Does Social Media Drive Sales? Well Twitter Did For AppSense On A 2,000 User Win7 Migration

Ok, so – some people question the value of social media such as Twitter and Blogs within B2B, I know, as people here at AppSense often joke that I’m some sort of Twitter Monkey or Blog Bandit…charming!  Even though these activities only take a very small percentage of my time in relation to the other work I do, I can see they are increasingly used by many as a core information gathering and communication tool which can link into track-able ROI,  I have a perfect example  how through the use of Twitter, an end user was able to learn about how AppSense enables Win7 migrations, and from that reach out and contact me to set up a meeting which has since resulted in them purchasing our user virtualization solution and starting their Win7 migration. – ahh, got your attention now?

When I was visiting our Manhattan offices earlier this quarter, I posted a simple Twitter update stating I was in NY if anyone wanted to meet up to discuss desktop virtualization and OS migrations (Or something along those lines) – from there I was contacted by a global investment and technology development firm with about 2,000 employees.  I, along with one of the local AppSense Sales guys and a System Engineer went and met with the prospect in their building, only a few blocks away from ours.

During the meeting we learned their plans, concerns and time frames for their Win7 migration, and presented how we can alleviate some of those pains such as speeding up the migration process, ensure user adoption, improve user experience and reduce IT workload post migration.  Together the end user and AppSense worked on a proof of concept and engaged with a leading AppSense reseller to formalize pricing etc… (At this point I was back in the rainy UK and stepped back from the sales cycle).

All in all, within 10 weeks of my initial Twitter post, the end user had tested, seen the value in AppSense, worked with a leading AppSense partner to purchase 2,000 user licenses of our software, and is now rolling out Win7 ahead of schedule…

Let this be a lesson to those who under estimate the power of social media, and, AppSense Sales folk, if you ask nicely – I may also do the same for you… for a 5% cut of total order value ;)  

Cheers

Gaz

451 Group Report: Cox Comm’s deploys VDI with AppSense over ‘Persona’ / Profile Management

In a recent post of mine, I highlighted an article Andrew Wood published discussing if ‘Persona’/Profile Management really is User Virtualization/User Environment Management by another name.

Andrew highlighted that the technology VMware recently acquired from RTO Software (Virtual Profiles), while good at reducing user logon times, does not provide enterprise scalable Personalization and Policy Management.  Instead, organizations need to consider a user virtualization solution to enable mass adoption of desktop virtualization technologies.

Coincidently, The 451 Group have just published a case study confirming exactly what Andrew covered, through the use of a real life VMware View customer that was unable to adopt VDI with only logon time / profile management technology from RTO Virtual Profiles (which will at some point be incorporated into VMware View)

Cox Communications is one of the largest telecoms in the US, with more than six million customers and 22,000 employees.  They started their VDI Proof of Concept back in 2008 but unfortunately the initial test users hated the non-persistent virtual desktops as every time they logged off, they lost all of their settings and IT staff would have to spend 20mins reconfiguring individual desktops. 

In a bid to resolve this issue, Cox investigated the use of profile management technology coupled with the non-persistent virtual desktops.  Individual persistent virtual desktops had already been discounted because storage costs & image management would prohibit scalability.  

In the first round, Cox trialled RTO Virtual Profiles, but found that while it may reduce logon times, it did not scale well.  Cox next tried AppSense user virtualization, and like for so many others, voila – it just worked.  All user specific information was virtualized and saved away from the non-persistent desktops and instead stored in the AppSense User Virtualization Infrastructure and would then reapply this to any desktop, regardless of how it is delivered to a user, across any OS or 32/64bit boundary.

This goes someway to prove, that while it is nice to reduce your logon times, it is more important to have your latest settings, data, applications and desktop configuration policies, regardless of how it is delivered – otherwise users simply reject the new virtual platform and physical desktops will remain a pain for many corporate IT environments.

Further to Andrew’s article, this also proves some of the comments made when VMware acquired RTO by the likes of:

Jon Wallace on InsideTheRegistry.com: The RTO Acquisiation - What Now For AppSense and RES Software?

