Application Readiness

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is a hot topic

By Randy Littleson

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is in the news a lot right now. There’s this article “VMware CEO flags VDI adoption barriers” where he claims storage costs derail VDI projects. There’s this video “Steve O’Donnell & Brian Madden – why VDI projects fail” that broadly discusses the source of failures and recommendations to succeed. And then on a more promising note are these articles: “Is Microsoft set to add hosted VDI to Azure?” and “Accelerating your BYOD strategy with VDI.”

There’s a lot of momentum behind VDI today, but it also can’t seem to get out from under the cloud of past failures? Why all the failures? There are many reasons, but one key one that sticks out is the faulty notion that VDI can be universally deployed to large groups of disparate desktops and user communities. Like so many technologies, VDI is good in some situations and bad in others, but too many early projects took the approach that VDI should be used more broadly. This is not surprising in that in some respects this followed the “standard image” for desktops mindset that has dominated thinking for years. 

But, as IT moves to a more user-centric computing model and looks to leverage new technologies like VDI, the mindset needs to shift to selectively utilizing the technology only where it makes sense. And, where it makes sense needs to be based on facts and data after analyzing user communities that have common usage patterns. Doing a virtual desktop assessment to analyze this data must be a part of the planning process to make informed, fact-based decisions on who to consider leveraging VDI with. Once this is done, the articles above offer a host of other great insights on best practices to ensure a successful virtual desktop infrastructure deployment.

Mobile, Modern Apps and Macs: We’re not in MSI land anymore Toto!

By Logan Hutchinson

I’m often asked these question by concerned IT Managers and Administrators: “How do I manage mobile apps?” followed by “I’m approving a boatload of Macs every week, but have no idea where they are going.” or “How can I deploy mobile apps?” and “How do I test compatibility, and do I need to?”    

These are all valid concerns. The proliferation of Macs throughout the Enterprise is a direct result of the exponentially growing demand for mobile apps, be it smartphone or tablet. In the case of iOS, the only way to build these apps is through Xcode, an IDE developed exclusively for iOS and OSX apps that only runs on the OSX Operating System. This leaves most IT Admins in a quandary. They now have laptops and apps proliferating the organization that are not under management, or being tested in a common Application Readiness process.     

This raises new questions with regards to application readiness. What form factor is the target device? What OS does it support? What hardware on the device is it dependent up (front facing camera, accelerometer, display type, etc.)

IT Admins now rely on the software developers to package everything correctly, for both Line of Business (LOB) and store apps, which goes against everything that has been done in packaging for the last decade or so.  

The good news is that there are currently many tools that can help IT wade through these new mobile waters. The Casper Suite from Jamf Software is the de-facto standard for managing Macs in the Enterprise, and Microsoft Config Manager 2012 SP1 supports side loading of .appx (Windows Modern Apps) and .ipa (iOS apps) files. It also supports Mac app management.  

There are also a slew of startups and established organizations that have emerged in the Mobile Device Management (MDM) space including Citrix XenMobile, MobileIron, and Airwatch. These companies are certified Apple partners and have special permissions to get access to the MDM stack built into each iOS device, offering advanced functionality that is not publically available. I have personally seen many of the management interfaces for these tools and they are really good for offering full control to the IT Admin to push Line of Business (LOB) apps to a device, send app store deep links to a user for Store downloads, and manage volume purchasing from an App Store all while enabling IT to maintain the control they need for management and compliance. Developers can also embed MDM API’s on a public App Store app for management within the Enterprise. Through deep links, users can download apps from the store and IT can maintain full control over the app to protect corporate data. This includes things like disabling copy/paste on a corporate app, or not allowing printing of corporate documents outside the firewall.     

In summary, mobile apps, modern apps and Macs bring a whole new dimension to the packaging and deployment ecosystem. IT managers should be prepared to support these new app types and formats. It will mean learning new things outside the traditional MSI and application virtualization landscape, but it’s the path down which we are headed.  

 

The Continuous Process of Application Readiness

By: Steve Schmidt

Many IT managers have successfully overcome the tendency within their organization to view application readiness as a one-time event and have advanced the perspective that it is in fact a continuous process. This isn't always easy to do. Viewing the preparation of applications for deployment as a single event or an ad hoc activity is a common mistake. Those taking that position generally associate wide-reaching application preparation work with another event such as an OS migration project, conversion to a new software delivery solution, or other infrastructure change. Although it does need to occur at those times, this is an isolated view.

