MS Hololens Commercial edition

·        Commercial Suite includes the Development Edition, enterprise features for added security and device management, and a warranty - https://youtu.be/uWS3C95aehQ

·        Run Published applications from Azure such as the new announced service Citrix XenApp “express” instead of the discontinued “Azure RemoteApp”

·        Remote graphics  AR - Working on either a Word document or heavy GPU CAD application such as Autodesk AutoCAD from the Hololens. The applications are not installed on the Hololens, they are running from servers pixels are only streamed to the Hololens https://youtu.be/tNd0e2CiAkE

·        Enterprise features

o   Kiosk mode - You can limit which apps to run to enable demo or showcase experiences.

o   Mobile Device Management (MDM) - Manage multiple HoloLens devices using InTune. Manage settings, select apps to install and set security configurations

o   Identity -  Azure Active Directory and credentials with PIN unlock.

o   Windows Update for Business - Controlled operating system updates to devices and support for long term servicing branch.

o   Data security - BitLocker data encryption and secure boot is enabled on HoloLens

o   Work access - Remotely connect to the corporate network through a VPN on a HoloLens. HoloLens can also access Wi-Fi networks that require credentials

o   Windows Store for Business -Set up an enterprise private store, company’s apps for your specific HoloLens usage and distribute apps to selected group of users

Surface as a Service & Changes to E Plans

Ø  Service providers would now be able to offer 3 Microsoft services on a subscription basis: Microsoft’s Azure, Office 365, and now Windows 10

Ø  Microsoft plans to make its recently renamed Windows 10 Enterprise product available as a subscription for $7 per user per month, or $84 per year

Ø  Announced July 12, Windows 10 Enterprise E3 is the name of the lower-end of two different versions of Windows 10 Enterprise.

Ø  Windows 10 Enterprise E5 is the new name of the Windows 10 Enterprise version that also will include Windows Defender ATP

Ø  E3 =  Windows 10 Enterprise E3, Office 365 E3, and Enterprise Mobility + Security E3

Ø  Secure Productive Enterprise E5 bundle = Windows 10 Enterprise E5, Office 365 E5, and Enterprise Mobility + Security E5

Ø  Microsoft also announced Surface as a Service essentially leasing to customers on a per-month basis

New Subscription Options for Windows 10 and Surface for Businesses | Windows Experience Blog http://bit.ly/29CrYwM   

App Streaming - Deep Linking in mobile apps

o   Google, which has a strategic interest in making mobile more like the web, is working on something called App Streaming It allows user to get native app experience without having to download the app

o   You had your AOL, your CompuServe, your Prodigy, your MSN — all online services that were disconnected from each other, some with unique content that could only be accessed if you installed (and subscribed to) that particular online service – The Web browser ended this

o   Disconnected World Of Apps - If you want New York Times news within an app environment, you need to download its app. If you want to interact with Facebook easily on mobile, you need the Facebook app. If you want to purchase from Amazon, another app was required (and even then, with iOS, you couldn’t buy because Amazon doesn’t want to pay the “Apple Tax” cut that Apple wants from any iOS app that sells things)

o   Goal is to move between apps just as you do with the web? Here Comes Google App Indexing, Apple Deep Linking & Universal Links, Facebook App Links and Bing App Linking

o   With app streaming, Google will broadcast what you’re looking for within an app, no download /install required, it’s a pilot test that Google’s doing with nine publishers in the US including Hotels Tonight

o   For now only happens for those using the Google App, on Android 5 and Android 6 devices — and only if you’re searching with US English as your setting. Moreover, you need to be on a good WiFi connection for the streaming to happen apps are rendered exactly as if you were using an actual downloaded version

o   Google App Indexing means that Google is now fed information from Hotel Tonight about what’s inside the app, all of its app pages - finding truly app-only content

o   Apple Universal Links can also render app-only content. But those links depend on someone having actually installed an app. With Google’s system, there’s no app installation required

Nanodegree - Earning tech skills

Useful for  somebody trying to earn tech skills in coding,  Nanodegree: A New Kind Of Credential For Jobs in Technology - Udacity http://bit.ly/1Yoi98P

For e.g Tech Entrepreneur Nanodegree program Built in close partnership with Google, the Tech Entrepreneur Nanodegree program mixes theory and practice to teach students how to transform their ideas into market-ready products, and to how to build sustainable, revenue-generating businesses around those products

MPS (discarded by Gartner) we have Managed Content Services now

The role of MPS, is changing  gradually from simply helping customers optimize their printers and MFPs, to helping them handle documents more efficiently and eliminate printing where practical. The industry-specific needs assessments are a starting point and one more step in the transition from MPS to the service we call "managed content services

»   Managed content services (MCS) is a solution that rationalizes, streamlines and optimizes business communications by providing consultative help, software and implementation

»   As the successor to MPS, MCS will subsume the print-related functions of MPS & also help customers manage the same content & documents in digital form

»   MPS and MCS are mostly adopted by organizations with more than 500 users, across all industries and in all regions

»   MPS usually covers scanning & document capture and may also be expanded to include staffed services, such as copy centre’s, as well as telecommuters

