Get to User Centric IT Faster! AppSense and Centrix Partnership Accelerates Desktop Transformation

I am pleased to write that AppSense and Centrix Software today announced a strategic partnership to provide organizations with a comprehensive, user-centric transformation program.  AppSense and Centrix Software have been successfully working together with joint partners on large desktop transformation projects for our enterprise customers, and are proud to formalize this partnership and methodology to benefit many more enterprise IT strategies and projects.

AppSense embraces a full partner community and eco-system comprising other leading vendor/solution providers , platform partners, reseller partners, system integrators and consultancy partners, and are very excited to partner with Centrix Software.

Why? Corporate IT strategy is at a tipping point; we have entered a period of transformation, a new generation of virtual desktops, application delivery methods and multiple accessing devices are being used by an increasingly demanding and mobile workforce, coupled with migration projects such as Windows 7 adoption has paved the way for replacing static, infrastructure based computing to that of IT as a Service, orchestrated around the user and their requirements at any point in time.  AppSense and Centrix Software enables enterprise desktop transformation projects and facilitates the move to a user centric computing strategy by delivering on the requirements at each stage of the desktop life-cycle and providing both the insight and management options to seamlessly adoption new technologies such as Windows 7, Application and Desktop Virtualization, Cloud Computing and Bring Your Own Device initiatives.

The press release can be read on AppSense News Pages here.

Together, AppSense and Centrix Software will be hosting a joint webinar, “Transforming the Enterprise Desktop″, on Wednesday, October 5th at 3 p.m. GMT. The webinar will be hosted by Richard Pegden, Director of Product Marketing at Centrix Software and myself. To register please visit the webinar registration page here.

Like all of our partners, thank you Centrix Software for your continued support and enthusiasm, we look forward to even greater success in making the move to user centric computing a simple, low-cost process.

Gareth Kitson
Director of Product Marketing | EMEA.

ComputerWeekly (Again): NATS to roll out cloud-based virtual desktop infrastructure with Citrix & AppSense

My my.. and who said VDI isn’t real? and that it doesn’t cut costs?

Following on from my other customer related post this morning – The Co-operative Group cuts costs with Citrix XenDesktop & AppSense User Virtualization – I’m pleased to share with you another article about another leading enterprise organization adoption a joint solution of Citrix and AppSense technologies to enable the desktop strategy to employ cloud-based virtual desktops to reduce the IT spend.

NATS, the UK’s air traffic control organisation is rolling out 6,000 virtual desktops based which “will be provided using the Citrix XenDesktop and XenApp suite of software. AppSense user virtualisation technology will provide NATS staff with personalised and compliant desktops”

Further information:

CompterWeekly – NATS to roll out cloud-based virtual desktop infrastructure

NATS Official Website – NATS takes to the Cloud

Citrix Community Blog – NATS UK

As you can see, desktop virtualization is real, it’s happening, and Citrix & AppSense work together hand in hand on nearly all of them ;)

Cheers!

Gaz

Business Analysis Profile: A review of AppSense as a company – leadership statistics and growth plans…

Alistair Houghton has written an interesting article about AppSense, “a ray of light bursting through the dark economic stormclouds”.

He details annual revenues in excess of $70m, Goldman Sachs investment, $2.4bn market opportunity, customers, partnerships, Charles Sharland the Entrepreneur, head count, office locations, recent recruitment, and expansion.

You can read the article in full here – Tech firm AppSense looks to growth

Thanks

Gaz

ComputerWeekly: The Co-operative Group cuts costs with Citrix XenDesktop & AppSense User Virtualization

Oh the joys of Google Alerts and Twitter feeds… Today, on this cold, cloudy and wet Friday morning I was graced with a little ray of sunshine to brighten up the start of the weekend.  I saw an article over on ComputerWeekly.com about how The Co-operative (the world’s largest consumer-owned business) is cutting their desktop costs through the use of desktop virtualization technology from Citrix and user virtualization technology from AppSense.

I was already aware the Co-operative are a joint AppSense and Citrix Case Study, and we have even done joint webinars together with Microsoft too, but I like this article as it shows the cost savings available through successful desktop virtualization based on best in breed technologies, and how with careful planning and internal champions the new systems are embraced by the users.

Key highlights include:

Managing the virtual environment

• Managing licences was key to the project. The Co-op uses AppSense’s Environment Manager and Application Manager as part of its Citrix XenApp environment to standardise its management tools.
• Cawson said the management tool helps look after applications to meet any governance and compliance issues around licensing. The company decided to use AppSense’s Environment Manager and user personalisation instead of XenDesktop directly to provide “greater control and granularity”.
• “AppSense Environment Manager delivers a personalised experience every time our users log on, making it impossible for them to decipher between a traditional PC and their virtual one,” he added.