A more complete view of the role of application readiness includes a number of ongoing changes to the application landscape within the enterprise:

• New apps – Additional applications can be purchased or homegrown. They can appear rapidly, especially if there are new business requirements, new projects, an acquisition, or just new employees.
• Updated apps – Most business applications are updated annually, if not more frequently. Patches and fixes may be made available even more often, especially if the application is early in its lifecycle or has just undergone a major re-architecture or expansion.
• New application formats (e.g., application virtualization) – The decision to include another application format in the portfolio will also have a significant impact in the application preparation efforts. Many organizations continue to deploy traditional EXE and MSI packages, and supplement them with application virtualization formats such as App-V, ThinApp and XenApp. Server App-V is also being evaluated by many companies for server apps.
• New application delivery approaches – Changing application delivery methods can impact the way applications are prepared. Many organizations are moving some applications to a virtual desktop model (delivered by Citrix, VMware, Microsoft, or other underlying technology) and/or to private cloud environments. This introduces concepts such as application streaming, virtual machines, and presentation layer management. Preparing apps for deployment via multiple methods, depending on the user and device combination, is increasingly common.
• New target devices – The use of different computing platforms, especially new mobile devices, will also affect the type and number of application images required in the organization. The same app may be needed in multiple configurations.

The "Consumerization of IT" trend is likely to accelerate the changes in the application set, as employees become empowered (or empower themselves) to self-serve applications that they believe they need. These apps may be acquired from their IT organization or directly from other sources, and may be used on their IT-provisioned devices or on their personal devices, adding further variability to the mix.

Note: These factors are consistent with the list of items that influence the creation of An Increasingly Hybrid App World.

In addition to addressing the rapid and constant changes in the application portfolio, an ongoing application readiness process offers a number of other benefits including:

• Ongoing cost savings – Deploying packages that work right the first time lowers cost throughout the organization. Having a well-defined, repeatable process upfront reduces management overhead and the need to reinvent the wheel for each new project.
• Ongoing risk reduction – A common approach helps to maintain standards, including those associated with security and access management. Automation via tools also minimizes human errors.

Investment in business applications is significant, and increasing. Applications should be viewed like other important corporate assets, and have processes put in place to manage them throughout their lifecycle. At any stage in the organization's IT maturity, application readiness processes play a role, and because of the constant evolution of the application estate, this is best viewed as a continuous process.

An Increasingly Hybrid App World

By: Steve Schmidt

Attending a session on Application Management at Microsoft TechEd in Orlando, FL, it strikes me once again that despite a general desire to simplify computing environments, IT organizations find themselves in a world with a more, rather than less, diverse set of applications. The variability exists on many dimensions:

• Application types – These include traditional on-premises apps as well as SaaS apps, and those apps that will exist as a combination of software + service.
• Application packaging types – Applications exist in multiple formats including MSI, application virtualization (including client App-V and Server App-V), and virtual appliances. In addition, an increase in adoption of user profile virtualization is creating another set of templates and data sets that accompany applications.
• Delivery methods – Apps can be installed locally, streamed as needed, and/or hosted in a datacenter (on-premises or off-premises). On another dimension, apps can be delivered as needed as a "layer" on top of an OS image.
• Target platforms – The app can be run on a traditional client, mobile device, or server environment. Many variants of each exist.
• Application counts – The number of applications in use seem to be increasing, based on the requirements for specialized functionality and the fact that additional personnel are now bringing them into the organization.
• Licensing models – The traditional models of per user, per server/CPU, concurrent user, and others have now been augmented with a range of usage-based metrics.

A key reason for this increase is that we are in a state of transition, fueled by multiple major market trends. Virtualization and cloud computing are yielding applications that appear in new formats, such as the virtual appliances and virtual applications. They also give rise to new or redesigned apps built explicitly for multi-tenant hosted delivery. Concurrently, the mobility trend is resulting in many new device types in the enterprise environment, running different apps or apps tailored for those hardware/OS combinations. Additionally, mobile devices bring some different connectivity capabilities and usage patterns which frequently affect how applications will be delivered or presented to them. A third significant trend is the consumerization of IT. End users are often given the ability to select applications they need, resulting in the influx of new applications in new formats. Coming from different sources, there may be other nuanced differences in the way they were versioned, prepared or delivered. The fact that new trends are adding variability is typical, especially in early stages of the trend adoption. It is also likely that the life of many of the incumbent technologies will have a "long tail". Full displacement of key technologies is rare; there are still many uses for mainframe, midrange, and first generation client/server solutions, even as each generation of successive technology was introduced.

