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5 Tips to Succeed with Enterprise Service Management from Ivanti Customers

Thu, 18 Jun 2020 16:15:23 Z

Do more with the same. That’s a phrase many of us hear in our careers when there is an expectation for higher output with no increase in resources or budget. One way many organizations achieve this is by leveraging the functionality of their IT Service Management (ITSM) solution to automate workflows and build more efficient business processes throughout all departments, not just IT. This is often referred to as Enterprise Service Management, or ESM.

ESM can feel like a massive undertaking, so it’s easy to put off. But when leveraged strategically, it can actually save you (and others) A LOT of time. We talked to five different Ivanti customers across the globe who are currently killing the ESM game. These customers are champions for ESM and have amazing ideas to help you get started on your ESM journey. Here are five ways to make ESM work for Y-O-U.

1. Dream Big – SCL Health

The first step to ESM is working with your service management vendor to figure out how to scale the system across the enterprise. You need to think bigger than what many expect of a service management tool; this is more than a ticketing system.

A great example of an Ivanti customer who did this is SCL Health. SCL Health is dedicated to improving the health of the poor and vulnerable in its communities, with more than 15,000 full-time associates. Their IT’s success with IT Service Management attracted the attention of other groups at SCL Health who needed to optimize their service delivery. For example, SCL Health’s Human Resources Service Center was the first department to recognize the value of ITSM, and now uses Ivanti to track employee inquiries and requests about payroll and benefits.

“The teams are excited about the transformation. For the first time, we’re thinking of service management as a true solution, not just a ticketing concept. Senior leadership sees the value and opportunity we have to further increase our value to the business as we manage our services against metrics that make sense for that service… We went from being the IT guys in the basement to being a true partner in patient safety. It changed the conversation,” said Amy Yankovich, Director of Service Operations and Service Management at SCL Health.

2. Get Creative – County of Simcoe

Sure, your service management solution can help your organization manage IT issues, but what else can it do? What other departments could use it?

The County of Simcoe is located just north of Toronto Canada and handles administrative and municipal services for 16 municipalities and almost 500,000 people. They wanted to use a single ticketing system to support the diverse needs of its different administrative, municipal, and social services departments.

Simcoe County got creative in their use of Ivanti Service Manager using it in many different ways, from roadside animal removal to corporate communications. For example, paramedics use Service Manager to maintain inventory of medical equipment and supplies on emergency vehicles.

“Other municipalities are gob smacked when they see what we can do with Ivanti,” said James Nightingale, Customer Service Manager.

Even here at Ivanti, our IT teams worked to expand Ivanti Service Manager across the enterprise, using it creativity to solve many common issues. Using Ivanti, I can request a temperature change in the office, request a customer service escalation, request a new marketing operations analytics report, and more.

3. Start with Motivated Departments – Sightsavers

Sometimes, ESM can feel like an uphill battle. Give yourself a head-start by beginning your journey with departments who are motivated and excited about implementing change.

Sightsavers is an international, non-governmental development organization that works in developing countries to treat and prevent avoidable blindness and promote equality for people with visual impairments.

Sightsavers needed a new service management system that would meet the needs of all teams. They didn’t move all teams to Ivanti Service Manager all at once; instead, they allowed adoption to grow organically across departments as success and confidence grew within the organization. Seven departments now use Self-Service to log requests with automated approvals and workflows across departments.

“Ours is a journey of maturity as the functionality and reputation of Ivanti Service Manager has steadily grown across teams to now serve 600 users,” said Chris Porter, Service Desk Team Lead.

4. Automated Workflows are your Friend – Copernico

We all know that automation can be a major time-saver, allowing you to move away from manual, repetitive tasks and focus your energy on strategic initiatives. When developing an ESM strategy, you want to utilize automated workflows to create a more efficient processes.

Copernico is a network of workplaces, flexible offices, and services dedicated to smart working. They have locations all over Italy and the rest of Europe. They needed a solution that would provide an easy way to develop new workflows, service offerings, and to meet future client needs. They achieved this with Ivanti Service Manager.

“We felt the need to automate our organization’s processes through a comprehensive system that would also work with systems we already use. A wide range of enabling functions was already available in Ivanti Service Manager for HR, legal teams, and IT, for example, said Simone Materazzi, Copernico CTO.

Copernico worked to better track processes and optimize workflows and interactions between departments, allowing for more efficient communication between IT and Copernico clients.

5. Celebrate Wins Along the Way – Randstad

According to one of our white papers about ESM, “Recognize ESM is a journey; you’ll be working with new departments, updating existing offerings, adding new services, and finding new areas of innovation. Recognize team member contributions and celebrate each successful rollout and update… Nothing promotes more support and success than success.”

A wonderful example of this is the team at one of the biggest staffing companies in the world. This company employs approximately 100,000 employees a week.

Jessica Osborn, IT Support Services Operations Manager at this staffing company, leads the ESM efforts at the company. In a webinar interview, Jessica explains the importance of celebrating the wins along the way. “How do you keep your team from getting burnt out? They’re on the backend; they’re not visible. How do you do that? It’s by showing the wins,” Jessica said. Jessica works hard to highlight and communicate individual and team wins in front of management and the greater team. “Sometimes we celebrate by going to dinner or lunch or sometimes we send out an email. There are a lot of ways we can celebrate,” Jessica said.

ESM can help you improve the user experience while delivering higher productivity at lower costs. Our white paper, “Automating Service Delivery for the Entire Enterprise” outlines 11 different lessons learned when implementing an ESM initiative. We hope this helps at whatever stage of the ESM journey you are currently in.

Two Years in the UK: One Ivanti Employee’s Transcontinental Work Opportunity

Thu, 28 May 2020 22:05:06 Z

In February of 2018, I was sitting in my cubicle in South Jordan, Utah at the Ivanti headquarters. I’d been at the company for less than a year and thought it would be a normal day like any other. Boy, was I wrong.

This was the day I was randomly called into the CMO’s office and asked if I’d be interested in a temporary assignment, allowing me to work abroad from Ivanti’s UK office. I’ll spare you the details of the next five months, which were full of visa paperwork, sorting logistics, and panic attacks. By the month of August, I was heading across the pond.

Fast-forward two years later. As I pack up my possessions, silently weep over international shipping rates, and prepare for the journey back, I can’t help but reflect on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Here are some of my biggest takeaways from the experience, and luckily, they are the kind of souvenirs that don’t require exorbitant shipping prices.

1. “Living the Dream” is Actually Possible

Ivanti’s Creative Director is famous for saying the phrase “Living the Dream” around the office. I never really understood exactly what that meant in practice until I moved to the UK. I think it’s pretty rare to know you’re living the dream while it’s actually happening. It seems like the sort of thing that usually happens with the benefit of hindsight.

While living in the UK, I was able to explore the boroughs of London, see almost 30 different plays and musicals on the West End, visit the best museums in the world, and see historical sites firsthand. I got to be a tourist in my own backyard, visiting places in the UK like Oxford, Cambridge, the Lake District, Bath, Manchester, Brighton, Edinburgh, and the Scottish Highlands. I went on 23 international trips, 11 of which were to countries I’d never been to before. Experiences such as ringing in the new year along the Thames listening to Big Ben chime to attending my first ‘football’ game came and went, but as each new experience happened, I knew in the moment to soak in every minute of it, because I was just lucky to be there, living the dream.

2. British Food is… Divisive

We all know I was slow to adopt British food (seriously, I just had my first sausage roll yesterday). I’ve been persecuted for my opinion that British food is mediocre at best, persecuted by a society that considers a “Chip Butty” a delicacy. (Just a reminder, chip butty = French fries in-between two pieces of bread.)

Early on, I ranked biscuits, making my distain for Jaffa Cakes known while singing the praises of Digestives and Hobnobs. The longer I’ve been here, my love for biscuits and tea keeps growing. In fact, I have an addition to my biscuit ranking that is my new favorite – the M&S brand Raspberry Cream Sandwich Fingers. Those will be my #1 missed food item.

I also ranked crisps, which led me to my opinion that the real reason for the Revolutionary War was over terrible crisps. I secretly think the Boston Tea Party was revolutionaries throwing crates of Monster Munch into Boston Harbor, not tea.

