82% of company leaders plan to continue offering hybrid work models (Gartner) and 73% of workers want them to continue. Source: Microsoft 2021 Work Trend Index

Virtual Apps, desktops and digital workspaces are core elements to enabling a secure and productive hybrid work model.  At IGEL, our focus is to provide a secure and consistently compatible workspace on a familiar graphical user interface making it easier for people to navigate across various devices and work sources from any location.

Citrix Workspace simplifies the job of managing apps, devices, users, and networks. It gives people a unified view of all their documents and applications, and protects company data with industry-leading security, activity monitoring, and analytics.  IGEL OS on the endpoint device delivers a compatible and intelligent solution for fast, frictionless, and secure access to Citrix Workspace.

With over two decades of experience and a dedicated team of developers with a steadfast focus on the customer’s needs, IGEL OS is purpose-built for streamlined access to virtual desktops at scale in enterprise environments. It can run on any compatible x86-64 device, and is validated on HP thin clients, LG All-in-One, and Lenovo devices. The unified endpoint management and control solution allows IT admins to deploy and manage hundreds of thousands of IGEL OS endpoints from a single console without a VPN.

As a longstanding Citrix Ready partner, IGEL stays in lockstep with the latest version of Citrix Workspace and Citrix Workspace app. The Citrix Ready team, along with Citrix and IGEL product teams, work closely to plan, integrate, test, and validate the required functionality and criteria to achieve the Endpoint Premium and Cloud levels of partnership.

Eagle-Eyed Visibility – Simplify Management and Increase IT Agility Across Your Organization

Identify the status of and manage each workspace with Citrix and IGEL through unified endpoint management and control. The IGEL Universal Management Suite (UMS) enables IT to easily configure, deploy and update up to 300,000 IGEL OS-powered endpoint devices from a single console. With IGEL Cloud Gateway, you can manage remote “off network” endpoints without requiring a VPN.

Quickly and easily access Citrix Workspace on IGEL OS endpoint devices through an embedded browser for Citrix Workspace app. Regardless of whether the workspace is deployed across a VDI or cloud (on-prem, public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud), the Citrix Cloud platform hosts and administers Citrix services. It helps IT admins extend existing on-premises software deployments by connecting to resources on any cloud or infrastructure. It allows IT to create, deploy, and manage secure digital workspaces with apps and data to end-users from a single console.

Simply Connect, Communicate, and Collaborate

Citrix and IGEL deliver an immersive and high-fidelity unified communications and multimedia user experience within VDI or cloud workspace environments, providing Microsoft Teams and Zoom as a Citrix App client with HDX optimization. IGEL OS supports offloading much of the multimedia processing to the local operating system, while running critical real-time communications components on the device.

IGEL’s ecosystem of over 120 integrated technologies validated as IGEL Ready provides seamless integration with enterprise software and peripherals.

From the Edge to the Cloud — Protect System Integrity

Citrix in the cloud, enterprise-level security, and IGEL’s unique “chain of trust” help boost end-to-end security. Moving Windows from endpoints to the cloud provides immediate security benefits by eliminating the burden of remote Windows patching.  As a modular, read-only operating system, IGEL OS presents a much smaller attack surface on the endpoint. It also features a unique chain of trust architecture that validates every step of endpoint execution – from the endpoint device to the cloud –cryptographically.
IGEL’s management console monitors every workspace in real-time and automatically pushes security updates and firmware patches, helping to mitigate fraudulent access and breaches on the endpoint.

The Citrix Zero Trust Approach equips organizations with end-to-end solutions for realizing a zero trust architecture that defends protected surfaces. From Citrix Analytics for Security to Citrix Gateway, organizations are able to implement all mission-critical components of a zero trust architecture—all in one secure digital workspace solution.

As the IT industry still faces extended delivery lead times, optimizing the hardware and resources available is the best solution for your budget, and can support you in achieving your sustainability goals. Citrix and IGEL are focused on supporting the broadest choice of apps, cloud services, and endpoint devices for our customers. Providing a secure and consistently compatible workspace on a familiar graphical user interface makes it easier for people to navigate across various devices from any location.

Watch the video on how Citrix and IGEL offer an unbeatable combination for virtual desktops

Try it out with a free demo of IGEL OS with Citrix Workspace.

The post Secure, Productive Hybrid Working From Any Endpoint Device With Citrix and IGEL appeared first on IGEL.