 Brian Madden on BrianMadden.com: Confirmed: VMware buys everypart of RTO Software, except what the owe Citrix

Martin Ingram on this AppSense Community Blog: Congratulations to VMware and RTO Software

While it is good that VMware now have profile management technology, like Citrix with User Profile Manager, this shows that profile management technology is for reducing the pains associated with roaming profiles (which are more suited for use in RDS and XenApp environments, certainly not complex & dynamic virtual desktop environments) such as corruption and logon times.  It is not a user virtualization solution with enterprise scalable infrastructure, for enabling mass adoption of desktop virtualization within the enterprise.   AppSense are proud to continue operating as pioneers in the user virtualization space, with our technology chosen by enterprises as part of their desktop management projects globally…

A copy of The 451 Group report can be found here:  The 451 Group User Deployment Report – Cox Communications deploys VDI

Thanks

Gaz

French Citrix User Group – Post Event Report.

Further to my blog post re: AppSense attending the French Citrix User Group, on Thursday 25^th March AppSense was pleased to attend the ‘Club des Utilisateurs Citrix’ for the first time, held at Citrix’s Paris HQ in La Defense.

The day started with an interesting update from Citrix’s newly appointed Country Manager, Eric Lecoq. The theme of the day was definitely all about what new exciting Citrix technologies are coming to market. There was some good information about how Citrix customers in France are taking advantage of the XenApp to XenDesktop trade-up and also a great question & answers session. There was also a really interesting customer case study.

It was really good to be involved and to have to opportunity to meet so many Citrix enthusiasts and be able to share an open forum with them about challenges they are experiencing, and how they are combating those challenges.  What was definitely clear, is that managing the user is a real challenge for organizations of all shapes, sizes and types. Companies have less and less ‘typical’ users and instead, seem to be moving towards more dynamic environments.

Look out for more joint AppSense & Citrix activities in France as we look to host some joint demos in the next quarter to show the power of a combined AppSense + Citrix solution.

The French Citrix User Group (along with other group meeting dates) can be found by clicking on the following logo:

Thanks
Gaz

AppSense Now On Citrix XenDesktop Featured Partners Page

Anyone who regularly reads either this or the Citrix Community Blogs will be aware of the close relationship between AppSense and Citrix.  Most recently our tight technical integration was documented by Joe Nord, Product Architect for Application Streaming & User Profile Manager, Citrix Systems – on his blog ‘App Streaming, AppSense Environment Manager’

I would like to take 2 minutes to update you on how as a leading and recommended Citrix Ready Partner, AppSense are proud to be listed amongst some of their biggest names in the community as a strategic piece in the adoption of Citrix XenDesktop.    Citrix have detailed each of the core technologies on their Citrix XenDesktop Featured Partners web-pages.

Scroll down past the likes of Microsoft, CSC, NetApp, HP, Dell, Intel and Oracle and click on the AppSense logo to then take you to a Citrix XenDesktop + AppSense page, there you have the option to drill down and learn more about the value of a joint Citrix and AppSense solution.

As the desktop virtualization market matures, we’ve seen many new companies popping up with niche or small scale profile management solutions.  We’re very proud to continue operating as pioneers in the user virtualization space, with our technology chosen by enterprises as part of their desktop management projects globally.  

This is clear verification of the great relationship between Citrix and AppSense, and just a small snippet of many more joint activities soon to be launched… so, keep your eye out for them in the near future ;)

Thanks,
Gaz

Link to Citrix XenDesktop Featured Partners HomePage

Link to Citrix XenDesktop & AppSense LandingPage

Link to Citrix XenDesktop & AppSense Value Add Sections

AppSense Wins (yet) Again! – Awarded 2010 Everything Channel Partner Program 5 Star Rating.

It was only a short while ago I posted a quick blog to summarize a lot of the recent awards the AppSense Environment Manager product had won – And now further to the commercially focused award Nigel Wilson, Head of Channel at AppSense, winning the Channel Chief award,  AppSense have been awarded a Five Star Partner Rating by the Everything Channel Partner Program Guide for the AppSense ChannelSense partner program.

This award again shows that in addition to having the best user virtualization solution available, AppSense are also a clear leader in channel partner management too.

AppSense has always sold to and supported customers via a channel model, working with Citrix, VMware and Microsoft VAR’s, along with leading System Integrators such as CSC, Dell, IBM, HP, EDS, Fujistu and Capita, we’re very proud of this five star rating recognizing all of the hard work, time and effort we put into building such a successful partner network.