Sure, British food might not be full of the sugar levels, MSG, trans-fats, and sodium levels that us Americans know and love. But after two years in the UK, I’ll never turn down a Sunday roast, Indian takeaway, gin and tonic, or fish and chips by the seaside.

3. There is Definitely a Language Barrier

If you don’t believe that British English and American English are that different, go spend 20 minutes with Sara Coppock. You’ll find yourself stopping her multiple times to say, “Wait, I don’t know that word.” Let’s talk about some of my new favorite British phrases:

Knackered = Tired
That’s pants = That is not very good
He’s such a muppet = He’s an idiot
Having a proper chinwag = Having a gossip session or catch up
Faff about = Wasting time/not doing what you are supposed to be doing
I can’t be bothered = Not in the mood to do something or deal with it (it sounds like a more disrespectful phrase in the US, but in the UK, it seems more lighthearted)
Caught the lurgy = Someone caught a cold/flu
Pissed = Very drunk
Take the Mickey = Tease someone

I also learned a lot of fun new phrases at my first Chelsea game sitting near the Away section, but those don’t seem appropriate for a company blog.

And after two years, the phrase I still hate:

“Are you alright?” = This is the American equivalent of saying “How are you?” but it still stops me like a deer in the headlights every time, thinking “Of course I’m alright, don’t I look like I’m ok???”

4. Life is Short – Eat the Pack of Hobnobs

You never know when your life plans are going to be completely side-lined by a global pandemic. So eat the extra pack of hobnobs. Drink one more warm beer at the pub. Watch one more cricket game with your friends, pretending to know WTF is going on. Squeeze in a final trip somewhere random and exciting. Join in when Sue McGuire orders the next round, calling for “one for the road.” Enjoy it all, because you never know when it’s going to end.

5. Surround yourself with “Bloody Brilliant” People

The fact is, my experience in the UK would have been nothing without the lifelong friends I made. I met a lot of especially great people right in the Bracknell office. There is Dan Polisano, who was sure to pass by with a sarcastic (and good-hearted) dig at Americans. Or the office-wide emails from Sara Coppock to break up the day and put a smile on our faces. The office wouldn’t be the same without Jeremy Hawke, who will always stop by your desk for a chat on the way to the kitchen for a cup of tea. Don’t forget Stuart Robson-Frisby, who is always busy, but the moment you start talking about American-Football, he will suddenly have a clear calendar. There’s the genuine kindness of Sarah Lewis, the expertise and patience of June Dean, and the overall “Mary Poppins” aura of Sue McGuire. Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the friendship of Roisin Tims, who took me under her wing from Day One, giving me life advice, listening to me vent, taking care of me during the government lockdown, and more.

I’m missing a lot of wonderful people in my list; there were so many times I was overwhelmed in gratitude from Ivanti employees who offered to help me every step of the way. It truly made me understand the meaning of “Ivanti Family.”

Possibly my biggest takeaway is to work for a company that values you and sets you up for success. I’ll always be grateful to Ivanti for this experience and teaching me that a job can be way more than just a paycheck. I’ve learned that especially at a company like Ivanti, you never know what waits for you as you arrive to work each day. And honestly, that’s really exciting. I can’t wait to go back to the South Jordan office, sit at my cubicle, and see what comes next. Cheers!

Thank you to everyone who made this experience possible, including Steve Morton, McKay Allen, and the Ivanti HR team. And thank you to those in the Bracknell office and other EMEA offices who made each day special, especially the marketing and SDR teams. And lastly, thank you to those who helped facilitate the move home, including Jared Richardson and Melanie Karunaratne. I couldn’t have done any of this without these wonderful colleagues.

Better IT Insights Lead to Better Outcomes for Organizations

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 21:58:19 Z

I’ve always been a huge fan of mystery novels and true crime stories. It seems true crime is having an especially big moment right now, from serial killer documentaries to podcasts. Like so many people, I find myself drawn in as I read, watch, or listen to the criminal investigation. It’s fascinating how detectives work, diving into the smallest of details to solve massive crimes.

For these detectives, it’s all about visibility. Before they can solve the mystery, they need to have access to all of the clues and details, such as evidence, potential suspects, motives, what else happened that day, etc. In movies, you often see detectives listing all of the details in front of them on a pushpin board, so they can see everything at once. This visibility is crucial to figuring out what exactly happened and why.

I’ve been thinking lately about how IT professionals are often detectives in their own right, with the same need for visibility. Visibility is crucial to the IT organization and the entire enterprise, because the more you know, the easier it is to solve a problem or even avoid issues altogether. The visibility into IT processes and assets is the first step in unifying IT for better productivity and cost value.

Accurate Data is Crucial

When detectives are working with misinformation, they’re often led down paths that go nowhere, wasting valuable time and energy. A key part of improving IT visibility is making sure your data is accurate. For many organizations, this starts with the Configuration Management Database (CMDB).

With the latest Gartner report entitled “4 Steps to Improve IT Service View CMDB Data Quality,” we believe you can learn how to:

Address gaps in configuration item data oversight
Improve Configuration Item (CI) data quality in four easy steps
Use Change Management to improve CI record data
Reduce the scope of CI data models

Download the complimentary report in order to understand the key challenges IT leaders can expect as well as expert recommendations for using the CMDB to transform IT operations.

Asset Management: It’s Time to Get a Clue!

A lack of visibility into the actual assets is often the missing piece IT detectives need to solve the puzzle. Organizations that lack visibility into their assets and lifecycles are hampered by inefficient service delivery, unnecessary costs, and unhappy end users.

Ivanti released a new infographic outlining three steps to better insights using IT service management and asset management, as well as stories of how Ivanti customers achieved better business outcomes. The steps are:

Discover and understand what you are using
Manage your assets and services effectively
Optimize for cost and performance

The process of gaining visibility into assets often starts with tracking resources. In a recent survey conducted by Ivanti, we found that 43% of organizations still use spreadsheets as one of their resources for tracking assets. Talk about an opportunity for human error! And speaking of things that take up IT’s time, let’s talk about assets under warranty. Our survey found that IT professionals are spending a lot of time supporting out-of-warranty assets.

The last step, optimizing for cost and performance, promises an increase in business value. In the same survey, we found that 63% of IT professionals expect to get better visibility into their IT estate when combining ITSM and ITAM.

Learn from IT Detectives like You

Sometimes the best way to prepare yourself for the mysteries in your organization is learning from other IT detectives. We recently compiled stories in a white paper, outlining how six different IT departments gained better insights and business outcomes from increased visibility. Full of high-stakes mysteries and classic “whodunnits,” we expect it to be the next true-crime sensation.

We’re proud to say we have some pretty fantastic IT detectives here at Ivanti too. Our IT department had just gone through a merger and had a hodgepodge of legacy systems and spreadsheets tracking assets. We were overspending, short cycling assets, and we weren’t maximizing our assets. The team rolled up their sleeves and tackled the mystery of the unused assets! The results were impressive, including saving $1.5 million dollars in the first year, having a running yearly savings of over $500,000, and keeping incident rates steady with all the changes. You can watch the interview to see how they accomplished so much here.

Solve the Mystery with Ivanti

When used together, Ivanti Service and Asset Manager make it easier for service desk teams to see previous issues with specific devices and improve the quality of CMDB data (including changes, configurations, and dependencies). Making more asset information part of ITSM processes promise fewer incidents, problems, costs, and unplanned risks. So dust off your magnifying glass and get to work, there are some big mysteries to solve!

Ivanti Events and COVID-19 Coronavirus FAQs

Fri, 06 Mar 2020 22:52:33 Z

The safety and well-being of our employees, customers and partners is a top priority for Ivanti. We are actively monitoring the COVID-19 Coronavirus situation closely and will react appropriately to the changing landscape moving forward. At this time, Ivanti is following the World Health Organization’s and the Centers for Disease Control recommendations.

Unless otherwise advised, all Ivanti Interchange events are taking place as scheduled. We will continue to provide updates as we have more information. If you have any additional questions not listed below, feel free to contact your account representative.

What is the current situation with COVID-19 Coronavirus?

The situation with the current outbreak is being updated on a daily basis. We recommend visiting the World Health Organization’s update page for the most up-to-date information.