A detailed study by RawWorks found that when accessing cloud-delivered digital workspaces, IGEL OS on endpoints offers superior performance when compared to Windows, providing a consistently ‘snappier’ user experience. Intensive video conferencing and graphics use, more important than ever in our consumer-driven culture of widely distributed users, are a more satisfying and streamlined experience using IGEL OS, the report notes.

IGEL OS Delivers a More Robust End-User Experience

RawWorks compared IGEL’s Linux-based edge operating OS for Cloud Workspaces with Windows, running all scenarios on Microsoft Azure in combination with Citrix Cloud. The scenarios were run on three thin client endpoint devices: the HP t640, DELL WYSE 5070, and LENOVO ThinkCentre M625Q.

They recorded people using these two operating system alternatives for Zoom and Teams, to watch videos and to use tools like PowerPoint. These videos were added to performance data and the conclusion is for all tested endpoints, IGEL OS outperforms Windows while delivering a similar or better user experience.

IGEL excelled in the four performance metrics:

• Endpoint CPU usage
• Frames per second (FPS)
• Round trip time (RTT)
• Bandwidth usage

IGEL is Faster and More Efficient

By using less CPU power for graphics and video production tasks, for example, IGEL runs faster and more efficiently. In some cases, the CPU usage when using Windows is more than three times higher than IGEL OS.

Since IGEL is all about delivering the best user experience (UX) at the endpoint, we are especially pleased that we had superior performance with less latency (lower RTT) and a smoother video experience (framerate). IGEL saves customers from suffering through latency during Zoom calls, or videos that are jerky due to poor support of 60 FPS framerate.

Users running a graphics-intensive presentation in PowerPoint on Dell, for example, also will enjoy a higher framerate with considerably lower CPU consumption.

Given that IGEL OS delivers superior endpoint performance that meets users’ demands for a seamless video conferencing and rich multimedia experience, why would anyone choose Windows OS to access their digital workspaces? From the RawWorks testing results, we think that is a very good question to contemplate.

View the complete RawWorks report.

*Less CPU usage with video conferencing

The post IGEL OS v. Windows OS for Digital Workspaces. The Verdict Is In! appeared first on IGEL.

If you don’t already know him, Mark is an EUC veteran and has been awarded Microsoft MVP, Citrix CTP and VMware vExpert EUC. He is also one of the leads on the annual VDI Like a Pro survey which can be found here.

MONITORING AND MEASURING USER EXPERIENCE

During Covid, millions of people needed to work from home. But what sort of user experience do they have?

In the interview Mark and I discuss the concept of end user experience. We try to define what that is and how it has evolved. Mark outlines how Login VSI’s solutions in conjunction with IGEL can help monitor and measure end user experience. These metrics have become vital to organizations as they work to determine the experience their users have while working remotely.

For more background, Login VSI, as an IGEL Ready partner, and IGEL have partnered in the development of an integration which provides a radical new way to deploy the Login VSI synthetic user technology to endpoints worldwide. The solution provides continuous endpoint testing to monitor the digital workspace and to ensure users always have a great experience despite the constant change in EUC technology. For more information, read this blog. It shares how using Login Enterprise with IGEL delivers ease of use, lower cost and enhanced end user experience management, even within constantly changing environments.

Also check out this webinar on IGEL Community “How to Deal with The Non-Stop Rate of Change of The Workspace”

Watch the Life on the Edge Podcast Episode 2 Here:

UPCOMING ON LIFE ON THE EDGE PODCAST

Stay tuned for our next Life on the Edge podcast. Episode 3 will focus on monitoring remote endpoints and features ControlUp. In the episode, I chat with Trentent Tye and Shay Gadidi about how IGEL and ControlUp can help monitor and manage remote endpoints. During the episode Trentent runs through a live demo of Control Up’s new technologies Remote DX and Edge DX.

Subscribe today to IGEL’s channel on YouTube so you don’t miss any of our upcoming episodes. You’ll find the latest and all previous episodes on under the Life on the Edge video podcast playlist. When you subscribe, be sure to enable notifications so you know as soon as a new episode is posted. As always, we aim to deliver the valuable content that will make your Life on the Edge an amazing experience.

The post Life on the Edge Episode 2: End User Experience with Login VSI and IGEL appeared first on IGEL.

Maximum Supported Environments

We are happy to announce that we now support the UMS with Microsoft SQL Server 2019 (with cluster support). IGEL offers an outstanding range of different environments with maximum flexibility for the installation of your UMS server, client and backend database. Please find the complete overview of the supported environments in our Knowledge Base.

