Introduction and Microsoft Partner Solutions Center…

Hi I am Michael Kleef, Director of Business Development for Microsoft and Citrix at AppSense. I’m a recent addition to AppSense having spent nearly 11 years at Microsoft with my last role being a Senior Technical Product Manager for depth content and knowledge in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 RDS and VDI.

I have had  few interested messages through my email and privately over twitter (@mkleef) asking why I left Microsoft and chose to go to AppSense. Essentially I was really excited by what I saw AppSense doing; transforming the discussion from device centric computing to a world of user centric computing. The interesting thing is that even while I was at Microsoft I was seeing evidence that in addition to Microsoft, many other companies saw great value in AppSense such as inclusion with a number of major players into their reference architectures such as the HP client reference architecture and Cisco VXI. AppSense also won the Citrix Ready Partner of the Year 2010. I did my own due diligence looking at others, though in the end it made it an easy slam dunk move to go to the market leader in the user virtualization space.

Microsoft is obviously a critical partner in multiple areas for AppSense, so it’s important that we are onsite on the Microsoft Redmond campus regularly. To help us support that we are  part of the on campus Microsoft Partner Solutions Center (MPSC).  The MPSC is a facility that showcases some of Microsoft’s partners and their  solutions for business and demonstration purposes. Having been there for almost a year now, we can confirm it’s a great facility with tremendous value to the Microsoft partner ecosystem. We also noticed that RES Software have recently joined the MPSC. The addition of RES Software to the MPSC confirms the importance and relevancy of the user virtualization market that we pioneered which is growing significantly and presenting an exciting challenge to our product leadership.

Demonstration systems on the Microsoft campus are especially important to be able to showcase your product and how it works. I personally developed an integrated Citrix, Microsoft and AppSense demo on the Microsoft campus in Redmond many months ago. It includes Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1,Hyper-V, Windows 7 Enterprise SP1, App-V packaged applications and streamed applications such as Office 2010 all running on top of Citrix XenDesktop 5 and XenApp 6. Overlaid on top of that is AppSense User Virtualization which seamlessly manages the user as they create settings and move in real-time from their XenDesktop managed Windows 7 to a XenApp 6 session. This is available on Microsoft’s corporate network which any Microsoft employee can logon to using their domain credentials making it a very good demo for them to use with existing or potential customers.

We plan to take this demo further forward and place it on the Internet for our partners to also use and see the power of AppSense User Virtualization really delivering value in a variety of Citrix and Microsoft technology scenarios. Watch this space for more on that!

If you have any questions about User Virtualization at the MPSC or would be interested in getting a demo from one of our team in your local area, drop me a line.

Thanks,
Michael Kleef

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

BriForum Is Almost Here! AppSense Experts Session Listing…

If you are looking to deploy desktop or application virtualization as part of your future desktop strategy or are planning your Windows 7 migration, then you won’t want to miss BriForum in Chicago next week.  And if you are looking to deploy desktop or application virtualization with a personalized desktop experience, at a significantly reduced cost, that end-users will embrace while you have less to manage, then you won’t want to miss seeing the AppSense experts at BriForum.

AppSense are proud to embrace and support the desktop and application virtualization community, and once again will be attending BriForum as a Platinum Sponsor.

Come See AppSense Desktop Virtualization Experts at BriForum:

• Harry Labana, AppSense CTO (with host Brian Madden): “The Future of the Desktop“
• Jon Wallace, AppSense Technical Director, “Desktop Virtualization Isn’t Easy, User Virtualization Helps” & “Mandatory and Default User Profile Tuning“
• Dr. Benny Tritsch, AppSense Technology Director: “Lie to Me: Using Built-In Windows Systems Filter in Virtual Desktop” & “RDP, Remote FX, ICA/HDX: Removing Protocols Turned Inside Out v2.0“
• Michael Mills, AppSense Practice Principal (with Jon Wallace) “Desktop Virtualization Isn’t Easy, User Virtualization Helps“

You may have recently heard that AppSense has extended our position as world leaders in user virtualization with our latest release, AppSense Environment Manager 8.1 – stop by our booth to find out more!  in addition, come see us to learn how user virtualization:

• Simplifies virtual desktop and virtual application deployment
• Provides a consistent user experience, regardless of device
• Radically reduces the cost of desktop delivery & management

If you have not yet registered for BriForum, you can do so here.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Gaz

User Centric Computing Leaps Forward with the release of AppSense Environment Manager 8.1

Hot off the back off another record year for AppSense, closing FY10/11 last month with massive growth, today we are extremely proud to announce the world of user-centric computing will take a huge leap forward as major new features & enhancements are added to the leading User Virtualization (UV) solution in the release of AppSense Environment Manager 8.1. 

