Most virtual desktop users expect that they will be able to use their profiles wherever they go but this requires good user-specific security policies and controls.
These controls must be effective whether the user works from the office or from home. However, sometimes IT departments go overboard on security issues, which then makes applications hard to use. And security forms only one aspect of virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) that needs to be managed – not to mention linking of numerous devices and pieces of software.
But if end users struggle with their virtual desktop experience then the whole concept of remote working fails. Companies providing software to monitor virtual desktop end-user experience are cranking out new monitoring software almost on a monthly basis. Some focus not only on user experience but also analyze how applications are actually used – for example, how long end users spend on each application or how frequently they use them. Others focus on infrastructure, network and protocol monitoring.
Three of the top monitoring software providers currently are bringing new products to the market.
Desktop virtualization technology firm Liquidware will shortly release the latest version of its Stratusphere experience monitoring and diagnostics solution. The latest upgrade, Stratusphere UX 6.0, will focus on video performance visibility and offer GRID virtual graphics processing unit details and metrics down to the application. It will provide user-centric monitoring applicable across virtual desktop solutions such as VMware Horizon, Citrix XenApp/XenDesktop and Amazon AWS Workspaces.
Lakeside Software, also a leader in end-user experience monitoring, has teamed up with IGEL, an endpoint management software provider, to bring a solution that can help simplify IT and improve end-user experience in virtualized environments.
The new offer from Lakeside and IGEL makes it possible to eliminate frustrations for both IT and users by advancing the management of any machine running IGEL operating system and rendering it seamless.
IGEL typically focuses on thin client devices – that is, laptops – and creates technologies that support the shift to virtualized environments. Over the past few years, Lakeside has partnered with several IT companies to provide different types of monitoring software which not only analyze end user experience but also make it possible to scale virtual operations from dozens to hundreds of users. IGEL’s products focus on Citrix virtual environments.
Other companies like Virtual Instruments and EG Innovations VDI Monitor are focusing more on monitoring applications and their performance. Here, too, products are released to the market on an almost monthly basis.
Virtual Instruments, a specialist in application-centric infrastructure performance management, has also launched an upgrade to Virtual Wisdom, a comprehensive infrastructure performance monitoring and analytics platform. VirtualWisdom focuses on the use of applications in order to improve business agility and proactively manage the performance of enterprise data centers.