Where can I find out more about the facts and spread of COVID-19 Coronavirus?

We recommend visiting the World Health Organization’s update page for regular updates, news, travel advice, and information on how to protect yourself.

Are any Ivanti events cancelled due to Covid-19 Coronavirus?

There have been a few Ivanti events that have been postponed in areas of the world that have been hardest hit by COVID-19 Coronavirus. If there are further changes, we’ll be sure to update this post and contact event registrants.

Who can attend an Ivanti event?

We welcome all customers and partners to join our events, as long as they are not impacted by current travel restrictions. Travel guidelines vary depending on each country and are updated frequently, so be sure to check your government website for more guidance.

If you are feeling unwell, you might want to reconsider attending an Ivanti event for your own health and the health of other attendees.

Is there a chance an Ivanti event will be cancelled because of COVID-19 Coronavirus?

Our first priority is the safety and health of our customers, partners and employees. As of now, Ivanti Interchange and other events are still scheduled. We will to continue to provide updates as we have more information.

What is Ivanti doing to prevent the spread of this and other flu viruses?

Ivanti is following the guidelines recommended by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control. We are actively working with all venues hosting Ivanti events to ensure extra measures are being taken to clean and disinfect common surfaces and offer hand sanitizing stations in high-traffic areas. Please refer to the specific steps the MGM Grand Hotel (where Ivanti Interchange is scheduled) is taking in light of the situation and on behalf of conference attendees.

The travel and hospitality industries are keenly aware of the health and safety concerns and are making every effort to do their part in providing clean, hygienic meeting environments, wherever possible.

What can I do to avoid contracting the virus?

The World Health Organization recommends basic hygiene practices such as regular hand washing and covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing. They also recommend:

Thoroughly cooking meat and eggs
Avoiding close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing
Avoid spitting in public
If you have fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early
Throw tissues into closed bin immediately after use
When hands are not visibility dirty, frequently clean them by using alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water

Innovations in Voice Technology for the Warehouse

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 17:48:41 Z

Do you remember when touch screens were just the worst? It wasn’t very long ago when touch screens required jamming your fingers on a screen over and over again without the screen registering anything. Chances were your configuration was off anyway so even if the screen caught your touch, it sent you to a different button than intended.

In 15 short years, so much has changed in the world of touch screens. I recently witnessed a two-year-old child happily playing with an iPad with no help needed, swiping and clicking as if it were second nature to her. I wonder if that would be possible with the touch screens of the past.

It got me thinking about other technologies that were introduced with the goal of making people’s lives easier, but actually caused more trouble than they were worth. One of these is voice technology.

Drawbacks of Traditional Voice Applications

Voice as a technology in supply chains has been around for a few decades. It was introduced to improve speed and accuracy to warehouse picking. Like the early touch screens, voice had some pretty serious drawbacks. From the high cost of implementation to the complexity of deployment, the adoption of voice in warehouse picking was limited. Some of these historical drawbacks include:

Voice-dedicated hardware: Traditional voice apps require a separate, proprietary computer that house the speech-to-text and text-to-speech processor.
Middleware or system interfaces: Voice apps of the past require middleware between a warehouse management system and using Terminal Emulation or web apps on their mobile computers to interact with that system.
Host system modifications: Adding voice to the mobile app often required changes to the host system in order to properly communicate data.
Post-deployment host modifications: Once workers are voice-enabled and realizing productivity gains, traditional voice vendors will require that you contract them to make changes to your host system so they can ensure their app isn’t adversely affected.

It’s easy to see that these drawbacks made voice a drain on time and money in the warehouse.

Speakeasy: A Better Approach to Voice

In the same way that Apple innovated touch screens to turn them from a hassle to a winning product, Ivanti decided it was time for a fresh approach to voice-enabled solutions in the warehouse. That’s where Speakeasy, powered by Wavelink, comes in.

Speakeasy set out to do what voice was originally intended to do—improve speed and accuracy in warehouse picking. Speakeasy eliminates complexity and extra costs that still frequently come up with other voice app vendors. In the table below, it’s easy to see the benefits of Speakeasy.

With Speakeasy, you’re looking at no middleware—it works with any WMS and you don’t need to purchase proprietary voice hardware. This means that if you want to make a change to your WMS, you don’t need to worry about additional charges from your voice provider. Gist, the main supply chain provider for Starbucks, uses Speakeasy in their warehouse. “Speakeasy just sits on top of the telnet client that is installed on all of our devices to connect to our WMS, so we did not need to change anything,” Marcus Jeffery, Business IM Manager, Major Accounts at Gist said.

Implementing Speakeasy in your warehouse couldn’t be easier. Trials and pilots often implement the solution in less than a week, with full implementations being completed in 30 days or less. “The implementation of Speakeasy happened in a week,” Danny Sanders, Director of Distribution at Toshiba Americas Business Solutions said.

Speakeasy isn’t just fast to implement—it’s also quick and simple to train staff to use. In a world with high employee turnover, this is crucial. Ivanti customer Dorman Products implemented Speakeasy, which took them from several hours of training down to only 15 minutes to start using their picking system. Another Ivanti customer, J. J. Keller, was also impressed by training times and ease of use. “I love the voice system. You only handle a package once and it’s out the door. It’s so easy, it’s like brushing your teeth. Instead of clicking 10 times, I can just say ‘confirm for 10,000’ and now it’s done. All I have to do is label and move on,” Marsha, an order handler at J. J. Keller said.

Speakeasy also considers the human element of the warehouse. It is multi-language and even recognizes accents, so your pickers can naturally do their job without having to repeat commands. It can even have some unexpected benefits. Ivanti customer TaylorMade found a reduced number of repetitive strain injuries after implementing Speakeasy.

So it’s easy to implement and train using existing hardware and systems, but what about actual results? Speakeasy helped J. J. Keller achieve a 10% gain in warehouse picking efficiency, doubling their goal in half the expected time. TaylorMade achieved a 49% reduction in error when picking after using Speakeasy. These results are just some of the examples of why 24 of the top 25 supply chains in the world use Ivanti products in their warehouse.

See if Speakeasy is right for you by requesting a custom demo of the solution.

Give Your IT Department a Little Love This Valentine’s Day

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 21:44:37 Z

I’d like to share my most unpopular opinion: I believe Valentine’s Day is the best holiday of the year.

I know, I know. People hate Valentine’s Day. But hear me out. I’m a huge fan of everything this holiday represents—romance, flowers, chocolates, love, pink, hearts, going out to eat, dramatic ballads, and champagne. Plus, if you’re in a relationship, it’s an extra excuse to celebrate your partner, your relationship, and more importantly, to be showered with love. That’s my kind of holiday!

But even if you aren’t feeling the love this Valentine’s Day, it’s a great excuse for a little self-care and pampering. Think bath bombs, face masks, nights in with Netflix and delivery, discount chocolates at the grocery store the next day, nights out with friends, reorganizing your closet, and taking some time to think about self-improvement.

That’s what happened internally here at Ivanti. That’s right, sometimes even IT software companies like us need to give a little TLC to our own IT departments. Our IT department may not have whipped out a dream journal and Epsom salts, but they exercised their own form of self-care by doing a little soul searching to improve their software and hardware processes.

Ivanti + Ivanti: A Love Story

Let’s set the stage. We had just gone through a merger and we had a hodgepodge of legacy systems and spreadsheets tracking assets. Think of it like moving in with a partner and trying to sort out all the furniture and kitchen supplies. That’s kind of the position we were in, as is common for companies post-merger or acquisition.

The merger caused a lack of visibility into our assets and processes. After we got through the integrations, we realized we needed more control over our asset systems. It was time for the classic "DTR" (define the relationship) conversation.

We recently interviewed Adam Jones, Senior Director of IT at Ivanti, who shared how he turned a broken relationship into a love story. You can watch the success story below.

"We really didn’t know how old our assets were, where they were, or when we needed to buy new ones,” Jones said. "To fix this problem, we needed to know the truth of the situation.”

Visibility is key when it comes to building better IT processes. It’s basically the "dating phase" of the relationship—you’re learning about each other, figuring out communication styles, and trying to build a foundation. When you have full visibility of your IT assets, services, security posture, processes, and outcomes, you can see more clearly, act more decisively, and perform more effectively. This allows you to optimize costs, improve experience, and realize gains in productivity and efficiency.