Whilst on the surface, a point release may seem like a simple update from previous versions, the new AppSense Environment Manager 8.1 codebase delivers revolutionary changes based on enterprise customer and partner feedback and includes decades upon decades of development time.  These revolutionary changes not only enhance the existing product offering (functionality, performance, scalability) but also provides an improved UV platform that can meet both today’s and tomorrow’s requirements.

User Virtualization is becoming increasingly important and forms the foundations for any desktop transformation project and according to leading analysts should be part of any computing strategy.  As part of the Environment Manager 8.1 release, Ian Song, Senior Research Analyst for IDC’s Enterprise Virtualization Software program commented,

“The user experience is critical to the effectiveness and efficiency of the enterprise, and is increasingly becoming more complex for IT to manage as new desktop devices and computing infrastructures are used. Technologies like AppSense user virtualization simplify the role of IT and provide users and IT with choice while improving performance and the overall experience.”

Furthermore, AppSense Environment Manager 8.1 is embraced by leading AppSense partners who share the same strategic vision as Ian Moulster, Desktop Virtualization Product Manager at Microsoft also states,

“AppSense and Microsoft have a long standing relationship, share the same vision of flexible working and anywhere access, and together we enable organizations adopt technologies that provide solutions that improve end user experience, reduce IT workload and improve operational efficiencies and costs. With this latest release, AppSense further enhance their already strong solution and I look forward to our continued joint success in the future.”

Release Highlights Include:

• THE single platform to manage all users
• New architecture for even greater simplicity, scalability and performance
• New Features and Capabilities based on Customer  & Partner feedback
• New management tools for more granular control

The new modularized software architecture lays the foundations AppSense User Virtualization to easily and seamlessly accommodate mobile, tablet, phone and cloud based platforms in future versions, in addition, we have created a framework whereby new features can be developed, tested and implemented in plug n play fashion, enabling customer demanded features to be released to market in an efficient and timely manner.

A massive thank you to all who have helped develop, test, feedback, beta, release this monumental piece of software – we are extremely proud and so far the community has welcomed and embraced this new version… thank you!

More information can be found:

• On the AppSense Environment Manager 8.1 webpage ( also contains a link there to a more detailed Whats New Document).
• A press release, complete with supporting quotes can be read here

Thanks!

Gaz

Microsoft & AppSense Video Interview – Why Microsoft see AppSense as key to Windows 7 & App-V adoption

Together Microsoft and AppSense have help many enterprise organization transform their existing, static Windows XP and Vista desktops in to dynamic, optimized desktops through a joint solution of Windows 7, App-V and Microsoft virtualization technologies, all underpinned with a User Virtualization solution from AppSense.   User Virtualization is enabling organizations to take advantages of the benefits of Windows 7 in terms of security, performance and user experience and App-V for centralizing application management and reducing operational cost.

To help educate enterprise organizations on the importance of including AppSense User Virtualization as part of your desktop transformation project, Microsoft have teamed up with AppSense to create and publish a short video interview and demo to cover the benefits of the joint solution and also the close Microsoft & AppSense relationship.  In the video, Microsoft explain how:

• “AppSense User Virtualization technology enables organizations to deploy Windows 7 quicker, and with less effort.”
• “User Virtualization helps organizations deliver a more predictable and consistent user experience, no matter what hardware or delivery mechanisms they chose to use.”
• “Moving to App-V is easier when using AppSense User Virtualization Technology.”

You can view the video by clicking on the screenshot below:

Thank you to both David Overton (Microsoft) and David Shepherd (AppSense) for taking the time to film the video.

Another supporting quote from Microsoft on the importance of User Virtualization as part of your Windows 7 or App-V strategy:

“AppSense is a leading provider of user virtualization technology to enterprise organizations.  The combination of AppSense with our Desktop Virtualization technologies, such as App-V or VDI Suites, can enable customers to move to Windows 7 and App-V even more quickly without user disruption.”
Karri Alexion-Tiernan, Director of product management for desktop virtualization at Microsoft.

A number of supporting documents including; User Virtualization for Microsoft desktops, User Virtualization and Windows 7, and a piece by Harry Labana, AppSense CTO – The Migration Equation: making sense of the move to Windows 7, can all be accessed here.