So, what should IT organizations do? Some of the planning implications are:

• Application assessment - With so many application packaging format options to consider, a mechanism to determine format suitability for particular applications and users should be considered. These include both application virtualization formats and virtual hosted desktop environments. This compatibility testing should be automated so it can be applied to a broad section of the application estate quickly.
• Flexible processes and tools – Processes and tools should be dynamic enough to create and manage multiple formats. Integration with many other systems, including configuration management and IT Asset Management systems, will be important. Those other systems will be sources of complementary data, as well as delivery vehicles for the apps, whether in traditional client or hosted approaches. Since some organizations will continue to test and use different application packaging options (by department, by region, etc.), tools and processes should be neutral in their support of new technologies from different vendors, supporting all the key options available.
• Coordination – The effort should include centralized management in order to avoid duplication of effort across departments and to retain some control within the IT organization, at a minimum. The functionality in this area can include workflow management for handoff between key process steps and the logging of results at each step, a central repository for the applications and their relevant metadata, and reports to demonstrate progress and future plans.

A hybrid application world is here, and it is increasing in scope. That isn't necessarily bad, as long as we recognize it and prepare for it.

New Application Metadata – Enhancing App Management

by Steve Schmidt

As applications have been prepared for deployment in organizations, there has often been value in adding externally generated data to the package to aid in the use and management of the application.  Some of these data elements have been associated with technical components, such as a list of file dependencies.  Others have been more administrative, such as the target department, date of preparation, identification of the packager and/or tester, contact information of the support staff, etc.

Additional types of metadata appear to be increasing in interest and value.  A selection of recent examples includes:

 

• Deployment preferences – At the Microsoft Management Summit in April, Bill Anderson’s “state of the union” on System Center 2012 Configuration Manager included a discussion of the new Application Model. This model includes information about the best available application delivery option for various user groups, and can be leveraged by System Center at time of application deployment. 

 

• User settings – Microsoft’s announcement of User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) is one of the most recent examples of a way to include user-specific application profile setting to an application.  The data is stored in an XML file that accompanies the application, and provides users with a common application experience even when they login across different devices. 

 

• Financial and Licensing information – In enterprise app stores, which are becoming increasingly popular, data about the cost of the application is often presented to interested users in order to help them understand the budgetary impact to the organization.  Likewise, the number of licenses available can be included, and used to conditionally allocate new instances of the application and/or trigger approval or procurement processes.

 

• Identification tags – Even the basic idea of self-identification of the application is evolving.  The ISO- 19770 standard defines a way to identify applications using XML data included with the application package.  This promises to help organizations quickly and accurately identify applications, enhancing support and compliance initiatives. Microsoft has recently announced additional support for this standard. 

 

All of these data elements are intended to make the application set more manageable within the enterprise.  To make the best use of such data, guidelines should be set within the organization about when and how it is applied.  To facilitate consistency and to streamline the process, templates can be built and applied via tools that automate the application readiness process.

 

Reference Links:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh925141.aspx

Microsoft tag support announced

For VDI to be viable, you need a plan based on facts

By Randy Littleson

I read an interesting article entitled “Is VDI Still Viable?” today.  It does a really nice job of broadly looking at the topic of virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) from every angle.  It looks at the cost implications and ROI, security, performance, management, user experience, etc.  And, it includes insights from both vendors and end customers – some of which have struggled to make it work and others who have successes they can point to.

The article also cites leading industry analyst firm Gartner and includes their perspective on where the acceptance of VDI is, including the fact that Gartner indicates that the VDI penetration rate is currently at about 2 percent of the enterprise desktop space, a number Gartner expects to reach 10 percent by 2014.  So, despite the challenges, Gartner definitely sees material growth and acceptance on the horizon.

This mirrors what we’ve been seeing as well.  Getting VDI right the first time is a tricky proposition.  There are a lot of variables involved and, unlike some initiatives, this isn’t just about IT.  A move to VDI can have a significant impact on the users.  All of this points to a critical need to have a fact-based plan developed before embarking on a VDI project.  Such a plan would be built upon real data on how your users, app and computers interact with each other.  Solutions such as Flexera Software’s AdminStudio Virtual Desktop Assessment  monitor the behavior of computers, users and applications and provide full visibility into your desktop environment to help you plan more effectively, minimize risk and reduce user-centric computing and desktop virtualization costs.

Any VDI project should start with a pilot first, but in order to ensure a successful pilot, you need to have a fact-based plan that helps you understand behaviors, select the right technologies and determine who is and is not a good candidate for VDI in the first place.  As the article accurately lays out, there are a lot of factors to consider, so having as many facts at your disposal to base your planning on is a must.

