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GotoMeeting Free – yes, free collaboration!! – #Citrix, #GotoMeeting
Well, I can’t count the number of times that I’ve heard people saying that they wished they had GotoMeeting licenses or a similar capability that is free… and what just happened!?! Citrix released a free version! 🙂
It of course has some limitations and lack of capabilities compared to the full service you get when being it, but if you can survive with using a Chrome browser to collaborate with you colleagues, friends and loved ones then this is a great service!
Mathieu Hofman, researcher and developer of GoToMeeting Free, and Eric Bensley, GoToMeeting Senior Product Manager, explain what motivated them to create the newest member of the GoToMeeting product line, GoToMeeting Free.
Hi, Mathieu and Eric here. We are really excited about the launch of GoToMeeting Free! This started simply as technology innovation and now has evolved into the latest addition to our award-winning communications solutions. GoToMeeting Free is an entirely free, browser-based (Chrome), unlimited-use video conferencing product for up to three people. And we made it simple: no need to log in, download additional software, or enable plug-ins.
When our teams first began working on this product it was not about adding to GoToMeeting but rather seeing what would happen if we took great technology – Chrome and WebRTC – and created something that would let people connect instantly in a face-to-face experience. In our efforts there were a few things we aimed to address:
- Eliminate the need for downloads by running from a browser
- Make getting into sessions fast and efficient – no sign up, no access codes, just click and go
- Deliver a high quality video and audio experience
- Available in Chrome Web store
The result: GoToMeeting Free is like the “casual coffee” of meetings by removing the barriers to quickly connecting with anyone in a meaningful way…
And here you have some other details from the GotoMeeting blog:
What You Need to Know about GoToMeeting Free
The cost of doing business these days can be daunting. And with the growth of small-business startups comes the need for low-cost and highly collaborative software solutions. Enter GoToMeeting Free.
What is GoToMeeting Free? It’s an entirely free addition to the Citrix collaboration suite that offers unlimited-use video conferencing for up to three people. And did we mention it’s completely browser-based in Google Chrome? Meaning no need to download any additional software.
Who can use GoToMeeting Free? Everyone. GoToMeeting Free was designed with lean startups and entrepreneurs in mind, but this software is open to anyone with Chrome, a webcam and a reliable Internet connection.
Why use GoToMeeting Free? If you are hosting small informal meetings for dispersed teams or your office doesn’t have the budget for a company-sponsored video conferencing account, then this is the solution. There’s no limit to the amount of meetings you can host, and it allows you to connect instantly with a face-to-face experience.
We wanted to build tool that was something that we would use ourselves, so here are a few of the areas we looked to address:
- No pesky software downloads. Because GoToMeeting Free runs from a browser (Chrome), there’s no need to download additional software. Just send your attendees the link and join the meeting – it’s that easy.
- Faster join times. Because there is no software to download, no sign-up required and no access codes needed, all you need to do is simply click to connect instantly.
- High-quality video and audio experience. Using WebRTC technology we were able to create a product that would allow small audiences to connect seamlessly with no dial-in required.
We’ve gotten rave reviews so far on the simple and straight-forward experience of GoToMeeting Free. And we are in development for additional features that will allow teams an even higher lever of collaboration in the near future. We hope you’ll try it out.
Continue reading here and here!
//Richard
#XenMobile and the #Citrix Mobile Workspaces Architecture – #BYOD
This is a great blog post by Christopher Campbell and good picture to show the overall capabilities and architecture of the Citrix offering!
You’ve heard us talk about Mobile Workspaces and if you’re a techie you’re probably wondering if Citrix really has the architectural components (a complete, comprehensive and fully integrated architecture) that can deliver any app and data to any user on any device over any network?
Well let’s first identify a few of the market leading technologies that make up the Citrix Mobile Workspaces solution:
- XenApp mobilizes and secures Windows apps on any device
- XenDesktop securely delivers virtual Windows desktops and apps on any device
- XenMobile manages and secures mobile, web and SaaS apps on mobile devices
- GoToMeeting empowers people to meet and collaborate with anyone, anywhere
- ShareFile shares and syncs corporate data securely from any location
- NetScaler optimizes and secures app delivery and on any network
- CloudPlatform orchestrates and provisions apps, desktops and IT services from any cloud
OK, OK. We know you have the products but do they really integrate?
Yes. Don’t believe me? Well as they say a picture is worth a thousand words. This is what the Mobile Workspace Architecture looks like.
OK. I get it. You have the architecture but that doesn’t necessarily translate to a seamless user experience.
Still don’t believe huh? Well this is what the user experience looks like.
XenMobile is a key ingredient in delivering a mobile workspace. Along with XenApp and XenDesktop it allows organizations to deliver on giving users access to any app from any device. In fact, if you’re an existing XenApp or XenDesktop customer, XenMobile seamlessly plugs into your existing architecture.
