Monday, March 21, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Poll - If using Virtual Desktop (VDI) solutions; Do you still need access to applications installed on your local computer?
You can also access the poll here: http://linkd.in/gLxEOI
If the answer is YES - VDX is a solution worth checking out. You can get a free evaluation of the solution that lets you combine Virtual Desktops and local applications here: http://www.reverseseamless.com
Check out the YouTube movie on installing VDX in 3 minutes:
Sunday, February 6, 2011
The Road to Dynamic IT - A Whiteboard Session on Context-Aware Dynamic Desktops and Automation
The Road to Dynamic IT through a Whiteboard Journey discussing how Making the Desktop Dynamic can add value to your business.
Developing from a static and device centric IT infrastructure to a service centric approach will empower your IT organization to deliver IT as a Service (ITaaS).
Using the Whiteboard this presentations discusses how RES Dynamic Desktop Studio with Automation Manager and Workspace Manager can help you on this journey - and at the same time address the constant struggle and conflict between IT and End Users.
It is recommended to view this video in HD
How can Dynamic Desktops and Automation provide value in your organization?
Developing from a static and device centric IT infrastructure to a service centric approach will empower your IT organization to deliver IT as a Service (ITaaS).
Using the Whiteboard this presentations discusses how RES Dynamic Desktop Studio with Automation Manager and Workspace Manager can help you on this journey - and at the same time address the constant struggle and conflict between IT and End Users.
It is recommended to view this video in HD
How can Dynamic Desktops and Automation provide value in your organization?
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Empowering IT users through Personalization - User Experience, Productivity & Security
The Power of Personalization
IT Can Empower Users through Personalization
while Still Staying in the Driver’s Seat
The constant struggle between IT-departments and users is reaching new heights. Well-managed desktops through lock-down and standardization are mantras for most IT administrators. On the opposite side of the scale is the personalized desktop, where users have the freedom to adapt their workspace according to personal needs and preferences.
With the never-ending wave of change, new client devices are turning up faster and faster. Users are at the same time getting more and more demanding. As a result, the cost effective, secure and standardized desktop is under tremendous pressure. The question today is how to achieve both standardization and personalization.
So, what exactly is personalization and why should you care?
Personalization is all around us, and in many cases a key factor for productivity and security. It is also important for a comfortable and enjoyable user experience. Let’s look at an everyday example: In your car, you are likely to adjust your seat and the position of the steering wheel for optimal comfort. For the best view and security, the mirrors are adjusted. And for easy operation, you may program the stereo with your favorite radio channels.
If you only have one car, never use other vehicles, and if you are the only person using that car, this personalization becomes standard. However you may find it annoying when all these adjustments are gone after the car had a visit to the auto repair service. If other family members or colleagues are using the same car, it becomes even more of a headache. And if cars were like Windows PCs with mandatory profiles, you would have to manually re-apply all personal adjustments every time you started it.
The reason this is a challenge is because the personalization is physically tied to the car itself. But what if you could separate all these individual adjustments and preferences from the car and make them follow the user instead? Some carmakers are already offering some of this through storing personal seat, steering wheel and mirror adjustments in a personal car key.
If the future would allow storing all these settings in your driver’s license or fingerprint, personalization might become completely portable. Every time you get into the driver seat of any car, your personal profile would be applied automatically including seats, mirrors, radio channels and whatever individual preferences the car may offer. Now you can pick up a rental, use one from the carpool, or even buy a new car, without having to waste any time on personalization.
Ever picked up a rental car in a hurry and forgot to adjust the mirrors before hitting the highway? Or tried to locate your favorite radio channels when your eyes should have been on the road? Empowering users with personalization would have a significant impact on security, as well as productivity and user experience.
Applying this example to IT, today’s users can actually be offered the benefits of personalization without compromising standardization and cost effective client management. Through the concept workspace management, all of a user’s personalized settings, preferences and configurations can be separated from the physical device and operating system. This allows for “dynamic desktops” where personalization follows the user regardless of operating system, device, physical or virtual desktop, etc. The devices themselves can be managed by IT in an effective and standardized way — bridging the gap and conflict between IT administrators and users.