In addition to Microsoft acknowledging the importance of AppSense User Virtualization as s strategic part of the Microsoft Optimized Desktop Vision, this can be seen in the following AppSense and Microsoft Case Studies:

The Co-Operative Group – World’s largest consumer-owned business selects AppSense

“By taking the AppSense User Virtualization approach, we expect to migrate up to three times as many desktops per day using the same level of IT resource. And more importantly, we anticipate no disruption to our staff. Our investment in AppSense User Virtualization will continue to pay dividends, so when we migrate to Windows 8 having already virtualized our users, we will continue to receive the same or improved benefits in terms of speed, reduced cost and complexity and a better user experience”
Ian Cawson, Technical Architect at The Co-operative Group.

Nationwide Children’s Hospital – Leading hospital selects AppSense to personalize Windows 7 Virtual Desktops

“AppSense User Virtualization delivered the exact solution we needed to confidently migrate to Windows 7 without affecting the user experience. What AppSense has provided us with is a pain-free end-user migration, additionally it future-proofs our design.”
Jake Muszynski, Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
 

Hope this helps with your thoughts and strategy planning for your desktop transformation projects to move to the Microsoft Optimized desktop with Windows 7 and App-V technologies.

Thanks!

Gaz

Another leading hospital selects AppSense for their Citrix XenDesktop + Windows 7 environment

Nationwide Children’s Hospital, with over 10,000 users and ranked in the US News & World Reports 2010 ‘America’s Best Children’s Hospitals’ has selected AppSense User Virtualization over other methodologies to enable their migration to and the adoption of a Windows 7 Citrix XenDesktop environment. 

The Hospital first saw AppSense technology while attending a joint webinar with Citrix XenDesktop and chose AppSense User Virtualization for many reasons including:

• “AppSense user virtualization technology delivered the exact solution we needed to confidently migrate to virtual desktops without affecting the user experience.”
• “We selected AppSense because it was a comprehensive product that featured everything we needed to fix the problems we were having, including application configuration and effectively managing access to applications for roaming workstations.”
• “What we quickly began to realize is that AppSense future-proofs our design, allowing us to accommodate our users’ needs as they arise.”
• “AppSense has provided us with is a pain-free end-user migration to virtual desktops, and it is delivering the customization of applications like Microsoft Office to give users the feeling of having the same exact desktop every time”
• “With over 10,000 users and 8,000 endpoints, security is crucial to our desktop environment.Without AppSense, we would have needed to apply our most restrictive policies from all locations, which would have been extremely disruptive to our end users.”

A copy of the PDF Case Study can be read here

As a Citrix Ready Leadership partner and “recommended solution for advanced user personalization and desktop configuration requirements in enterprise environments”, AppSense User Virtualization and Citrix XenDesktop is fast becoming the defacto desktop solution in health care organizations around the world.  You can learn more about other leading hospitals that have chosen a combined Citrix and AppSense solution here:

University of Texas Medical Branch – Citrix XenDesktop & AppSense Customer Video Interview

Another Customer Video – Kaweah using AppSense, Citrix XenApp, XenDesktop and iPads

Banner Health prescribes AppSense for healthy servers

Keep an eye out for more joint Citrix and AppSense for Desktop Transformation as I will be posting more soon…

Thanks
Gaz

AppSense Validated on Cisco Virtualization Experience Infrastructure (VXI)

Cisco has rapidly emerged as a key player in the desktop virtualization ecosystem through its Virtualization Experience Infrastructure (VXI). VXI brings core desktop virtualization capabilities together with an integrated collection of networking, security, collaboration, and data center technologies to provide a high-performance experience that is optimized for video and collaboration.

Earlier today at Citrix Synergy, we were pleased to announce that Citrix Ready Leadership Partner (case study here) & Citrix Ready Solution of the Year 2010 ,  AppSense User Virtualization Platform has successfully completed Cisco-conducted interoperability testing with Cisco VXI and proved out a number of significant benefits that AppSense User Virtualization brings to the Cisco VXI solution. By combining Cisco VXI with user virtualization technology from AppSense, enterprise customers will see benefits across areas such as:

• Migration & Upgrades: Faster, more successful rollouts through the removal of deployment barriers to achieve a seamless, consistent user experience, and simplified management.
• Security: Granular location, role and context-specific policy and application access, including the ability to dynamically elevate or restrict user privileges.
• IT Infrastructure Optimization: High availability through offline caching, improved responsiveness and optimized performance of the Cisco VXI environment.  Enhanced helpdesk and user management efficiencies are achieved while minimizing total cost of ownership.
• Mobility: Extend Cisco VXI use through location-based policy and application access.  Enable consistent, seamless user experience regardless of device or connectivity.  Extend data access to mobile devices based on policy considerations.

