Access IT Automation Blog

We are often asked this two-fold question: How do our IT Automation products address the currently known issues that exist in a client's IT environment, and what happens when new issues are discovered, new apps or updates come into play, etc.? As an answer, this post will discuss, from a high level, our process for providing our clients with IT Automation that will take them into their target platform (i.e., Windows 10, Office 365, etc.) and explain how we use both standard and tailored fixes.

In the past few product-oriented blog posts, we have talked a lot about getting your estate ready for the Modern Desktop using Access Capture for application packaging and testing. For example, we've discussed ways to help you migrate onto Windows 10 and Office 365 or manage your environment using Evergreen IT in order to keep up with the pace of updates for those products. But it is equally important to have the ability to check if your applications work in a variety of different Windows environments. Thanks to some new features, this is now easier than ever.

Today, I am pleased to announce a new Access Capture capability that will be such a value-add to many of our clients: support for Windows 10 Enterprise Multi-Session. We are constantly adding to and improving our IT automation tool stack, updating it with the latest from Microsoft so that not only can our clients take advantage of the latest Microsoft technology, but they can also have options for their Windows 10 deployment.

The real problem of Evergreen IT Management isn't figuring out how to efficiently (and, let's face it — fast enough) migrate your entire estate from one version of Windows 10 to a newer version. It also isn't the volume of change if you are managing your Windows 10 OS lifecycle in conjunction with Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise in addition to a continuous hardware refresh. That all can be managed very well with the right tooling and automation. The real dilemma goes much deeper.

In my opinion, the dilemma that most enterprises and large organizations struggle with emanates from the very intricate dependencies you simply cannot get around when managing Evergreen IT. In other words, you have to upgrade a whole other slew of infrastructure dependencies — each managed by a different, siloed-off IT department.

If you have been following our blog for the last couple of years, you have seen that we have posted about MSIX and, in particular, MSIX app attach several times — from showing how to enable app attach for your organization to a video demo of creating an app attach using our tool, Access Capture.

We have been blogging about MSIX app attach for good reason. It is a key component in enabling enterprises to move their organization onto a modern desktop using Windows Virtual Desktop while keeping their functionality intact and keeping or improving user experience as well.

So now we are happy to say that Microsoft has announced that MSIX app attach is now generally available. Congratulations are in order for Stefan Georgiev and his team for getting to this stage in the app attach journey. Being an MSIX partner and a Windows Virtual Desktop partner, we are excited to help Microsoft customers on their journey into adopting this modern technology and creating a true Evergreen IT environment.

As some regions are opening up around the world, companies like Google and Microsoft are already implementing long-term hybrid or Work-From-Anywhere (WFA) models for when employees are able to return to the office. In fact, one study finds that 22% of Americans will be remote by 2025 due to the resulting cost-savings (i.e. less office space) and higher employee satisfaction (i.e. less commuting) when working remotely.

While hybrid WFA models seem inevitable, costs and technical issues can still creep in to negate the benefits of giving up the office. A poor user experience for employees coupled with employer costs due to software bloat can put companies at a severe disadvantage. It is therefore essential to understand your remote employees' activities in order to "find the right size" for your Virtual Workplace offerings, such as Windows Virtual Desktop. In this post, I will discuss what you need to do to understand your employees' activity level and how to T-shirt size your WVD offerings accordingly.

There is a new worrisome (even if short-term) problem enterprises are currently struggling with. I call it COVID-19-induced Windows 10 Complacency. Today, I want to explain what this made-up term means and what you can do immediately to minimize or eliminate the problem. Let's have a look.

The technology industry is notorious for its love of acronyms, particularly when it comes to cloud computing. With cloud-based solutions becoming increasingly essential for every company and industry worldwide, three key cloud service models have emerged as the backbone of the cloud revolution: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). The phrase "as-a-Service" refers to a wide variety of technology services delivered to companies or individuals via the internet by a third-party service provider. 

Microsoft's Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD), a relatively new technology released in late 2019, has proven to be a vital solution for many enterprises. During the pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home orders, companies found themselves needing to provide their employees overnight with an in-office experience at their home. Powered by Azure, this cloud-based application virtualization service provides users with a complete desktop experience with top level security and compliance — in the office, at home, or anywhere in the world. In addition, Windows Virtual Desktop has also saved companies time and money by eliminating issues that employees would face in an on-premise environment, and by creating a better user experience.

However, as with any new technology, there are still a few issues that can arise and persist, causing end-user inefficiencies and lost time. In due course, Microsoft will address them through improvements in the product but in the meantime, customers need quick, easy, and automated ways to fix them. In this post, I will take you through some of the issues and show you how Access Symphony can solve them in an automated fashion, rather than using the manual way Microsoft is prescribing.

When it comes to modern app management, a lot has changed in the last few years with the release of Windows 10 and the proliferation of cloud services. With the rapid pace of updates from Microsoft, app testing and deployment has never been more important to keep an enterprise running smoothly. Without keeping your apps up to date, you risk running an insecure IT environment, leaving the door wide open to cyber attacks. On the flip side, if you rush updates to mitigate security issues, you risk having line of business apps suddenly stop working properly, causing major delays and inefficiencies in your organization.

Over the past few years, Access IT Automation has continuously invested in the enablement of Microsoft technologies: Azure, MSIX, and Windows Virtual Desktop. A great example of this is our ongoing MSIX and Windows Virtual Desktop TAP (Technology Adoption Program) partnership with Microsoft. To further cement this partnership, Access is thrilled to announce that its application suitability tool, AppScan, is now hosted on the Microsoft Azure Marketplace.

Today, I want to walk you through the benefits of Access AppScan on the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, and highlight what this means for you, an Access client or an enterprise evaluating suitability testing and automated application packaging and testing tooling, as you move to modern application management.