When Jones and his team began digging deeper into the situation, they discovered that:

They were overspending by a significant amount
There were assets that were being short cycled
Multiple and unused assets were common
They generally were not maximizing value

How Self-Care Led to True Love

Once the team had increased visibility, they were able to create a plan to fix these problems, which included extending the life of assets by six to 12 months depending on the asset.

"The results of that was the first year, we saved $1.5 million dollars off our asset budget, and we have a running savings of over half a million dollars. We’ve done all of that without lowering service to the customers,” Jones said. “We were able to deliver real value back to the company in that our assets are being fully utilized to the full extent and purpose for which we bought them.”

With a little self-care, internal reflection, and Ivanti solutions, our IT team was able to increase visibility to help the company save money and time. These better insights led to better processes, and therefore better outcomes. It’s a classic story of boy meets IT solution, boy falls in love, and boy and IT solution live happily ever after.

So, when considering your options this Valentine’s Day, just remember that flowers last a week and a box of chocolates lasts one night (oops), but exercising a little self-care in your IT department to improve visibility and processes has a lasting impact—no bath bomb required. Happy Valentine’s Day, folks! <3

5 Reasons You Should Spend Your Valentine’s Week with the Men of Patch Tuesday

Mon, 10 Feb 2020 22:52:29 Z

Single? Dating? Married? It doesn’t matter! Cancel your reservations, forget the chocolates, and tune into the webinar you’ll be sure to love: Ivanti’s Patch Tuesday, February 12 at 11am ET.

In case you still need some convincing, here are five reasons why you should spend your Valentine’s week with Ivanti’s Patch Tuesday hunks, Chris Goettl, Todd Schell, and Brian Secrist.

Register Now: Patch Tuesday

1. Patch your broken heart.

Some say the best way to get over an old flame is by throwing yourself into another project. On the Patch Tuesday webinar, Chris, Todd, and Brian will give you an extensive, organized list of patches to roll out, guaranteed to distract you from how hopelessly alone you truly are.

You don’t need companionship. All you really need is a fast WiFi connection and a Big Gulp full of your favorite energy drink. As you patch your environment, you may even find that your heart is slowly being patched up, too.

2. They are great listeners.

What’s better than a man who listens? Answer: Three men who listen. At the end of every Patch Tuesday webinar, Chris, Todd, and Brian spend 20-30 minutes listening to your questions and crafting thoughtful answers. It’s so emotionally impactful, you’ll forget you’re on a webinar and find yourself sobbing softly into your keyboard.

3. You can always depend on them.

These dreamboats won’t bail on you. Every second Tuesday of the month, they’ll be there, sorting through all the updates and seeking out the critical patches for you to deploy. And guess what? They’ll be there the morning after, too, hosting the webinar. All because they want to keep you (and your systems) secure. *Swoon*

4. You don’t have to dress up.

Sick of the pressure to look fly for your V-Day plans? This webinar is audio and slides only, so no one cares what you're wearing. Plus, we send out the recording after, so you can watch on your own time. You could be sitting in bed in sweatpants covered in Cheeto dust for all we care. (Just do us a favor, don’t share pictures…)

5. You don’t have to be alone.

Some call February 14 Singles Awareness Day (SAD, for short). If you’re alone on the big day, tune into our webinar, where you’ll be part of the Patch Tuesday community. There are hundreds of loyal Patch Tuesday followers, who join together on this coveted day each month to share patching knowledge.

Sometimes it feels good to be part of something bigger.

British and American Food Taste Testing: Holiday Edition

Fri, 20 Dec 2019 21:51:47 Z

Twas the last day in the office, and all through Ivanti house, not a worker was stirring, not even a computer mouse. Why? Because we were all in a sugar coma from eating 14 mince pies in a row. At one point, David Shepherd, VP of Pre-Sales, passed us, surveyed the scene of crumbs, empty mince pie boxes, and the grimacing faces of the marketing team and declared, “This has an Erica-food challenge written all over it.”

Ohhh the holidays. From the dreamy snowy weather to Christmas lights to treasured time with family, it’s a special time of year. But I’d trade all of that in for the best part of the holiday season – the food and drinks. Catch me spending more time at the mulled wine stall in a Christmas market than the actual shops.

In the spirit of the holidays, we wanted to promote peace and goodwill towards all by sharing traditions. I started by sharing some classic Thanksgiving foods with my English colleagues in November, and they returned the favour with a mince pie taste test. So come on, it’s lovely weather for a binge-eating session with you!

Mini-Thanksgiving Dinner

Most of the time, living and working out of the UK is, as the locals would say, brilliant. Thanksgiving Day is the one time of year it’s a little depressing. Knowing that everyone in the US is watching football while stuffing their faces while you’re reading emails under fluorescent lighting makes you a little bitter. To help stay cheerful, I decided to bring in three traditional American Thanksgiving dishes for my English colleagues to try.

It’s a Happy Thanksgiving to US colleagues, contacts, customers, and other friends. Here in the UK I celebrated ‘No Interruptions Day’ with my first ever Pumpkin Pie. And a ‘cheese ball’(?). And there was ‘vegetables with marshmallow melted on top’! (I didn’t go there). pic.twitter.com/QCKE2SOEcR
— Ian Aitchison (@IanAitchison) November 28, 2019

I tried to pick three dishes that most people wouldn’t have tried here. Turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing are fairly common in the UK. Plus, I have no idea how to make a turkey (seriously, I passed a cut-up Costco rotisserie chicken as turkey at my last Friendsgiving). So, I picked an appetizer, a main dish, and a dessert.

Cheese-ball

Every Midwest family has a cheese-ball recipe that they insist is best. My recipe, which I perfected in college as a cheap alternative to eating real food, includes a packet of ranch dressing seasoning, which doesn’t exist in the UK. I did my best to replicate it, and overall, it was a success. Here are some reactions:

“THIS. Mmmmm yes, this is the one. Now that’s just dangerous,” Jeremy Hawke, Territory Manager
“That cheese-ball is amaze-balls,” Sara Coppock, Marketing Executive
"What exactly is in this?” Ian Aitchison, Senior Director, Product Management

Candied Yams

Unequivocally, there is no better food than candied yams. The natural sweetness of sweet potatoes, enhanced by two sticks of butter and mounds of brown sugar, and topped with marshmallows is a flavour combination that can’t be beat. Why can’t all vegetables have this much sugar?

It turns out my opinion is controversial here in the UK. Overall, everyone was really freaked out by the idea of topping vegetables with marshmallows. You can’t blame them, I suppose. Here are a few reactions:

“I would have a bite of this for dessert, but it’s really sweet,” Melanie Karunaratne, Director of Product Marketing
“Is this actually a thing or are you just trying to see what weird food combinations you can convince us to try?” David Shepherd
“I actually love this. It just tastes like sugar,” Stuart Robson-Frisby, Senior Channel Manager

Pumpkin Pie

You can’t have a Thanksgiving meal without pumpkin pie. I thought my pumpkin pie would go over especially well, because I put a LOT of rum in my recipe. The pie was a hit, here are the reactions:

“Interesting. This is nothing like what I imagined. It’s much lighter,” Ian Aitchison
“I like this one the best. It’s kind of sweet and savoury at the same time. Health and naughtiness wrapped into one,” Roisin Tims, Marketing Manager
“This is very good. The rum brings out all of the spices really well,” June Dean, Marketing Automation Manager

Mince Pies

We had a couple weeks to recover from our Thanksgiving feast, and then moved on to mince pies. I’m a huge advocate for #PiesBeforeGuys, but when it comes to mince pies, I’m not so sure.

For my American friends who don’t know what mince pie is, it’s a small pastry shell filled with a mixture of mincemeat - dried fruits, spices, and sometimes alcohol. The good news is that contrary to their name, they don’t actually have meat in them. The bad news is that they are still gross.

Apparently, the proper way to eat mince pies is by heating them up and serving them with custard. But in true Erica-taste-test form, I’m making my judgements in a way that will anger the British nation and going rogue. All pies were eaten without custard and cold. Before you spit out your tea in disgust, know that I’m lactose-intolerant, so I definitely would have puked if I ate that much custard. By the way, did you know English people refer to hurling as “getting sick?” They even throw-up classier than us Americans.