»   Some MPS is designed to improve document security or to reduce print volumes and power consumption for environmental reasons

»   MCS pricing and billing:-

o   Flat-fee services, which may be scaled according to the size of the engagement

o   Software licenses and maintenance fees per user or per MFP

o   Per-transaction fees for cloud services or SaaS

o   Hourly, daily or one-time fees for consultation and implementation

»   Traditional MPS together with the four services in which MCS focuses on:

o   The IT side of printing — printer server and printer driver maintenance and consolidation; printing security services; business system integration; and mobile, thin-client, and virtual desktop printing administration services

o   Business process automation

o   Business process optimization

Choose your MPS and MCS provider on its ability to help you optimize your printer fleet and to keep it optimal. Beyond the obvious equipment, supplies and technical support, this includes the needs assessment, ongoing tracking and consultative help, as well as software-based components, such as pull printing and mobile printing services.

Take into consideration any value-adds that make sense for you today, such as workflow packages for business processes and forms or for scanning and searching paper documents. At today's level of maturity, all MPS and MCS providers should be able to provide all these things, but how they go about it, at what cost and with what kind of foresight (around such risks as diminishing page volumes) will influence your selection. 

VMware Trust Point - Securing the Workplace

Ø  Trust point = Unified endpoint management platform and Windows 10 migration tool = Tanium + Mirage + Dashboard (in future Airwatch) = 74 $ / device

Ø  Tanium's proprietary peer-to-peer technology lets organizations continually scan all endpoints in their global networks, finding and fixing security vulnerabilities and identifying and controlling unmanaged devices

Ø  Mirage logically splits the PC into individual layers that can be independently managed: a Base Image; a layer including user-installed applications, a layer including user data, files and personalization. In this manner, IT can create a single read-only Base Image. Image can be patched, updated, and re-synchronized as needed, without overwriting the user-installed applications or data. Read helps in migration to Windows 10

The New ways required to address the security Challenge in the ever evolving Workplace, this offering does address some of the Gaps which are there in Client Management Tools available out there.  

Windows 10 - Limitation of In-Place Upgrade :

• Operating system architecture switch not possible(from x86 to x64 )
• BIOS to UEFI switch not possible
• Operating system language change not possible
• Changing SKU not possible
• Third-party disk encryption not supported. must un-encrypt before upgrade. Bit locker is supported. 
• Dual-boot or multi-boot systems not supported
• Cannot use a custom image of Windows 10 for In-Place Upgrade scenario. You must use the install.wim image provide in the Windows 10 media
• Ensure all LOB web apps works with IE 11 before OS upgrade

Quest for Low Cost Thin Client - Raspberry Pi platform New Kid on the Block

o   The VDI World always looking for a breakthrough in hardware price/performance announced support for Citrix HDX Raspberry Pi thin clients sub $89 with 8 Million already shipped

o   Limitations : Single monitor right now. Limited protocol options. So you’ll never get a better experience than a Windows thin client, could replace some SoCs or other lightweight embedded systems

o   HDX SoC Receiver SDK enables off-loading to the Raspberry Pi GPU and achieves hardware acceleration with the SoC Quadcore ARM Processor

o   Full device management for firmware updates, remote configuration and DHCP tagging for plug and play deployment

o   Citrix HDX Ready Pi can be distributed via the mail, IT vending machines or stored in office supply cabinets. Employees can simply plug into an available display and be up and running in minutes.

o   Management software can be configured to recognize any HDX Ready Pi in the network to take control and automatically point to the correct Citrix StoreFront server for instant virtual app and desktop access

o   Eliminates desk-side support. The low cost makes it a rip-and-replace device that has no mechanical hard drive to fail

o   Eliminate financial asset tracking. The low device cost can be considered a non-capitalized office expense

o   RPi thin client. It is an RPi3, running TLXOS from ThinLinx. That’s based on Raspbian. It has Receiver 13.3 for Linux (Raspbian is a debian-based flavor of Linux). Scale has been tested to the hundreds, but more data is needed to see if it can go to larger environments.

o   TLX OS also runs on x86 devices, so you can use it to repurpose PCs or old thin clients so that you can manage everything from a single location

o   RPi thin clients are Viewsonic products available from MicroCenter and Ingram. You can get a Pi + case + power for around $50.

AirWatch Enterprise Mobility

• AirWatch Enterprise Mobility: Install and Deploy On Premise Solutions – This course provides the skills needed to install, configure, and upgrade an on premise AirWatch server.
• AirWatch Enterprise Mobility: Configure and Deploy Integrated Solutions – This course provides you with the skills required to configure and provision AirWatch cloud deployments.
• AirWatch Enterprise Mobility: Configure and Manage – This course provides insight into the current challenges of enterprise mobility and how AirWatch can help you solve those challenges.
• AirWatch Enterprise Mobility Bootcamp – This bootcamp takes you from the foundational skills needed to configure and manage your AirWatch environment to advanced operations on the Airwatch platform.

AirWatch Enterprise Mobility: K12 Education – This course outlines how the AirWatch solution resolves current challenges of mobility in schools