If you’re a XenDesktop or XenApp customer this is what your environment probably looks like.
Now this is what you need to enable EMM for BYO and COPE (Corporate Owned, Personally Enabled) devices and add that MDM, MAM, Secure Email, Secure Data…
Continue reading here!
//Richard
#BYOD + #Messaging + #Collaboration + #Data securely = How??
Yes, how do you solve this?
I’m running into this topic lately with a lot of people and customers….
It’s around the whole BYOD and unmanaged devices and how useful they are in an enterprise world and all the capabilities and way of working that you’re used to in a secure and still cost effective way (and let’s not forget in a USER FRIENDLY way)!
One question that I’ve not yet found an answer to is:
How do we have all offline capabilities needed for an “Office” worker on a BYOD in our enterprise landscape? How do we ensure that you can use our Messaging, Collaboration and Data/Info services on this totally unmanaged device in a SECURE way?
This is a tough challenge! I guess that most of your users are used to using the Office suite locally on their managed device where they can use Outlook offline, work with data/files in Excel and Word etc offline. But what happens if you tell them to use an unmanaged device or their own personal device of their choice?
All of a sudden there is no real good way of providing them with offline messaging and collaboration (Outlook Anywhere and Lync for instance) capabilities in a secure manner. This BYOD/unmanaged device is not a part of your AD, you have no control and cannot enforce anything! So Outlook that is installed on it may use your Outlook Anywhere service but then its data sits on that unmanaged device unencrypted and unsecured!
Think of the picture above (yes I know it’s a mess but I just want to illustrate the issue), you have BYOD devices that are running Windows 7, XP, 8 etc and also Mac OS X. What if you open up your Outlook anywhere service to those devices, then all your emails etc. will be unsecured on them!
Citrix and others are focusing on providing this email capability in a secure manner on all mobile OS’s like iOS and Android etc through it’s Citrix Worx apps for mail and also the newly announced Hosted MobileMail. But these are more or less just targeted against mobile devices (smartphones and tablets), but what about the standard laptop users!?!?! They need something as well!
And Windows RMS and other solutions just wont fit very well here… Citrix XenVault was something that could have worked to enable offline support for corporate Messaging services but it’s not there… I’d like to run corporate apps locally on the device offline in a secure and controllable container!!
The same issue you have with Data!!!
ShareFile doesn’t support encryption on Windows or OS X!!!
But it does on mobile devices.. I guess you have to trust your users and BYOD devices that they are encrypted using BitLocker or FileVault etc…. but can you?
So please enlighten me here what the missing puzzle piece is!! Because I have a hard time taking away a managed device form a user and tell them that they on their BYOD device HAVE TO BE ONLINE TO WORK! It’s a step back from a usability and productiveness point of view… but it may be a cost saver though… but is a BYOD/unmanaged device and a VDI or Hosted Shared Desktop always a good option to provide business apps to that laptop? NO! I guess everyone have understood that making business apps and functions web-based or mobile app based is good and a lot of focus is there, but we cannot forget the traditional productive device that the laptop is!
If you know the magic solution to these challenges please let me know! 🙂
Cheers!
//Richard
#Citrix #BYOD Architecture overview – #XenMobile, #Mobility
I must say that this blog post is of course Citrix “twisted”, but I really like it! And it shows how Citrix provides a pretty complete offering in order to deliver Mobility- and BYO-compliant services.
The Citrix blog written by Christopher Campbell makes sense and I also agree that a picture is worth a thousand words! 🙂
I’m going to make this real easy and simple. As my grandfather would say “A picture is worth a thousand words”.
If you’re a XenDesktop or XenApp customer this is what your environment probably looks like.
Now this is what you need to enable BYOD and add that MAM, MDM, MIM (Data) and overall EMM functionality you’re looking for.
This is what your environment looks like after you enable BYOD.
Didn’t get that? OK, here is what BYOD looks like with multiple vendors.
Now, here is what BYOD looks like with Citrix.
Got it?
Read the whole blog post here!
//Richard
[Announcing] #ShareFile 2.0 for Android – #Citrix, #BYOD
Ok, Citrix has now also released an updated version of the ShareFile app for Android to incorporate the new security features there as well!
NICE!!!! 😀
Read the Citrix blog post below for more info and source link!
I’m pleased to announce the new version of the ShareFile application for Android tablets and phones. ShareFile for Android enables secure mobile work styles by providing users with a rich follow-me-data experience while offering IT the management and control needed to ensure sensitive corporate data is secure at all times. By 2020, the workplace will evolve to the point where there will be 7 desks for every 10 office workers, with each person accessing their company’s IT network from an average of 6 different devices.