Every grocery store does their own version of mince pie. They often do more than one, creating a classic version as well as a deluxe version. Some grocery stories, such as M&S and Waitrose, are known as being “posh” stores, compared to lower-end stores like Lidl and Aldi. Think of it as Whole Foods and Target vs Walmart and WinCo.

In our very scientific method, we collected 14 different types of mince pies, including low-end, high-end, mid-range, and even homemade. We split the tasting up into two categories – classic pies and deluxe versions. Based off our test, it seems like the major difference between classic and deluxe is the amount of alcohol in the mincemeat. God bless this country.

We tested the following nine varieties for our classic category: Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Aldi, Mr. Kipling, Budgens, homemade, Waitrose, M&S, and Tesco. For our deluxe category, we tried the following: Heston’s Lemon Twist, M&S Collection, Waitrose All Butter, Heston’s Chocolate Cognac Cherry, and Aldi Specialties.

Before we began, we voted on what we thought would be the best and worst. From the classic versions, people thought homemade and Lidl ones would be best and Budgens and Mr. Kipling would be the worst. From the actual blind tasting results, the overall favourite was Sara Coppock’s homemade masterpieces, followed by Lidl and Sainsburys. The least favourite was, as the people predicted, Budgens.

Lee Crombie, Sales Development Representative, gave his detailed opinions here:

“The Lidl is just a delight. The Aldi once is good based on taste and sultana quality. The Waitrose one was a good all-rounder. As far as the worst, M&S needs to stop messing with a classic and get rid of the odd additional taste. The Tesco one was too dry.”

We set our sugar-induced stomach aches aside and carried on to the deluxe versions. The group favourite was the Heston’s Lemon Twist variety, with the least favourite being the Heston’s Chocolate Cognac Cherry. There was even a heated debate, citing the Heston’s Chocolate Cognac Cherry as an immediate loser because it breaks the rules of what a mince pie is.

“I liked that the M&S one had a great flavour with loads of booze and a soft pastry. The Waitrose one was too buttery, it was just overdoing it,” Lee Crombie said.

Well everybody, that’s a wrap on 2019 food challenges. Wishing you a mince pie-free holiday season and a new year filled with many marshmallow-topped vegetables.

The 12 Days of ITAM Might Be Over, but ITAM Awareness Lives On

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 23:08:48 Z

December is IT Asset Management (ITAM) Awareness Month, so amidst the craziness of the holidays, we know you’ve secretly been the most excited about your assets getting the love and attention they deserve this season. I know, you’re probably anxiously waiting for the night before Christmas so you can hang your IT assets by the chimney with care (but actually, don’t do that, it’s dangerous). We’re just happy to be part of the magic of the season.

Ivanti Asset Manager: Free Demo

If you’re seeing this, you probably know that we kicked off the month with an awesome effort on our blog. Like a flurry of snow, the 12 Days of ITAM came and went. And much like those snowflakes in the flurry, each of our 24 blogs was unique and beautiful in its own way. That’s right, for the past 12 workdays, we’ve posted two blogs daily highlighting ITAM best practices, key ITAM skills, shadow IT, CMDB, ITAM and the cloud, and more.

Here are 10 of my takeaways from the 12 Days of ITAM.

1. Control Management Databases are on everyone’s mind

We’ve talked a lot about CMDBs, from discussing how to find them to posing the question if you even need ITAM if you’re using a CMDB. We learned from Marcel Shaw that “both ITAM and the CMDB are critical for any organization using technology to operate their business. IT assets providing services to the organization need to be tracked using a configuration management process as per ITIL best practices.”

2. Head in the clouds? So is ITAM.

Rich Gibbons, from the ITAM Review, wrote a blog about cost management and license management in the cloud and why they are appearing on more ITAM to-do lists in 2019 than ever before.

3. Assets are feeling chatty

We asked our customers to tell us stories of their IT asset management journeys from the perspective of the assets, and boy, did we get some good responses! Some of them were so relatable we turned them into comics.

4. SAM is more than avoiding audits

One blog in this series debunked the common myth that ITAM is all about avoiding audits or legal battles. Author Lara Hellman outlined three additional benefits to Software Asset Management (SAM), including managing non-licensed software, forecasting, and renegotiating contracts.

5. Some ITAM skills are lesser known than others

David Foxen put together a blog that highlights ITAM skills that people aren’t talking about, in order to help you drive a successful ITAM function and career. These include commercial and legal skills, change and people management skills, service delivery and vendor management skills, and a broad technology understanding.

6. ITAM is a top priority for CISOs

We interviewed a panel of CISOs and the consensus was that ITAM is a piece of the security puzzle that must be solved. Everyone agrees it is crucial, but it can often be forgotten. Peter Green, CISO at Sirius Computer Systems, says “Honestly, I think they’ve just blown past it, just out of necessity. They’re trying to look at their top three, top five…protecting the crown jewels and trying to classify data so they know what data they have. It’s a little alarming how underserved asset management is.”

7. ITAM is especially crucial in healthcare

Shadow IT happens in every industry, but the ramifications in healthcare are especially concerning. According to Rob DeStefano, “Healthcare facilities experience this on a frequent basis. Someone attends a conference, hears about some cool application from a peer at another hospital system, and before you know it, a whole department under your jurisdiction is using some unsupported app. Now you’re on the hook to patch and manage it – after you ensure its secure and compliant.”

8. Data silos are slowing people down

Mark McGinn wrote a fantastic blog about tips to break down organizational data silos to make the most of your ITAM. He suggested four tips including having knowledge of the present, historical knowledge, a managed request process, and knowing about your under-utilized assets.

9. Cost reduction is key

Matt Ward, from Softcat, wrote a blog about estate optimization. He recommended, “don’t be under or over licensed but buy just what you need. Don’t build a cushion of assets or a stockpile of software… It still surprises me that companies are willing to waste money when they could save 15-30% if both their hardware and software was optimized in a more efficient way.”

10. The role of ITAM for the journey of IT maturity cannot be overstated

In one of our final blogs of the initiative, Kevin J Smith outlined three examples of how ITAM is key for driving IT maturity. The blog discusses ways to leverage the value of ITAM, as well as ends with this great quote, “ITAM at its best is a success that goes unnoticed because everything just works.”

Thanks for sharing your holiday season with us. Wishing you a special festive season and a new year full of a lot more ITAM goodness.

If IT Assets Could Talk, What Would They Say?

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 21:34:28 Z

Think of your organization’s IT assets. They’re probably spread out across the globe, working in different capacities. From mobile phones to laptops to monitors, your many pieces of IT hardware can have quite a wide variety of experiences over their lifetime. So that got us thinking – if IT assets could talk, what would they say? What stories would they tell?

ITAM and ITSM Are Better Together: Free Whitepaper

We compiled four IT asset management (ITAM) stories submitted by our customers and told them in the perspective of the asset in the fun comics you’ll find throughout this blog post. Be sure to reach out to us on Twitter, tagging @GoIvanti, and let us know what your assets would say if they could talk!

Don’t Let Your Assets Get Cabinet Fever

Hopefully your IT assets are all being utilized to their greatest capacity, although this can be tricky to accomplish, especially without an IT asset management (ITAM) strategy in place.

In my own house, I have a “junk drawer” – my spot to put odds and ends that don’t have a logical place to go. You never put something in the “junk drawer” with the assumption that it’s a permanent landing place, but it always seems to end up that way.

Ivanti Asset Manager: Request a Demo

Many organizations have a “junk drawer” equivalent when it comes to their IT assets, whether it be a closet, a cabinet, or other forgotten space. What starts as a temporary decision to “throw that laptop there and I’ll look at it later” turns into a hardware graveyard. My eyes water just thinking about the amount of dust accumulating!

The Security Risks of Rogue Assets

Beyond not wasting time and money with assets lost in your organization’s “junk drawer” equivalent, there can also be risk associated with not knowing what assets you have. There are major security implications if you have untracked assets. If you don’t know what assets you have, how do you even begin to secure them? This can lead to unpatched assets, which could provide hackers an open door into your systems.

