New FlexApp Features
New features include exclusive Click-to-Layer capabilities, and Citrix XenApp/Microsoft RDSH session isolation for FlexApps.
FlexApp’s new on-demand Click-to-Layer option is an industry first. The technology allows instant delivery of FlexApp layered applications on-demand upon the application open action by a user. The user simply clicks on the application’s native icon on the Desktop or in the Start Menu and the application is instantly delivered via FlexApp and is ready for use. The option improves desktop readiness times compared to other layer delivery options because applications are not mounted unless they are in use. Now even dozens of layered applications can now be readily available in a user’s Windows environment without needing to actually layer every available application that may not be used during a user’s session.
Citrix XenApp and Microsoft RDSH environments now have enhanced FlexApp delivery support in the new version as well through Session Layers. When FlexApp applications are delivered to a user’s published desktop, other user desktop environments are not automatically exposed to those applications. Every user’s desktop can remain unique, even for users on the same Windows Server environment. This approach allows individual applications to be layered to XenApp/RDSH servers rather than be published, allowing for more dynamic application delivery with lower maintenance.
New ProfileUnity Features
ProfileUnity’s ProfileDisk feature has been extended to Citrix XenApp and Microsoft RDSH environments. ProfileUnity is the only UEM solution to offer a ProfileDisk technology with granular management of profile Portability features, giving customers the best of both worlds. ProfileDisk acts as a profile container that handles large profiles with ease, such as those with Microsoft Office 365/Outlook caches. VHD profile containers also remain an option to handle Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, Amazon, and other cloud-based storage caching which may be otherwise too intensive for virtual desktops.
ProfileUnity’s core management console, which also manages and entitles FlexApp layering, has also been updated to include full featured role-based access and auditing. Options include full Administrator, Department, and even feature-specific role access and limitations. Large enterprises with multiple departments or specific job responsibilities, such as application administrators and desktop support staff, now have options to entitle console users with specific access and rights. This new feature enables enterprise ProfileUnity deployments to remain secure while providing staff with the rights they need to perform their job.
The ProfileUnity Management Console also now performs active auditing by user. This feature enables lead ProfileUnity administrators to have a fully automated change control process and documentation. The new active auditing feature is especially helpful for organizations that must meet compliance and security guidelines.
“With the plethora of options available to enterprises to provision workspaces for their users, Liquidware continues to provide innovative solutions to enable quicker desktop readiness,” commented Robert Young, Research Director, IDC, IT Service Management and Client Virtualization Software. “It is vital for enterprises to respond to inadequacies in user experience, as we see business users increasingly driving requirements from IT. Liquidware mitigates many of these inadequacies by providing IT with relevant tools to increase performance and functionality within end user computing.”