Re-introducing the “personal” to the PC will empower both IT department and users, building a foundation for future-ready heterogeneous desktop experiences.
IT Can Empower Users through Personalization
while Still Staying in the Driver’s Seat
The constant struggle between IT-departments and users is reaching new heights. Well-managed desktops through lock-down and standardization are mantras for most IT administrators. On the opposite side of the scale is the personalized desktop, where users have the freedom to adapt their workspace according to personal needs and preferences.
With the never-ending wave of change, new client devices are turning up faster and faster. Users are at the same time getting more and more demanding. As a result, the cost effective, secure and standardized desktop is under tremendous pressure. The question today is how to achieve both standardization and personalization.
So, what exactly is personalization and why should you care?
Personalization is all around us, and in many cases a key factor for productivity and security. It is also important for a comfortable and enjoyable user experience. Let’s look at an everyday example: In your car, you are likely to adjust your seat and the position of the steering wheel for optimal comfort. For the best view and security, the mirrors are adjusted. And for easy operation, you may program the stereo with your favorite radio channels.
If you only have one car, never use other vehicles, and if you are the only person using that car, this personalization becomes standard. However you may find it annoying when all these adjustments are gone after the car had a visit to the auto repair service. If other family members or colleagues are using the same car, it becomes even more of a headache. And if cars were like Windows PCs with mandatory profiles, you would have to manually re-apply all personal adjustments every time you started it.
The reason this is a challenge is because the personalization is physically tied to the car itself. But what if you could separate all these individual adjustments and preferences from the car and make them follow the user instead? Some carmakers are already offering some of this through storing personal seat, steering wheel and mirror adjustments in a personal car key.
If the future would allow storing all these settings in your driver’s license or fingerprint, personalization might become completely portable. Every time you get into the driver seat of any car, your personal profile would be applied automatically including seats, mirrors, radio channels and whatever individual preferences the car may offer. Now you can pick up a rental, use one from the carpool, or even buy a new car, without having to waste any time on personalization.
Ever picked up a rental car in a hurry and forgot to adjust the mirrors before hitting the highway? Or tried to locate your favorite radio channels when your eyes should have been on the road? Empowering users with personalization would have a significant impact on security, as well as productivity and user experience.
Applying this example to IT, today’s users can actually be offered the benefits of personalization without compromising standardization and cost effective client management. Through the concept workspace management, all of a user’s personalized settings, preferences and configurations can be separated from the physical device and operating system. This allows for “dynamic desktops” where personalization follows the user regardless of operating system, device, physical or virtual desktop, etc. The devices themselves can be managed by IT in an effective and standardized way — bridging the gap and conflict between IT administrators and users.
Re-introducing the “personal” to the PC will empower both IT department and users, building a foundation for future-ready heterogeneous desktop experiences.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Great News and Launches from RES Software Celebrated at Citrix Synergy!
The news were many - and really exciting! Here are som "Key Highlights" from the Launch at Citrix Synergy 2010, Berlin:
A complete cross platform management solution for FlexCast and the entire user environment: One tool to rule them all!
- RES Workspace Manager: Workspace Personalization & Composition, ZeroProfile, FollowMe with Context-Awareness, Administration and Security for the Dynamic Desktop
- RES Automation Manager: Task Automation, Resource Provisioning, Service Orchestration and Self-Service for the Dynamic Datacenter
Need a small car, stretched limo or plane to meet the users individual needs? Citrix FlexCast and RES Dynamic Desktop Studio allow Just-in-Time automated and dynamic workspace delivery - using the optimal vehicle based on the real-time context and need of the user.
Reverse Seamless Applications and Services for integrating local and virtual desktops into ONE workspace for the user. Put the X-Factor into VDI with VDX - enjoy the best of both worlds seamlessly integrated. RES and Citrix support you in thick and thin!
From Wow to How: Model, Methodology and Tools for a Step-by-Step transformation of the Desktop environment and implementation of Virtual Desktops
- Desktop Sampler, Workspace Designer and Workspace Model
Together with all the great news from Citrix, this will enable you to move away from traditional static & device centric solutions. We empower flexible user-centric and context-aware computing experiences for end-users, and simplified complexity and management for IT.