Knowing the Asset Lifecyle

IT Asset Management isn’t just about tracking the physical location of an asset, it’s also about having visibility into the asset’s health and performance at all times. If you don’t know where your IT assets are in their lifecycle, you’re risking productivity loss and spending unnecessary costs for repairs.

One of our customers recently told us a story about how some of their new laptops started being problematic – they noticed issues with the battery life and system speed. Instead of wasting time trying to fix the issue, they knew that the laptops were still under warranty, so they were able to replace them, no problem.

Replacing assets under warranty isn’t the only benefit of tracking IT asset lifecycles. I recently spoke to Roisin Tims, Marketing Manager at Ivanti, who had a wonderful experience with Ivanti’s IT department. Roisin had her laptop for a few years and it was starting to slow down, although not to a point that it was really frustrating her or inhibiting her work in the office. Before it had a chance to become an issue, IT proactively approached her about getting a new laptop, since they had been tracking her asset and knew it was time for her to get a hardware refresh.

“I was really impressed by how proactive the IT department was. I had my laptop replaced before it became a problem and my work didn’t skip a beat,” Roisin said.

Not only did the IT department keep the assets fresh and at the top of their game, they also kept their users happy and working at peak performance levels. This is just one of the many benefits of having an ITAM strategy in place to keep track of hardware assets.

Reclaim and Redistribute Unused Licenses

ITAM isn’t just about hardware asset management. Another major component is software asset management. Software overspend to avoid audits is a massive problem in IT. It is crucial for organizations to know what software exists in their environment, track usage, and identify areas and ways that IT assets can work smarter.

Tracking software usage can allow you to reclaim unused licenses and reallocate software to maximize the performance and value of your software. This not only helps you minimize cost, but it can help mitigate the risk of audits. It also helps you get a handle on Shadow IT in your environment. Software asset management allows you to achieve a state of complete and license optimization.

At Ivanti, our goal is to keep both your users and your assets happy. With Ivanti’s ITAM and IT Service Management solutions, you can build an IT strategy that will get your assets smiling. Read our whitepaper about how ITSM and ITAM are better together to learn more.

Ivanti: Back-To-Back Supply Chain Champs

Wed, 13 Nov 2019 20:38:03 Z

Earlier this summer, Ivanti was recognized by Supply & Demand Chain Executive (SDCE) as a recipient of an SDCE 100 award for 2019. The list highlights 100 great supply chain projects. Pardon the brag, but this is the second year in a row we’ve been recognized for supply chain excellence.

Ivanti Wins Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100 Award

First, a little background. SDCE is the executive’s user manual for successful supply and demand chain transformation, utilizing hard-hitting analysis, viewpoints, and unbiased case studies to steer executives and supply management professionals through the complicated, yet critical world of supply and demand chain enablement to gain a competitive advantage.

So what inspired Ivanti winning the award? It could have been so many things that sealed the deal for us – our industry-leading products, the amazing experience our customers have, or maybe just our good looks. Ok, maybe I’m letting this award get to my head. Ivanti was recognized for teaming with its partner Procensis, which is an industry leader in providing mobility and network design solutions, to enable Dorman Products to move to a next-generation mobile solution that included voice for its distribution center.

Dorman Products, a leading automotive parts supplier, was looking for a warehouse and supply chain solution that would improve accuracy, ease training, and help with management. Enlisting Procensis for help, Dorman Products leveraged Ivanti Velocity, Speakeasy, and Avalanche, all powered by Wavelink, as their warehouse solutions.

Using Ivanti's supply chain solutions including Velocity and Speakeasy, Dorman reduced picking errors by 86%, cut the time to train new employees by 50%, and increased productivity and accuracy for one of their largest customers by 15%. You can learn more about Dorman’s results with Ivanti by viewing the case study here.

The success extended past just quantitative results. Greg Bowen, OpEx engineer at Dorman Products, described the user interface enhancements Velocity delivered, saying, “In the past, you had to use the function keys to navigate through your processes. With Velocity, we were able to take out the fields we don’t use, highlight the fields we do use, make them bold and make them stand out in different colors. They’ve turned all the function keys into buttons. So, they’re navigating, instead of F3 back, they’re hitting the button that says ‘Back.’ For the new user, it just makes sense. It works just like your phone, which is great.”

According to the Ivanti press release, “The SDCE 100 can serve as a map for supply chain executives who are looking for new opportunities to drive improvement in their own operations. These projects show how supply chain solution and service providers help their customers and clients achieve supply chain excellence and prepare their supply chains for success.”

We’re so excited to be honored with the award two years in a row. Learn more about how Ivanti Supply Chain can help you leverage modern technology in the warehouse and across the supply chain here.

Highlights from the Security Controls Bootcamp Webinar Series

Wed, 23 Oct 2019 18:11:50 Z

You know that 5:30 a.m. “Booty Buster Boot Camp”—the one that forces you to wake up at a disgusting hour just to have a coach shout in your face as you struggle through endless squat sets, only to leave you wincing every time you sit down for the rest of the day? And then you tell your friends how great it was, and how fit you are, and you commit to going every day, even though deep down you know you’ll never go again. Oh wait, that’s just me?

Ok, so maybe I’m not a boot camp person. Say what you want about my willpower, but you know what I can commit to? Sitting in front of a computer screen for four hours. Now that’s the kind of boot camp I’m interested in.

As part of our National Cybersecurity Awareness Month efforts here at Ivanti, we hosted the Security Controls Boot Camp webinar series. It included four live webinars, held weekly throughout October. These thought-leadership webinars covered a variety of IT security topics focused on helping you manage your security strategy and build a stronger defense.

Don’t worry if you missed the webinars. You can view the recordings on-demand and read the summaries below. (No squats required.)

How to Cut through the “Fog of More” to Achieve a Solid Security Foundation

Why do security programs fail? How does a company that passed a recent audit suffer a breach? Is there a silver bullet out there for securing your environment?

It seems there are more questions than answers in cybersecurity today, so in this session, we provided some much needed answers. Our presenters David Murray and Jason Everson discussed ways to focus your security strategy to reduce the volume of security incidents and give your team back time to focus on business initiatives.

So, what does the “fog of more” refer to? According to David in the webinar, “most cyber-attacks are not particularly sophisticated. In fact, attacks often rely on simply misconfigured or outdated systems. The result of the 'fog of more' is confusion, misunderstanding, and ultimately, mistakes. Security and compliance professionals end up being so overwhelmed that they don’t have the time to investigate security events or to follow-up on insecure end-user processes, or even report up to upper management. One missed issue amidst all of this noise, one configuration that’s accidentally reset, or one misunderstood security event, and all of an organization’s investment in security could be in vain.”

To find out more about cutting through the “fog of more” using the CIS Controls, check out the webinar recording here.

Privilege Management for an Unpredictable World

Is it possible to remove admin rights without losing user productivity? Admin accounts are the “keys to the kingdom.” Attackers use them for full access to information and systems. We all know that a least-privilege approach is a security best practice, but removing admin rights can result in disgruntled users and lost productivity. In this webinar, our presenters David Murray and Jason Everson showed attendees how they can get the balance right between security and productivity.

“Privileged Management can function in two different ways. Either users are given standard accounts and any privileges they’re required to do their job is given to them just for the things they need to do. This is a least-privilege approach, which is an industry best practice. In the other option, users retain their existing admin accounts and privileges that they don’t need are restricted. This is typically quicker to implement than the previous option and will offer much better protection than doing nothing. This could also be used as a stepping stone to adopting your least-privilege methodology. Employing one of these approaches will reduce the risk,” Jason Everson explained during the webinar.

To learn more about the battle between IT and the end-user, plus view a helpful demo to see exactly how you can implement privilege management, view the on-demand webinar here.

Application Control – Maintenance Headache or Manageable Solution?

Industry analysts are increasingly turning to application control as a key component in protecting endpoints against targeted attacks and advanced persistent threats. But many companies have tried and failed to implement effective whitelisting. Discovery can be an exhaustive process. Once implemented, there is a constant need to maintain and update the whitelist, and some solutions also take a heavy performance toll on the system. In this session, our presenter David Murray discussed how to implement application control in a real-world environment without all of the drama.

