User Computing at Enterprise Strategy Group James O’Regan, Local CUGC Leader and Liquidware Product Marketing Manager Jason E. Smith (Host), Liquidware VP of Product Marketing & Alliances
Nerdio Manager provides seamless deployment and management of AVD and Windows 365.
When customers are looking for best of breed application delivery and management for their AVD environments, a proven pairing is Nerdio Manager and Liquidware FlexApp. A key functionality, that is paramount for any successful deployment of AVD, is access to your users’ applications. But you don’t want to create, manage and continuously update your base image. Read the Nerdio announcement, New Nerdio Integration with Liquidware’s FlexApp One, here.
Nerdio Manager for Enterprise enables organizations to rapidly deploy and manage AVD and Windows 365. Combine that with Liquidware FlexApp, and customers have a high compatibility rating for application deployment. In fact, FlexApp delivers customers over a 90% compatibility for deploying their applications. Deploying those apps via Nerdio Manager decreases management overhead and negates having to include applications in a base image.
Liquidware’s FlexApp One feature enables Nerdio Manager to directly assign and attach the self-contained FlexApp applications that are hosted in Microsoft Azure to AVD workspaces. Because FlexApp One apps are fully portable, they can be assigned by Nerdio Manager directly without the need for any additional agent or management console. Register now for a free webinar where you’ll see a demo and virtually meet the CEOs of Nerdio and Liquidware.
Enterprise sized organizations running AVD may benefit even more from FlexApp as they tend to have numerous applications in many different formats – not only MSIX, but also MSI, EXE, and homegrown custom applications that may even have multiple drivers and services. Windows base image management becomes quite complex in these organizations and FlexApp can easily streamline and greatly reduce the number of base images in those environments by simply attaching applications directly from Microsoft Azure.
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