You can read the article here – Case study: Co-operative Group cuts costs with desktop virtualisation ahead of office move

and the AppSense PDF Case Study here – World’s largest consumer-owned business selects AppSense to effectively manage the user experience in new desktop virtualization environment

You can learn more about how AppSense and Citrix are working together as part of the Citrix Desktop Transformation Model White Paper on AppSense User Virtualization and the Proof of Concept Kit here

 Cheers

Gaz

AppSense is a YouTube Sensation: AppSense Exec Team Meeting after Citrix – Ringcube Acquisition

So it seems like AppSense is becoming a YouTube sensation.. first a joint music video with Citrix – AppSense and Citrix Music Video – Virtualize! – and now, someone has put a spin on one of the most popular viral hits on YouTube…

…This time, in the form of AppSense Exec Team Meeting after Ringcube Acquisition

The video is just under 4 minutes long and has had me laughing out loud throughout the whole thing.

Whilst this is extremely funny and flattering, it is also just inaccurate, but that can wait.. I will respond with some substance and clarity in due course, for now, just enjoy it for what it is… and you never know, at this rate AppSense could become a bigger YouTube hit than the Charlie bit my finger – again! video

I am not sure who you are Blowme931, but thank you for taking the time to make and upload the video.. it has certainly brightened up this rainy attempt of UK summer afternoon in the UK..

Cheers!

Gaz

AppSense and Citrix Music Video – Virtualize!

As you probably know, Citrix and AppSense share many things; a long-standing partnership, thousands of joint customers, hundreds of joint partners, multiple case studies, and now, I am pleased to share with you – a joint Music Video!

That’s right, Citrix and AppSense have teamed up once again, this time for your viewing pleasure.  Fabian Kienle, Channel Manager Eastern EMEA Citrix and I have recorded videos before ( CitrixTV Interview ) but this time we teamed up to do something a little bit different, and something Fabian has much pleasure in doing.. A MUSIC VIDEO.

You may remember from previous blogs that Fabian has created music videos before, and together we have now filmed a parody of the Timberland and One Republic song, Apologize.

This video is set in one of the server rooms in the Citrix Demo facilities in Munich, and in it you see some of the AppSense DACH team and Fabian singing along to parody version of the song, performed by my girlfriend Kayley Rose.

The Video Cast are:

Drums: Jens Schmidt – AppSense
Guitar: Dr Benny Tritsch – AppSense
Technician: Sascha Goeckle – AppSense
Chello: Chris Baugh – AppSense
Piano: Fabian Kienle – Citrix
Camera & Production: Dominik Nagel – DNS
Vocals – Kayley Rose

You can view the video on the AppSense YouTube Channel here, or by clicking on the screenshot below:

 

I hope you enjoy the video as much as we did making it, look out for many more to come.. you never know, Citrix Synergy Barcelona Party could be headlined  by the Citrix And AppSense Band LoL

Again, thanks to everyone for giving up their time to make this video, and look forward to continued success and our tight partnership!

Gaz

AppSense Application Manager 8.3 is released – Enhancements to leading User Rights/Privilege Management

Today we are pleased to announce that the world of user centric computing takes another leap forward with the release of AppSense Application Manager 8.3.

Part of the User Virtualization Platform (UVP), AppSense Application Manager secures and reduces the cost of millions of corporate desktops and ensure users have access to only the applications, rights, networks and applets at any given time by controlling application & network access and user rights management.

Based on customer & community demand & feedback AppSense Application Manager 8.3 brings greater flexibility and granular control of User Rights Management (URM) with enhancements to existing functionality and also through the addition new features and capabilities.

What is User Rights Management?

For those who are unaware, URM enables enterprise IT departments to reduce access control privileges on a per user, group, application or business rule basis. It ensures users have only the rights they need to fulfil their job and access the applications and controls they require, and nothing else – ensuring desktop stability, improving security and productivity, all while reducing desktop TCO.

With User Rights Management, access to applications and tasks is managed dynamically by managing user rights on demand in response to user actions. For example; Administrator rights can be applied to a named application or control panel applet for a particular user or user group, either elevating the privileges of a standard user to an Administrator level, or, dropping the rights of an Administrator to that of a standard user account.

By controlling user rights throughout the user session, IT can now provide users with the accessibility they require to perform their job, while protecting the desktop and the environment and reducing desktop management costs.

So whats new in AppSense Application Manager 8.3?
(All information contained on this page assumes prior knowledge of AppSense Application Manager 8.2)

Feature highlights include:

• Self-elevation of Administrator Rights for selected / power users.
  This enables power users to remain productive and reduces support desk calls and associated costs in relation to end-user requests.
• Granular control of self-elevation
  Dynamically modify the configuration based on the user, device, location and time & date context with options to restrict self-elevation ability to certain application or actions.
• Auditing and reporting
  The reporting options help with the user rights discovery process, an important step in achieving least privilege management.
• Secure Dialog Boxes
  When an application is elevated to Administrator rights, it is imperative that this application cannot be used as a gateway to access the underlying desktop, operating system, other applications or files under the context of the Administrator.  This feature ensures that only the application is elevated to Administrator and any dialog box such as File Open or File Save remains under the context of the Standard User.

Thanks to all of our customers, partners and alliances for help drive our user virtualization solution & shape the future of user centric computing.

For more detailed information, please use the following links.

Whats new in AppSense Application Manager 8.3 webpage – here

Whats new in AppSense Application Manager 8.3 PDF overview – here

Thanks

Gaz