David started the webinar with a great analogy on antivirus vs. application whitelisting. “Antivirus is like that bouncer who watches everybody going into the nightclub and is trying to spot bad behavior. They’re going to catch some, but others probably had a few too many drinks. They manage to slip by, and inevitably they cause some problem inside the club. That’s kind of your antivirus approach, trying to catch bad behavior. Application whitelisting is more like the doorman on the door of an exclusive club that’s got a guest list. And it’s a very simple approach. If you’re not on the list, you don’t get in. The problem, of course, is there’s still a list that has to be checked and maintained.”

For a demo of application control in a real-world environment, you can watch the webinar recording here.

Plugging your Patching Holes with Ivanti Security Controls

We know that patching is still an issue and a burden. Well, we want to take that burden off your hands. In this webinar, presenters Sara Otremba, Helen Brown, and David Murray gave attendees a firsthand look at Ivanti Security Controls’ patching capabilities. From its initial debut with Windows patching, we’ve expanded into the Linux realm. Watch this webinar to see how you can patch not only Windows but Redhat Linux and CentOS from a single interface. We also gave details on the latest about our CVE-to-Patch import capability that helps IT and security work together to reduce the time to patch.

“What are the things that cause delays and prevent organizations from patching in under two weeks? First of all is identification and prioritization. The challenge here is often in the handoff between the security team and the IT operations team. The security team have the tools to identify vulnerabilities and maybe even prioritize them, but then the IT operations team has to take that report, research those CVEs, duplicate them and identify the associated patches that have to be applied. They can spend hours if not days working through this every month or every couple of weeks. So before we roll out patches, organiations will typically have test environments, where they do the testing of patches before rolling them out across their organization. So how many tests machines do you need to test the updates and be assured that you’re not going to have issues rolling out patches in production? The bottom line is testing introduces some delays along the way – reliability versus risk. So all of these issues create challenges, introduce delays to the patching process for our already busy administrators. Ivanti Security Controls can help with this,” David Murray explains in the webinar.

Learn the solution to the issues described by David by watching the webinar recording here.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Employees Past? Offboard to Stay Secure

Mon, 21 Oct 2019 21:03:31 Z

It’s officially Spooky SZN (as the kids say), so I’ve got haunts on the mind. Here are some things that scare me the most:

The fact that I had to Google “SZN” the first time I saw it on social media. When did I get too old to know the new lingo?
The window to order Pumpkin Spice Lattes is getting smaller and smaller each day. I can practically smell the Gingerbread and Peppermint monstrosities around the corner.
The depressing reality that two weeks ago, I bought a Costco-sized bag of Halloween candy for the trick-or-treaters and I’ve singlehandedly almost finished it. When will I learn to procrastinate my candy purchases???
The ghosts of former employees coming back to haunt me.

Okay, okay, I know I was super relatable up until #4, but hear me out.

Imagine you have an employee left feeling disgruntled after an unexpected termination. Or perhaps you have an employee who leaves your organization to go work for a competitor. If you don’t offboard these employees quickly and accurately, you’re leaving your business vulnerable to all sorts of hocus pocus and devilish mischief.

The Risks of Improper Offboarding

Offboarding is often a task left to service desk teams, but the chilling consequences of improper offboarding have a massive impact on the security of an organization. As part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, it’s important to highlight one of the most serious risks a company could face—a former employee who wasn’t offboarded and de-provisioned quickly and accurately.

The potential consequences of an ex-employee not being offboarded properly are truly hair-raising. As part of your offboarding process, you should consider:

Timely recovery of company assets such as laptops, company phones, and tablets
Ways to reduce the risk of private data being exposed
Immediately revoking user credentials and other authentication methods to stop systems from being compromised by unauthorized access

When your offboarding processes are done right, ex-employees who go trick-or-treating for old accounts, trade secrets, and confidential information will be met only by locked doors and dark porches.

Employment Trends Mean Manual Processes Must Go

Offboarding has always been part of IT processes, but you can expect it to increase. According to a 2018 survey by Deloitte, your organization’s youngest generation, Millennials, will make onboarding and offboarding a challenge for IT:

43% will leave their jobs within two years
Only 28% plan to stay in their current role for five years
62% are eyeing temporary gigs instead of full-time jobs

With the rise in short-term employees, it’s time to iron out manual offboarding processes. Such labor-intensive processes are one of the main reasons why offboarding is often done incompletely or inaccurately. Traditionally, offboarding is executed through a series of cumbersome manual processes that leave room for human error. On top of that, most organizations don’t have an easily accessible central repository of data that outlines each employee’s access rights.

You don’t need spells and wizardry to make these manual processes vanish into the night; all you need is a little automation!

How Woodforest National Bank Automated Offboarding

Woodforest National Bank, based in Texas, is a leading retail bank serving consumers and businesses from more than 750 branches across the U.S. It is also an Ivanti customer, using Ivanti® Identity Director and Ivanti Automation.

Woodforest struggled with its previous Identity and Access Management solution, finding it slow to update, hard to manage, and burdened by manual processes. After switching to Ivanti, the bank implemented automation that enabled IT to streamline operations, improve security, and build a central repository, in less than eight weeks.

The financial institution transformed its offboarding process from three to five days to 20 minutes. Before Ivanti, Woodforest used PowerShell and VB scripts, plus manual processes to terminate a user account. IT still needed to manually de-provision home docs and cancel email accounts. Automating those processes and more helped the bank become more secure, no longer fearing the spine-chilling consequences of a frightfully long offboarding process.

Stay Secure with Ivanti Automation

Using Ivanti Automation, you can immediately de-provision assets and cut off systems access, limiting the potential for human error. You can build and execute offboarding tasks according to a defined, custom process, so everything is streamlined. You can rest easy knowing that former employees won’t be haunting your nightmares.

Offboard correctly the first time and let the ghosts of former employees rest in peace.

Top 5 Reasons to Attend the Cybersecurity Summit Virtual Event

Tue, 15 Oct 2019 20:12:34 Z

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and here at Ivanti, we’ve gone all out to celebrate. From daily blogs to weekly webinars, we’ve published almost 50 pieces of educational IT security themed content.

The crown jewel of the month’s celebrations is the Cybersecurity Summit, a free virtual event brought to you by the IT Leadership Summit. The October 23rd event is focused on giving you insights to combat today’s evolving threats.

Now is the time to boost your defenses, shrink the attack surface, and solidify a plan to remediate and respond to breaches and attacks when they happen. If you still aren’t convinced, here are five reasons you should attend the Cybersecurity Summit.

1. Hear from industry experts

We’re bringing out the big guns for this event. With speakers and sponsors from CrowdStrike, Morphisec, Forrester, Integral Consulting, Kenna Security, Lynx Technology, Sirius, and Ivanti, you’ll have the chance to attend educational sessions from companies around the world.

Worried about this being a seven-hour sales pitch? Fear not! We’re focusing this event on thought leadership only, which means no product pitches; just the opportunity for you to learn and become a better IT professional.

2. Learn from an informative keynote

The featured speaker of the Cybersecurity Summit is Dr. Chase Cunningham, a Principal Analyst at Forrester responsible for guiding client initiatives related to security operations center planning and optimization, counter-threat operations, encryption, network security, and Zero Trust concepts and implementation.

In his keynote, “How to Justify Zero Trust Investments for Non-Security Leaders,” you’ll learn the three main challenges to moving towards a Zero Trust model as Dr. Cunningham dispels the myths around Zero Trust.

3. Get the CISO perspective

Do you ever wish you could be a fly on the wall in C-level meetings? In one of our most anticipated sessions, we’re bringing in veteran CISOs Phil Richards (Ivanti, Fidelity, Varian, IHC) and Peter Green (Sirius, Verizon, Novell), for a panel discussion about IT strategy in 2020 and beyond. This session will answer questions like where you should place your bets and budget and how can you protect your organization from the new threats. They’ll also share some IT security stories that will make your skin crawl.

4. Dive into one of the biggest topics in the industry: Risk

Not building a risk strategy is risky business; that’s why we’re including three sessions in this virtual event all about risk. Join Morphisec as they discuss a proactive prevention strategy to reduce risk, followed by presenters from Ivanti, Morphisec, Kenna Security, and SealedAir as they cover risk-based prioritization in the trenches. To close the event, Lynx will present about integrated risk management on the enterprise level.