Observations from the Microsoft Management Summit (MMS)

by Toby Martin

It was a great week with some excellent sessions; here are some of my observations:

• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is creating more security related work for the IT workforce
  • Good idea on the difference between governed and managed devices, quadrant resonates with everyone because you cannot manage mobile devices in the traditional manner
  • New roles, scopes and permissions are becoming more granular as the mobile workforce and IT collide over securing data
• Still major worry about licensing for mobile and cloud delivery
  • Microsoft will be simplifying their license models, per several sessions and discussions, which is good news for complex user environments
  • Licensing in the cloud is a big gap, and it’s yet to be figured out
• System Center Orchestrator has made leaps and bounds forward
  • Run book automation (RBA) discussions were overheard several times, as was the idea of workflow templates
  • In addition to the app model, System Center 2012 Orchestrator was featured prominently in several sessions and many discussions on the floor and in the hallways
  • The need to plug into workflow models will drive new innovations in connectivity with platforms
• Start thinking of Microsoft as a platform and your survival will depend on your innovations
  • Take more control of your own destiny by using the tools they provide to leverage the System Center platform
• Flexible worker and lifestyles have huge requirements in new infrastructure and management
  • System Center 2012 Configuration Manager (CM) deploying to iOS is a pretty amazing recognition of reality – Microsoft is now less anti-iOS than previously thought (despite having their own competing platform)
  • Bold move by Microsoft to remove BYOD issue
• Cloud reality sinking in – the hybrid will be here for a long, long time
  • Progress in Azure, Intune, and other cloud platforms all make it clear that Microsoft is  investing massively there – and correctly
• Structure of cloud not nearly as important as the delivery of services

• System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) will become a big continue to erode the leadership position of other virtualization vendors
  • They’re advancing the server management capabilities at a rapid pace

• Win8 was not as much a focal point – Microsoft spent more time talking about business objectives to be solved rather than the O/S

• This is going to be a busy year for keeping up with all of the releases coming up from Microsoft

Next year – New Orleans, Laissez les bons temps rouler in June!

Getting user-centric computing and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) right the first time

by Randy Littleson

It seems everywhere you turn, IT people are talking about the move towards user-centric computing and desktop virtualization.  These are the latest trends impacting IT and the potential benefits and implications are significant.  They promise highly efficient desktop management, improved resource utilization, stronger security, greater protection of user data and substantially lower desktop costs. 

Unfortunately, many desktop virtualization projects to date have either stalled or flat out failed.  Why is that?  It’s most commonly because IT lacks visibility into how users and desktop applications consume resources such as network bandwidth, storage, CPU and memory.  Getting user-centric computing and desktop virtualization projects right requires a detailed understanding of how these factors interact with each other so that the appropriate planning, design and implementation can be completed to ensure the project is successful.  Without this insight, the migration to virtual desktops is time consuming, disruptive and risky. 

Flexera Software has long been a leader in powering an enterprises’ Application Readiness process – a process that ensures that applications are successfully deployed and delivering the business value they were intended to provide.  Today, Flexera Software has introduced the latest capability in our Application Readiness solution set – a Virtual Desktop Assessment solution to help IT deliver successful user-centric computing and desktop virtualization projects. 

AdminStudio Virtual Desktop Assessment monitors key system behaviors of computers, users and applications, capturing and summarizing detailed data that helps gauge virtualization suitability.  It’s a vendor-agnostic solution that helps you make informed decisions and enhance your virtualization strategy, whether that strategy includes Microsoft App-V™, VMware® ThinApp™ or Citrix® XenApp™. 

To learn more, you can read the press release: Flexera Software Announces New AdminStudio Virtual Desktop Assessment Tool for Planning Migrations to User-Centric Computing and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

 

6 Key Insights About New Disruptive Technology

by Randy Littleson

Just read an interesting article entitled “How are CIOs looking at today’s disruptive tech trends?” that summarizes a recent roundtable on digital strategies featuring the CIOs from American Express, Bechtel, Chevron, Eastman Chemical, Eaton Corporation, the Hilti Group, Holcim, Nestle, Sysco, and Time Warner Cable. 

It’s an interesting look into the challenges these CIOs face as a result of the major disruptive technologies that are getting so much press these days (mobility, social media, consumerization, cloud and big data).  The article details 6 key insights about new disruptive technology that I think are insightful for anyone in IT (there’s a link to a 17 page report within the article as well).

One of the six insights really caught my eye: “Designing for loss of control” is one of IT’s key challenges.  In essence, it acknowledges that IT can’t keep up, but is still going to be held accountable for security, reliability and performance.  I would add spend management to this as well.  This is very true and matches what we see every day around applications.