Thank you to all who have helped build our channel partner program, and not forgetting thank you to our partners for your continued support in delivering AppSense technologies to the enterprise.

A full copy of the press release can be found on the AppSense Press Release webpage here.

Thanks

Gaz

Is Profile Management, really User Environment Management?!

Andrew Wood (Twitter @gilwood_cs) has written a very interesting article over on VirtualizationPractice.com, discussing whether ‘persona management’ (and ‘profile’ management) technology is ‘user environment management’ by another name?

Andrew details how profile management, which is what VMware acquired from RTO to form their Persona Management, addresses the issues associated with roaming profiles such as bloat and lengthy logon times.  However, Andrew then rightly explains that while logon times are important (and profile management only reduces logon times if logon time is caused by large profile, not, the processing of a complex logon script with lots of actions), there is much more to be considered when designing a virtual desktop environment – things such as being able to deliver setting across OS platforms and 32 to 64bit boundaries.  Something only certain 3^rd party specialist solutions can currently support.

You can read (and comment) on Andrew’s blog piece here: http://www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog/?p=4460

Thanks Andrew, great and useful information as always.

Gaz

Virtualization Event: VirtualPower on the Road – Commaxx, Citrix & AppSense

Leading Norwegian Citrix and AppSense Distributor, Commaxx, have for years hosted an event to update reseller partners and end users on progressions and best practices within the virtualization space.  This year, as desktop virtualization continues to take the world by storm, the event is going on the road to accommodate more people than ever before.

As like all good Citrix events, AppSense are pleased to be included and supported the event – the first of which being in Oslo.

So far the road show is visiting the following cities:

• Oslo – 20th April 2010
• Stavanger – June 2010
• Bergen – June 2010
• Trondheim – August 2010
• Tromsø – September 2010

More information can be found at www.virtualpower.no and www.commaxx.no

Look forward to seeing you there!

Thanks.
Gaz.

Network World – AppSense “User Virtualization” Video

We recently completed a pretty exhausting press tour in New York, Boston and San Francisco.  One of the sessions in Boston was with Network World, where our Martin Ingram, VP of Strategy, recorded a video piece on user virtualization -> Video here.  

Going back to basics (and making some interesting references to movies and Roman Generals!) Martin walks through the precepts of user virtualization – why it’s essential, and what the business benefits are. 

We’re finding more and more people we talk to  (including many of our enterprise customers) are accepting and embracing the changing nature of desktop delivery; that a component-based desktop (OS, Apps, User) is the only viable solution that provides the best user experience, the most agile desktop estate and the lowest management cost.   

The video is about 10 minutes long and is well worth a watch!

Pete Rawlinson – VP Marketing, AppSense.

Reseller News Article – Virtualization: from Server and Desktop to the Network

Well, they do say good news comes in 3′s.  And to that avail, following on from my two previous blog posts this morning detailing articles containing references to AppSense in relation to the adoption of desktop virtualization, skimming through my Google Alerts and I have just found a third separate publication – this time on Reseller News in the article ‘Virtualization: from Server and Desktop to the Network’

This article focuses on how Server Virtualization is a proven technology, and with the enhancements to desktop virtualization solutions, desktop virtualization is set to take off and prove itself also.

AppSense is highlighted as a solution for managing the user element of the desktop through our leading user virtualization solution.  Other vendors referenced as key to delivering desktop virtualization include; EMC, VMware, HP, Microsoft, Citrix, Gen-i and Maxnet.

What is even more amazing, is that yes, this is the third separate article validating AppSense as key to the adoption of VDI, but more so it that this one also agrees with (several) predictions made by our very own Martin Ingram, as he detailed here

Thanks
Gaz.

ZDnet Article – Client-Side Virtualization

Further to my previous blog post (AppSense included in an article by IDG on why the ‘time is right to consider VDI and that is marries one of our predictions for desktop virtualization in 2010), AppSense is also referenced in a separate article, this time by Dan Kusnetzky on ZDnet – ‘Why all the activity centering on client-side virtualization’

In this article, Dan talks about the benefits of desktop & application virtualization and also centralized management of these components.  What is interesting is that this article also concurs with another one of our predictions for 2010 – Client Virtualization starts to take off.

I hope Dan’s article and Martin’s predictions make for interesting reading – as always, comments are welcomed :)

Thanks

Gaz