Manage the complete user environment for local and virtualized desktop solutions through one User Workspace Management solution.
Embrace change: The Virtual and Dynamic Desktop Revolution is here!
 |
| Picture embedded from Flickr.com, published by @citrixsynergy (This photo was taken on October 6, 2010 using a Nikon D300S. Direct link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/citrixsynergy/5059962030) |
Congratulations Citrix - All stars and planets seems to be aligned for a great future!
Remember to check out the New RES Software: http://www.ressoftware.com
Press Release for the Launch of RES Dynamic Desktop Studio: RES Software Introduces Dynamic Desktop Studio at Citrix Synergy Berlin 2010
Want to know more about Dynamic Desktops?
Check out the blog: Emerging Technology - Dynamic, User-Centric & Context-Aware Desktops
(And the Video Blogs for this article)
Missed out on the keynote by Mark Templeton? It is now available here: Citrix TV
- At Citrix TV you can also find many of the other sessions and presentations from Citrix Synergy 2010 Berlin: Complete Synergy Review
Missed out on the keynote by Mark Templeton? It is now available here: Citrix TV
- At Citrix TV you can also find many of the other sessions and presentations from Citrix Synergy 2010 Berlin: Complete Synergy Review
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Migration Stress Stretches Beyond the Walls of IT
On my way home from a recent business trip, I made a stop for a coffee. As I sat down a businessman at the next table caught my attention. His entire body language was screaming in frustration, and he appeared to be very close to pouring his entire freshly brewed, steaming hot Grande Triple Shot Cappuccino over his laptop.
Just a few days ago his laptop was upgraded to the new Windows 7 OS. He really liked the look and feel of this new operating system. His laptop was faster and there was a lot of new great stuff in there. Unfortunately, his tools and applications were not really working anymore.
He told me that his day had turned into a complete disaster. It all started just before lunch when a colleague called to check if he was ready for their joint meeting with a new prospect. He had totally forgotten about the appointment, and this had never happened before. He would always get a reminder on both his computer and cell phone 1 hour and 45 minutes prior to any bookings put into his calendar. Because of his busy workdays he was totally dependent on these alerts, and one of the IT guys had once showed him how to personalize his Outlook application to always generate these default reminders at exactly 1.75 hours prior to the event. But after he got Win7 on his computer, none of his new appointments worked this way anymore.
This was only the beginning of his nightmarish day. Already late, he rushed to his cubicle, logged onto his laptop and pulled up the business proposal for the new prospect. There were a few lines to be completed, and as he was typing in Word the system was constantly changing many of his words as he was writing. This had happened before a long time ago, but he had figured out that he needed to personalize and tune the “Auto Correct” and dictionary and spelling configurations.
He had made many of these changes over time so that he could work faster, and now even this seemed to be screwed up. Running the spell check after his updates, all of the technical terms and words that he had previously added to his personal custom dictionary were also lost, and he had to manually run them. Now he was really running late.
He clicked the print icon, tossed his laptop into his bag and ran past the printer on his way out. But the document was not there. Stressed and frustrated, he fired up his laptop again, logged on, opened the document and this time clicked through the menu of file, print and then started searching for his printer in a jungle of all kinds of strange descriptions. Which one was it???
Fortunately he noticed a tag on the printer “NY_Sales_PRT064032”, and after a few minutes found that a print driver with the same name still existed on his laptop even after the new Windows 7 installation. A little relieved but still stressed, he selected the printer, printed and grabbed the documents before rushing out the door.
His colleague was all ready with the car outside, and they took off at light speed to make this important appointment. With the business proposal in his hands he started flipping through the pages and realized that something had gone terribly wrong.
The whole document was printed on poor quality paper, and the company’s logo and headers weren’t on the pages. How could this have happened???
When printing these kind of documents to that specific printer, it had always selected the tray with really nice, high-quality paper with the company header and logo.
So there he was. Late. Uncertain about the quality of his proposal. Unhappy with its sloppy appearance. He was feeling the heat—bad— and the last thing his proposal needed was sweat spots.