Improved User Experience

The implementation of the following pre-checks also increase the efficiency of maintaining the UMS:

• Database version check: UMS Installer and UMS Administrator check whether your database version is supported as soon as a database is selected.
• Free disk space check: Before downloading a new firmware update, the UMS will check the free disk space.

In both cases you will immediately receive a warning to adjust your settings or increase your free disk space if necessary.

In the section “UMS Administration” you will find a new node “UMS Features” to show or hide the following advanced UMS features:

• Template Profiles
• Master Profiles
• Shared Workplaces

To inform you about expiring or already expired certificates and license packs, we have set up some new notification types that will remind you of needed updates. Additionally, you will find a new option to show already archived notifications.

A new job command “Send messages” allows to schedule the automated transmission of messages to endpoint devices and makes it much easier to inform end-users about upcoming updates, etc.

Further Improvements

The release includes many more features and add-ons to optimize your daily work with the UMS:

• You can choose a specific reply port for the online check
• The Universal Customization Builder for Windows is now available for free and no longer requires a license
• The UMS Server supports FTP passive mode for the Universal Firmware Upload
• UMS Licensing ID fingerprint hast been added to the administration section of the UMS (UMS Administration > Global Configuration > Licenses)
• If you want to transfer a file from the UMS to a specific device, the file target location can now be edited in the context menu
• In the UMS Administrator tool we have implemented multi select for the cipher suite list to be used by the UMS server

Last but not least, we have been working on some architectural optimizations that will have a major positive impact on the UMS performance, especially for large enterprise installations which organize several thousand devices in one directory.

The ongoing and constant improvement of the UMS is one reason why IGEL UMS is the best endpoint management and control solution for your IGEL OS-powered endpoints.

You can download the complete release notes from our IGEL Knowledge Base.

The post UMS 6.04: Improved User Experience & Even More Supported Environments appeared first on IGEL.

IGEL’s next gen edge OS for cloud workspaces fits right in the middle of this trend as we deliver an endpoint user experience that is designed to be secure and consistently fulfilling across any 64-bit x86 device. A powerful complementary feature to IGEL OS is the Universal Management Suite (UMS) which provides centralized endpoint management and control, enabling secure remote management and control to desktops and applications running in the data center or the cloud. Remote management capability is becoming increasingly important due to the proliferation of devices in use today, and the growing number of people choosing to work remotely.

Another trend that IGEL addresses is the growing security risks that can occur when people randomly use devices that may or may not be vetted by corporate access controls. These unsecured devices present a great opportunity for cyber attacks that can bring down a customer’s network. IGEL provides a secure user experience in several ways. Enterprises can move risk-prone Windows to the data center or cloud and deploy IGEL’s secure Linux OS – thereby untethering Windows from the endpoint and vastly reducing the attack surface. Secondly, IGEL’s USB device, the UD Pocket, can be used to boot a personally owned PC into a secure instance of the company OS that is fully isolated and completely independent from the locally installed personal operating system.  This is an ideal solution not just for remote or highly mobile workers, but for “bring your own device” (BYOD) contractors and temporary workers as well.

Organizations with a large number of remote users can also take advantage of the integrated IGEL Cloud Gateway (ICG) feature which enables zero-touch onboarding of endpoints running IGEL OS and frictionless ongoing remote access for users. It also enables remote shadowing of “off network” devices for support troubleshooting purposes.

This New Year, those companies that best embrace the new mobile/remote work paradigm will be well positioned for future success.  IGEL OS, UMS software, Cloud Gateway and UD Pocket are the essential elements to giving device agnostic workers a user experience that allow them flexibility, all within a secure environment.  It’s the perfect solution to the classic “push-pull” dilemma that organizations have grappled with for years – giving users the device and location freedom they crave while maintaining appropriate corporate control that IT teams require.

Take a few minutes to read the solution brief for further detail on how IGEL is helping companies support workers’ need to work remotely, at the same time enabling companies to move Windows workloads off their hundreds or thousands of endpoints to the cloud or data center– thereby further protecting their network  and critical digital assets from cyber threats. Using IGEL, companies can provide a rich, secure, productive user experience – from anywhere.

Also visit with us at Disrupt 2020 in Nashville or Munich to explore how we can help you deliver the absolutely best user experience to the growing remote workforce.

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