For a more in-depth look at how the AppSense User Virtualization Platform can be deployed optimally with Cisco VXI, download the newly published white paper, “Cisco VXI and AppSense User Virtualization“ from the Cisco VXI Design Zone, below is a quote from the paper:

We are extreme proud of the company we keep from a technology alliances standpoint, and our growing partnership with Cisco is yet another example of the growing strategic importance of user virtualization.

AppSense to Join Virtualization Community at BriForum Europe

BriForum is nearly here!

Blogger and analyst Brian Madden’s annual virtualization geekfest returns to Europe next week (10-11 May) at the Chelsea Football Club in London, and as with all community events, AppSense is proud to be an event sponsor along with Citrix and Intel.  The AppSense team will be turning out in a big way to take in and contribute to the jam-packed agenda of great virtualization community content.

We’ll dive right into the deep end on Tuesday as AppSense’s Benny Tritsch will put his independent community hat on (not AppSense hat) and join respected independent consultant Shawn Bass to reprise their popular session “RDP, RemoteFX, ICA/HDX, EOP and PCoIP VDI: Remoting Protocols Turned Inside Out.” If the past is any indication, this will likely be one of the most attended and discussed sessions at the event as two of the sharpest guys in the space drill into how graphics and media remoting works and do a head-to-head comparison of the most popular protocols.

Later on Tuesday, our newly appointed VP and CTO Harry Labana and Brian Madden will team up for the other must-see session of the day, “The Future Desktop: What Should it Do and What Should it Look Like?” There is no shortage of new desktop and application delivery approaches these days, and there are even more views and opinions on what is on offer and what best suits specific use cases. Wondering where is it all going and to what degree will IT teams be able to rise to the occasion? You can bet that Harry and Brian will each have some insightful and provocative perspectives, and that neither will hold back from speaking their mind.

On Wednesday, Brian will join AppSense technical minds Benny Tritsch, Simon Townsend, and David Shepherd, as well as highly respected Citrix CTP Pierre Marmignon, owner of www.CitrixTools.net and the free (and controversial) Virtual User Environment Manager solution, for a roundtable discussion on the state of User Virtualization. This all-star group will cover the key elements of User Virtualization, the types of solutions available, and how it is being applied in practice today.

AppSense’s Jon Wallace, like Benny Tritsch, will be wearing his non-AppSense, independent hat when he delivers his session “Mandatory and Default User Profile Tuning.” A recognized expert on the Windows registry and user profile architecture and author of www.InsideTheRegistry.com, Jon will demonstrate a practical collection of tips and tricks for optimizing log-on speed and usability when using mandatory and default user profiles. These tips are useful regardless of whether AppSense products are being used, so it’s a great opportunity for attendees to tap AppSense’s unmatched Windows profile knowledge.

As an event sponsor, AppSense will also sponsor the Geek Out Game Show, along with Citrix and Intel, on Tuesday at 5:35pm to 6:35pm

Throughout week, the AppSense team will also be manning the Demo Lab, so if you are attending BriForum Europe, be sure to stop by to say hello. It should be a great week!

For a the full agenda on this great event, please visit http://briforum.com/Europe/agenda.html   

See you all there!

High Demand For AppSense Training Courses Leads ADDITIONAL DATES ANNOUNCED!

Due to increased demand for AppSense Specialist Training Courses, I am pleased to announce that as part of our continued support for the User Virtualization Community, AppSense have created additional course dates to try to accommodate all of the booking enquiries.

For those unaware of the AppSense Education, Training and Certifications; The AppSense Education Service course offerings include real world scenarios and the hands-on instruction required to implement and maintain a Virtual User Infrastructure (VUI) solution. The AppSense Certified Professional (ACP), AppSense Certified Specialist (ACS) and AppSense Certified Expert (ACE) certifications provide knowledge and skill validation from the internationally recognized leader in UV technologies.

The additional dates are for the AppSense Certified Specialist course which two-day course is a follow on from the AppSense Certified Professional level and provides in-depth training on advanced concepts, configurations, troubleshooting and detailing monitoring & reporting.  The course includes the following modules:

Module 1 – Installing AppSense Management Center & AppSense Environment Manager
Module 2 – AppSense Environment Manager Components
Module 3 – AppSense Environment Manager Policy
Module 4 – AppSense Environment Manager Personalization
Module 5 – Troubleshooting & Debugging

These new additional dates and locations are:

17th – 18th May 2011
09:00hrs – 16:30hrs
Reading
UK

1st – 2nd June 2011
09:00hrs – 16:30hrs
Warrington
UK

28th – 29th June 2011
09:00hrs – 16:30hrs
Reading
UK

Places are limited on this popular course, so please secure your space as soon as possible if you wish to attend. 