Needless to say, he told me that the day did not turn out very well. Less than an hour after that meeting the company’s VP of Sales instructed him to get on a plane and head to HQ the very next day. And here he was…
The change to Windows 7 can be a great upgrade for your business and users. There are many advantages and enhancements. Making sure that users get all of their data and applications back after the migration is a very good start. However, remember that every user has customized and personalized most of their applications over time. They customize their calendar, their notes, the way their Office applications work, printers, web browser and more. Most of these individual customizations are done to be more productive and efficient.
If you are planning to implement Windows 7, you must consider how it will impact your users. By separating all of the user settings, customizations and personalization from the applications and the operating system, you can easily make the move to Windows 7 and let users keep their own personal workspace at the same time!
How will the transition to Windows 7 impact End-User Productivity and Helpdesk Workload in your organization?
Read also: Emerging Technology - Dynamic, User-Centric & Context-Aware Desktops
Just a few days ago his laptop was upgraded to the new Windows 7 OS. He really liked the look and feel of this new operating system. His laptop was faster and there was a lot of new great stuff in there. Unfortunately, his tools and applications were not really working anymore.
He told me that his day had turned into a complete disaster. It all started just before lunch when a colleague called to check if he was ready for their joint meeting with a new prospect. He had totally forgotten about the appointment, and this had never happened before. He would always get a reminder on both his computer and cell phone 1 hour and 45 minutes prior to any bookings put into his calendar. Because of his busy workdays he was totally dependent on these alerts, and one of the IT guys had once showed him how to personalize his Outlook application to always generate these default reminders at exactly 1.75 hours prior to the event. But after he got Win7 on his computer, none of his new appointments worked this way anymore.
This was only the beginning of his nightmarish day. Already late, he rushed to his cubicle, logged onto his laptop and pulled up the business proposal for the new prospect. There were a few lines to be completed, and as he was typing in Word the system was constantly changing many of his words as he was writing. This had happened before a long time ago, but he had figured out that he needed to personalize and tune the “Auto Correct” and dictionary and spelling configurations.
He had made many of these changes over time so that he could work faster, and now even this seemed to be screwed up. Running the spell check after his updates, all of the technical terms and words that he had previously added to his personal custom dictionary were also lost, and he had to manually run them. Now he was really running late.
He clicked the print icon, tossed his laptop into his bag and ran past the printer on his way out. But the document was not there. Stressed and frustrated, he fired up his laptop again, logged on, opened the document and this time clicked through the menu of file, print and then started searching for his printer in a jungle of all kinds of strange descriptions. Which one was it???
Fortunately he noticed a tag on the printer “NY_Sales_PRT064032”, and after a few minutes found that a print driver with the same name still existed on his laptop even after the new Windows 7 installation. A little relieved but still stressed, he selected the printer, printed and grabbed the documents before rushing out the door.
His colleague was all ready with the car outside, and they took off at light speed to make this important appointment. With the business proposal in his hands he started flipping through the pages and realized that something had gone terribly wrong.
The whole document was printed on poor quality paper, and the company’s logo and headers weren’t on the pages. How could this have happened???
When printing these kind of documents to that specific printer, it had always selected the tray with really nice, high-quality paper with the company header and logo.
So there he was. Late. Uncertain about the quality of his proposal. Unhappy with its sloppy appearance. He was feeling the heat—bad— and the last thing his proposal needed was sweat spots.
Needless to say, he told me that the day did not turn out very well. Less than an hour after that meeting the company’s VP of Sales instructed him to get on a plane and head to HQ the very next day. And here he was…
The change to Windows 7 can be a great upgrade for your business and users. There are many advantages and enhancements. Making sure that users get all of their data and applications back after the migration is a very good start. However, remember that every user has customized and personalized most of their applications over time. They customize their calendar, their notes, the way their Office applications work, printers, web browser and more. Most of these individual customizations are done to be more productive and efficient.
If you are planning to implement Windows 7, you must consider how it will impact your users. By separating all of the user settings, customizations and personalization from the applications and the operating system, you can easily make the move to Windows 7 and let users keep their own personal workspace at the same time!
How will the transition to Windows 7 impact End-User Productivity and Helpdesk Workload in your organization?
Read also: Emerging Technology - Dynamic, User-Centric & Context-Aware Desktops
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