According to a new report from Forrester, an estimated 258 million workers around the world choose their own laptops and 129 million buy their own smartphones. Currently 37% of all BYOD smartphones run on Google’s Android platform. The Citrix mobile application suite balances connectivity and personal freedom, allowing employees to access everything they need to securely conduct business regardless of whether they are working from home or on the road.
New Features
Pin Passcode |
Jail Break Detection |
| Gives users easier access to their data instead of having to type their password every time they start the application. | Allows administrators to prevent their users from accessing their ShareFile data from jail broken devices. |
 |
 |
Another security feature added to this release is local device encryption for improved security of sensitive data.
ShareFile in action
The Salinas Police Department Deputy….
Continue reading here!
User Data Mess! #ShareFile, #Podio, #DropBox #SmartAccess etc…
This blog post is not really supposed to give any clear message, just to confuse a bit more and see if anyone out there can assist in clearing the view going forward from a strategy point of view.
The main question is; how are users going to leverage and consume services so that they know where to store and get to their data, collaborate with it, archive it etc.?
Right now I personally live in a very confused world, but I’m still a bit of a geek so I got a fairly good idea on how and where to store my data so that I can reach it and store it the best possible way. But just today I have the following services and capabilities that I consume;
- Personal Data
- DropBox
- iCloud
- Local Macbook Air that is backed up to my TimeMachine
- DVD’s etc…
- Corporate Data
- ShareFile (On-premise and public ShareFile service)
- DropBox
- H:\ drive
- SharePoint (Office 365)
- Document management system
This picture is an ugly and quickly put together one but kind of highlight the problem we face as solution architects when we shall try and paint the way forward and the wanted position for our corporation in terms of how to provide cost effective, simple and intuitive storage services to our end-users.
So how are users going to know where to store which type of data, and where and when they can get to it, from which device and from which application? This is getting confusing for them…
Lync 2013 client preview for VDI/Hosted Virtual Desktop environments
This is an update in the right direction for getting all Lync features to work in a hosted environment! But where are we on this topic of getting the collaboration features etc. to our end-users in a good way to the “Any Device” and “Anywhere” or BYOD if that’s what you wanna call it?
Before there has been a lot of issues with running Lync and what’s supported feature-wise depending on where you ran Lync, what protocol you where accessing it over and how Lync was presented (either as published desktop or as a published app). And this had it’s challenges for companies that for instance wanted to go to a BYOD model where the end-point device the user was sitting on wsn’t managed and didn’t allowed Lync to be installed and where those users then were relying on their XenApp or XenDesktop environment. And then there are features that aren’t supported or let’s say; didn’t work that well and really loaded the host server.
The table below is from a great Microsoft blog post by Jesper Osgaard where he compares the features of Lync in a virtualized environment;
What did Citrix do about it? Well first they released the HDX Realtime Optimization Pack for Microsoft Lync to address these issues and to ensure improved Lync functionality. And I must give Citrix credit for adding support for Linux directly!
XMind – Great app!
If you haven’t got a good mind mapping app that helps you go download this one and give it a go!
It has great templates etc and the free one works for me but they of course have other options as well that are really professional.
//Richard
The IT Melting Pot! 
#Podio New Feature: Real-Time Commenting
New Feature: Let the Live Show Begin with Real-Time Commenting
12.02.13 Posted in Product News by Jon Froda
As we announced at the end of last year, 200,000 companies have now jumped on Podio to change the way they collaborate for the better. But there’s no resting here. We have grand plans for what the future or work will look like, something that we can reveal more about today.
One of the best things about Podio becoming part of Citrix last year is that we can bring great technologies together to enable collaboration like you’ve never imagined. And, we can do this faster than ever.
We’re aiming to add real-time collaboration to the structured responsibilities, deadlines, and the clear overview that Podio users already enjoy. This will bring live, in context, discussions right into Podio, creating the most complete collaboration experience ever.
Not on Podio yet and want to find out what this all about? That’s easy, sign up for free here.
Following the initial integration of GoToMeeting in Podio Apps last year we can now bring you further enhancements to Podio’s real-time capabilities, and there’s more to come… Here’s what’s new today:
Live commenting on items: When viewing any app item in Podio, perhaps a project or a sales lead, you’ll see new comments apear as soon as they’re posted by your coworkers. There’s no need to refresh the page or check your inbox.
Presence on items: Along with seeing how many people are following an item, you can now also see who’s viewing the item at the same time as you, reducing the chance of both editing the item at the same time, but also making it easier to start a conversation with your coworker who are also looking at the same item as you.
And one more thing… Like comments: Mouse over any comment in Podio and you’ll notice a new like icon. We’ve been testing this within the Podio team for a couple of week…
Continue reading here!
//Richard
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