IT is being asked to deliver applications faster to their business users, cope with rapidly changing access requirements (e.g., the same app accessible on a laptop and an iPad) while trying to leverage new technologies (e.g., cloud, virtualization) to meet these needs and save money.  Most organizations don’t have mature application readiness processes because in a more static world, it just wasn’t the priority.  But, in today’s rapidly changing, heterogeneous and increasingly complex environment, they need to establish a robust process to automate and manage application migrations and on-going operations to accelerate Windows application availability for on-premises, virtual or cloud deployments.  This process needs to automate and manage compatibility assessment, application packaging and deployment, which now excludes the expectation of applications being virtualized, deployed in the cloud and accessible to employees via a self-service enterprise app store.

In addition, given the strategic importance and aggregate spend of applications, IT must establish processes for software asset management and license optimization to ensure they are buying what they need and using what they bought.  But this too is becoming increasingly difficult with the influx of new technologies such as virtualization and bursting to the cloud which makes tracking and understanding application usage that much more challenging.  Processes need to be established to continuously ensure usage is in compliance with software license agreements and to provide the organization the insights they need to manage how many software licenses are required based on actual usage on a global basis.

IT will continue to be held accountable for ensuring software license compliance and driving increased application usage despite the disruptions that all of this external technology change represents.  Establishing business processes to manage application readiness, software asset management and license optimization can go a long way to helping IT “design for loss of control” by ensuring that continuous processes are in place to strategically manage application usage.

 

Getting Started with User Centric Computing

by Toby Martin

Today’s organizations are facing a new workforce, one that uses computing devices in all parts of life, not just work. These new users expect access to what they need to do their jobs, regardless of location or device used. Computing devices are no longer just company-provided PCs as the proliferation of user-owned computers, smartphones, tablets, and thin-client devices continues to add to the picture. In order to address user expectations and reduce management costs, organizations are evaluating or implementing user-centric initiatives enabling a model that removes the dependency of traditional desktop computing management. The idea of user-centric computing is not new, but the ability of IT departments to implement and provide user-centric computing to the general workforce is just becoming a reality.

Supporting User-Centric Computing

At its core, user-centric computing gives users control of their computing experience, providing them with access to any combination of computing environments, applications, settings, and data from any location or device. User-centric solutions provide the user with pieces of the computing environment (desktop, applications, data, and settings) on demand, where only the required resources are delivered based on the user’s device and location. When working from a company managed Windows PC, users can request applications that are delivered directly to their desktop. When using a non-Windows tablet device, the request for an application initiates a session-based connection to an appropriate server-based computing environment that already has the applications installed. In both scenarios, the user is not required or expected to supply the device type or location of the request.

User-centric computing requires more than just targeting users for resource delivery. The first step is to define the resources that require management. Applications, user data and settings, and computing environment are resources that must be managed in order to complete the solution. Applications, and the definition of applications, have changed over time. Today, applications are not only Windows® Installer (MSI) and executable-based installers, but also include application virtualization, session, mobile, and cloud-based.

Administrators must be able to support applications from many different vendors in various formats and produce resources in multiple formats supporting different user devices. User data and settings must roam to the appropriate endpoints to enable application usefulness. The last resource for user-centric computing is the computing environment, since most applications are built for delivery to Windows-based desktops. In scenarios where users are connecting from non-Windows-based devices, a Windows based computing environment from a session-based or Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is required.

Next, user-centric computing solutions must orchestrate the delivery of the appropriate resources to users based on their location and their connecting device. User-centric models require delivery of the resources to traditional desktops, sessions, and VDI with logic that can identify the requesting user, location, and device type. Users working from home access a secure webpage that displays their accessible applications. On request, the self-service portal identifies the user’s location, device type, as well as any dependencies, and routes them to an appropriate delivery mechanism. If the user is accessing the application from a company owned laptop, the application can be delivered as a traditional installation or streamed as a virtual application with the appropriate data and settings. However, if the user is accessing from a home computer, a session or VDI based connection is initiated with the same application, user data, and settings applied on the delivery technology.

In a typical organization, management of a user-centric solution spans many IT technologies, thus the consolidation of management tasks and tools is critical for success. The starting point for user-centric computing is application readiness, as applications must be packaged in formats that support all of the delivery mechanisms, device types, users, and locations. Therefore, application readiness presents a limiting factor for adoption of new technologies like session, VDI, and Microsoft System Center 2012 Configuration Manager in user-centric computing.

Conclusion

Organizations are increasingly supporting employees’ desires to utilize additional types of non-managed devices. Supporting these additional devices and environments requires IT to change their approach to desktop computing, with processes and procedures that support user-centric computing. Supporting this new model of computing requires application delivery solutions that optimize the delivery of applications for users on multiple and different types of devices that access resources from any location.