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Fire Your CIO

Ok, yet another interesting article!

The following post is by Mike Abramsky, principal of Red Team Global , which facilitates technology innovation via collaborative workshops and consulting.

Do you stifle productivity – or shoot the CIO?

That’s the dilemma increasingly faced by CEOs. With the rise of tablets, smartphones, social media, apps and personal clouds, we are in the midst of a profound computing shift, perhaps the greatest technology revolution in the enterprise since the invention of the PC. But the IT department with its risk-averse, slow-moving, heavy-handed culture threatens to torpedo hoped-for productivity.

This revolution is more than just technology; some CEOs recognize it as early days of Retooling the Enterprise. The ease of adoption of these new tools means non-technical staff can pursue faster, more flexible”

Continue reading here

//Richard

HTML5 or Native for Mobile Apps? Try hybrid

Another interesting blog post from The HTML5 Center with some statistics from developers around their plans to adopt HTML5 for mobile apps.

HTML5 or Native for Mobile Apps? Try hybrid

What is your strategy? I guess that it’s HTML5 all the way so that you don’t have to make X number of builds for the various Android devices out there etc, but will the app perform as expected and will you be able to access all the features needed on the device, or will you revert to an hybrid or native approach like Facebook did?

//Richard

OpenSource “Device Tracker” service – Prey

Thanks Dan Brinkmann for this interesting tip about an online open source service that is available in a free and a Pro version. If you like to keep a track of your devices etc this may be something to look at.

Have a look at their webpage (http://preyproject.com) or check out this intro video that also is on their startup page;

http://vimeo.com/18728980

Not a fully fledged MDM service but an interesting project and let’s see where this is heading in the future!

//Richard

Mastering the BYOD trend: The ultimate guide

Have a look at this BYOD guide and get inspired! 😉

“Let’s face it: The BYOD trend is a big deal.

IT admins have questions about the influx of personal smartphones and tablets in the enterprise. They worry about it. And they often need help figuring out what to do about bring your own device (BYOD) management, security and application delivery.

It takes a combination of technology, policy and organization-wide strategy to maximize the benefits of a BYOD program and minimize the risks. This comprehensive guide explains the basics and offers helpful, in-depth tips for admins stuck at any level of a BYOD program.” 

Continue reading here!

//Richard

Citrix Knowledge Center Top 10 – September 2012

Citrix has released the September Top 10 list, ensure you have a look at it!

Citrix Support is focused on ensuring Customer and Partner satisfaction with our products.

One of our initiatives is to increase the ability of our Partners and Customers to leverage self-service avenues via our Knowledge Center.

Find below the Citrix Knowledge Center Top 10 for September 2012.

Top 10 Technical Articles

Article Number Article Title
CTX129229 Recommended Citrix and Microsoft Hotfixes for XenApp 6 and Windows Server 2008 R2
CTX129082 Application Launch Fails with Web Interface using Internet Explorer 9
CTX132875 Citrix Receiver Error 2320
CTX804493 Users Prompted to Download ICA File, Launch.ica, Instead of Launching the Connection
CTX105793 Error: Cannot connect to the Citrix server. Protocol Driver Error
CTX101644 Seamless Configuration Settings
CTX101810 Communication Ports Used By Citrix Technologies
CTX127030 Citrix Guidelines for Antivirus Software Configuration
CTX133037 Citrix Receiver 3.2 – Issues Fixed in This Release
CTX115637 Citrix Multi-Monitor Configuration Settings and Reference

Continue reading here!

//Richard

READ THIS – Demystifying Microsoft virtual desktop licensing: SA vs. VDA vs. CDL

Why can’t you vendors out there make licensing less complex and more “logical”…??

When it comes to virtual desktop infrastructure, administrators have a lot of choices. You may have wondered about the differences between VDI software options, remote display protocols or all the licenses out there. In this series, we tackle some of the biggest head-scratchers facing VDI admins to help you get things straight.”

Continue reading this great article here!

//Richard

Reference Architecture and Deployment Guide – Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 Built on Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers

For you that are thinking of looking at Cisco UCS and XenDesktop; have a look at this reference architecture document from Cisco…

Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 Built on Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers, Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches, and VMware ESXi 5.0: Reference Architecture and Deployment Guide”

Download here!

//Richard

XenServer 6.1 Releases

Over the past several months, literally hundreds of people have asked me the question “When will Tampa release?”  I am pleased to announce that earlier today, “Tampa” officially reached GA as XenServer 6.1.  Within engineering, this is officially considered a “cloud centric” release.  While on the surface that would seem to indicate a lack of features for traditional server virtualization and desktop, but the reality is quite different.  When you consider that a cloud runs in a datacenter, and that cloud workloads typically translate into some pretty large VM densities, all with a requirement for a high degree of workload isolation; “cloud centric” actually translates into a set of pretty stringent performance requirements.  To illustrate the point, let’s consider three key features, live storage migration, network security and VM conversion.

When you look at some of the most successful clouds, you’ll quickly see that the concept of resource pools are somewhat limiting.  Regardless of the size of the pool, if your cloud is successful, eventually you’re going to have more customers than can fit in your cluster or pool.  During the design phase for Storage XenMotion, we accounted for this with the result being a shared nothing live storage migration solution which works equally well across all storage types and without being confined to an arbitrary resource pool concept.  While designed for the cloud, it fully supports enterprise storage management requirements, and even supports live VM migration between local storage for those cases where shared storage wasn’t implemented.

Continue reading here

//Richard

Why Do Customers Use Social Networks for Customer Service? Because They Can…

Another interesting blog post, and I must agree with it and that we must adopt a new way of providing customer service and think a bit outside of the box.

“Every day, an increasing number of connected consumers are taking to social networks to ask for help or express sentiment related to business or product-related experiences. Some do so to seek resolution from their peers; others broadcast questions or comments as a form of catharsis. A smaller group of consumers actually hopes to receive a response directly from the company.

The reality is that social media is the new normal. A myriad of social networks, whether you use them or not, are now part of the day-to-day digital lifestyle with Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, and YouTube among others becoming the places where your customers connect, communicate, and engage around experiences. They take to these social networks and more because they can. The question is, what are you going to do about it?”

Continue reading here

//Richard

Evolving IT skill sets: Seven roles that should be on CIOs’ radar

Interesting series of articles…

This is the third in a series of three stories about the factors shaping the IT organization of the future. In this story, Andrew Horne, managing director at The Corporate Executive Board Company (CEB), outlines seven new IT skill sets that reflect “fundamental” changes under way in enterprise IT organizations. In the first story, CIOs and experts explore the transformation of IT into a services business and potentially into a component of an enterprise business services organization. In the second story, experts describe the business and technology drivers that could change the CIO role significantly, as well as the role of IT within the business.”

Continue reading here

//Richard

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