To learn more and/or confirm you place: please email educationservices@appsense.com or telephone +44 (0) 1928 793 532

To learn more about the AppSense Professional Services and Education courses available, please visit the AppSense Education Services webpages here

Many thanks.

Cheers!
Gaz

Ovum Webinar – Understanding the Role of AppSense User Virtualization in ANY Desktop Strategy

Some of you may already be aware that Ovum, an independent industry analyst firm, recently published a Technology Audit on AppSense  User Virtualization (available to download here).  In that paper, Ovum positions AppSense as the leading User Virtualization solution and recommends that all enterprise organisations could benefit from this technology with Roy Illsley, Principal Analyst, saying:

 “Ovum considers that AppSense has developed a solution which enables the end-user organisation to deploy the type of desktop strategy that suits its requirements, rather than deploying a compromised, one-size-fits-all approach.”  In addition,  “many organisations are currently assessing how they manage Windows migration, transferring from Windows XP to Windows 7, or from locally installed applications to virtualised applications such as Microsoft Application Virtualisation (App-V). This is a really hot topic at the moment, and the AppSense approach is a cost-effective and viable option.”

The paper goes on to explain, that as User Virtualization covers all desktops, not just a single type, it could well be bigger than VDI itself:

 “AppSense User Virtualisation will span all desktops, not just VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure), meaning that the market potential for User Virtualisation covers physical desktops, virtual desktops, and server-hosted shared desktops. Based on current AppSense growth, the User Virtualisation market could very well be bigger than the VDI market.”

So at this point you may be thinking, Virtualization bigger than VDI?!

The answer is yes.  User Virtualization helps with major desktop projects across physical, virtual and cloud hosted platforms – this is one of the main drivers behind the record growth AppSense are experiencing leading to being ranked 12th in list of fastest growing profits – detailed in one of my previous blogs –  The Sunday Times Profit Track 100 – AppSense Ranked 12th Firm With Fastest Growing Profits )

Anyways – back to the webinar!. 

Moving forward, in addition to the paper, Ovum are kindly hosting a webinar to learn how ‘The Role of User Virtualization in any Desktop Strategy’ can help you move from a device centric to a user centric computing model.

Agenda:
Thursday 12 May 2011 – 14.00 BST
14.00 – 14.10 Welcome & Introduction: Roy Illsley, Principal Analyst, Ovum inc Butler Group
14.10 – 14.20 How user virtualisation can help: Roy Illsley
14.20 – 14.35 Case study of a deployment, what went right, the benefits, and the learning’s
14.35 – 14.50 How AppSense can help – solutions and some more detailed info on the what it is and the technologies it works with: AppSense
14.50 – 15.00 Questions and Answers
15.00 Close

Overview:
For many organizations the term server hosted desktops (SHDs) or virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is synonymous with any current desktop strategy, which is in reality replacing the PC with a virtual equivalent. However, Ovum considers this focused approach as an over simplification of the future of any desktop strategy. In fact even the term desktop is becoming an anathema, as most users will not access corporate services from a traditional desktop PC or even a corporate owned or mobile device.

This webcast will consider the re-positioning of IT thinking about the desktop, which Ovum believes is move towards a user-centric position, rather than the device-centric position we take today. By taking this user-centric position, IT are able to make decisions about how corporate assets such as applications and desktops are delivered; even introduce corporate and personal accessing devices into the organization, without disrupting the user experience. The user-centric view requires a ‘universal user manager’ to provide a seamless and secure user experience.

User virtualization is that universal manager; it enables a multi-technology solution to delivering the ‘desktop’, while also turning the concept of a user-centric approach into a reality. The approach is simple: ‘decouple’ the user from the desktop, ‘manage’ the user independent of the desktop, ‘deploy’ the user personality back into the desktop on-demand. The result? An environment where users receive a seamless, personal and compliant working experience, regardless of platform, delivery mechanism or accessing device.

More agile, lower cost IT management, with thousands of satisfied users…..sounds too good to be true?

In this webinar you will learn:

• What user virtualization is, and how it can be used in any desktop strategy, and why the user-centric approach represents the future direction of any desktop strategy.
• Hear from an end-user on their experiences of using user virtualization and the positive impact it has had on their desktop migration and management projects.
• Learn from the industry’s leading vendor on user virtualization about how it takes a technology agnostic approach to delivering a universal desktop strategy.

You can register for the webinar here!

Look forward to seeing you there!

Cheers!
Gaz