5. Attending is free and easy

Industry conferences can be a hassle. From convincing your manager to free up budget to allow you to attend to nametags and awkward “networking breaks,” conferences aren’t for everyone.

The Cybersecurity Summit is free to attend and is entirely online. Join from your office, car or couch. If you can’t attend live, view on-demand later. It couldn’t be easier to increase your security posture.

We hope we’ve inspired you to join us on October 23 for the big event. We’ll see you there!

A Love Letter to Ivanti Webinars

Wed, 25 Sep 2019 21:08:00 Z

Autumn is officially cuffing season, which is defined by Chamin Ajjan MS, LCSW, ACT, as: “A specific time of year when people become extremely motivated to get coupled up.”

If you are feeling that cool autumn air, smelling the pumpkin spice, and unpacking your winter coats, chances are that you are ready to be cuffed. Maybe you’ve already re-downloaded Tinder. Or, if you’re already in a relationship, perhaps you’re feeling the urge to snuggle up by the fire with your partner and bask in your mutual affection.

No matter what your situation, may I suggest a great place to turn this cuffing season: Ivanti webinars. Stay with me here.

Ivanti webinars may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of romance (and if it is, honestly, I’m concerned about you). But there are a lot of reasons why you should love Ivanti webinars.

Ivanti Webinars

Ivanti has been building its webinar program for years now. We produce one to two webinars per week. These webinars are focused on providing both thought leadership and educational content to help you become a better IT professional.

We do all sorts of webinars, ranging from breaking news updates right after global ransomware attacks to major Ivanti company announcements to industry best practices. Some highlights this year have been our BlueKeep update, IT and your mental health, our women in technology panel, and our expert IT predictions panel.

We’re actually right in the middle of our Security Controls Bootcamp webinar series. This series is a four-part string of webinars focused on helping you get a better handle of your IT security, as part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Here are the links to register:

Patch Tuesday and Threat Thursday

The longest running series we have at Ivanti is our famous Patch Tuesday series, which is regularly refenced on Krebs on Security, Computerworld from IDG, SC Magazine, Silicon Angle, and many more. Our coverage of Patch Tuesday acts as thousands of people’s compass as they try to navigate the murky waters of cybersecurity. The smartest, best IT professionals in the world use Ivanti’s Patch Tuesday webinar to prioritize their patches.

We’ve also launched a brand-new series, Threat Thursday. Once a month, Ivanti Director of Product Management Chris Goettl and CISO Phil Richards share information about some of the largest security threats and recent attacks hitting worldwide. This series helps you stay vigilant with the news you need.

Why I Love Ivanti Webinars

I’ll admit, Ivanti webinars hold a special place in my heart because I spent over two years living and breathing them. From planning calls to slide deck preparation to promotion, I loved the chance to connect with the Ivanti community through these webinars. We had so many customers join the webinars, live-tweeting along, asking questions and offering their own insights. It turned the sessions into interactive experiences where IT experts and professionals could actively collaborate in a new way.

And if you think you’ve seen all that Ivanti webinars can offer, you’re wrong. We’ve brought on production-extraordinaire Jared Richardson to the webinar team to take these webinars to the next level. Changes are brewing in webinar world, so get excited for fewer slide decks, new webinar series and video elements, and more speaker interaction.

That’s right folks, consider me cuffed up this season to Ivanti webinars. But you don’t have to be a total #webinerd like myself to fall in love with our program. Go find your coziest pair of slipper socks, make a mug of hot coco, and settle into one of our next sessions to see for yourself why Ivanti webinars are so special.

The Ivanti UK Team Reviews American Snacks

Fri, 02 Aug 2019 20:23:23 Z

Oh, how the tables have turned…

One year ago, I transferred from Ivanti’s Utah headquarters to our office in Bracknell, right outside of London. Moving to a new country is pretty overwhelming in that you’re constantly surrounded by new sights, new smells, new sounds (you haven’t heard English until you've heard a Geordie accent), and most importantly, new tastes.

I dove into the world of British food with the basics: British biscuits. This is how I fell in love with Hobnobs and Orange Clubs. Next, I tried British crisps (chips, in the US), where I discovered my colleagues had a rather sadistic side when they subjected me to Pickled Onion Monster Munch and Lemon and Scampi Nik Naks.

It's obvious by my previous blog posts about British snacks that I can whip out insults and judgments all day long, but can I take a taste of my own medicine? I figured it was time to jump off my high horse and see. So I brought in some American snacks to see what my British colleagues thought. I included some classics, plus a couple of crazy flavored items to get revenge for the Mr. Porky Crackles (#NeverForget).

First, meet our esteemed panel of judges. On our panel today, we have members of the Ivanti marketing team (pictured below from left to right): Sara Coppock, Vijay Mistry, Lee Crombie, Roisin Tims, and Jeni McSkimming.

We also have a few quotes from Daniel Polisano and Sarah Lewis.

Fuego Takis (Spicy Lime)

“They’re not for me. I didn’t even taste the lime, just the fire.” – Roisin
“There’s nothing real about them. They taste like the equivalent of what I imagine Hell tastes like. These are disgusting.” – Lee
“Look at the color, they just look wrong.” – Vijay
“These are heavy! And they look like you can smoke it. But I don’t like that taste.” – Sara

Honey Barbeque Fritos

“No, absolutely not. That leaves a horrible taste in your mouth. It’s like BBQ flavor coated wood.” – Lee
“Wow, these babies are delicious! A bit like the consistency of a Wheat Crunchie but the flavor of heaven. Thank goodness they don’t sell these in the U.K. as I could quite easily become addicted!” – Sarah
“These are a kid’s crisp. The silly shape and sweetness keep small minds entertained.” – Dan

Plain Lays

“Better than Walkers Ready Salted Crisps.” – Lee

Bugles

“I like these, they have the perfect saltiness, and I like that they are little finger hats.” – Jeni
“Bugles are lovely. But I’m disappointed they didn’t make a tune when you open the bag.” – Lee
“Dull. A dull crisp.” – Dan

Gardetto’s

“These have a very nice taste but I don’t like the mix of textures.” – Jeni
“Most enjoyable, you can’t go wrong. I like the rye chips in the combination, it’s a good variety.” – Lee
“They’re like a pick and mix surprise! A really bad surprise.” – Sara

Dill Pickle Lays

*Note – Dill pickles aren’t really a thing here in the UK, so this was a double whammy of flavor experimentation. Also fun fact, in the UK, they call pickles “gherkins.”

“I really like these, I could eat a whole bag.” – Sara, said with wide eyes the moment she took a bite.
“My initial impression of this flavor was horror! My first taste was a shocker but weirdly I felt the need to have another one. I’d say these are a similar flavor to Pickled Onion Monster Munch but on steroids. Truly a party in my mouth!” – Sarah
“What a horrendous flavor. I wouldn’t eat a jar of pickles nor would I finish a bag of these. Absolutely not. Those are worse than the Takis.” – Dan

Cheez-it

“That’s like squirty canned cheese in cracker form. I like them.” – Sara
“Absolutely horrible. I couldn’t even swallow that, disgusting. Just horrid. If Takis are Hell, this is the next level of hell.” – Lee
“Tastes like someone’s mangy feet.” – Vijay

Barbeque Lays

“Lovely. Just a very nice crisp.” – Lee
“These are good, but they smell like the HMS Victory Ship.” – Jeni
“Awesome.” – Vijay
“The king of American chips. Also known as overrated. Barbeque sauce should be much more exciting than this, I don’t like it.” – Dan

Cheetos

“These are just the best.” – Sara

Swedish Fish

“Ugh. Yuck. Weird texture. It’s like eating a cotton bud.” – Jeni
“There’s just nothing to them.” – Lee
“Candlewax delights.” – Dan

Pink Starburst

“Love these.” – Lee
“Like a strawberry milkshake in a chew.” – Jeni
“That’s a keeper.” – Sara
“This I like. A burst of strawberry delight in your mouth.” – Roisin

Jolly Ranchers

“I like those. A perfect snack for teenage boys. And so much fun when your tongue goes blue.” – Roisin
“The watermelon ones are amazing. My absolute favorite.” – Jeni
“These should be illegal with this much food dye.” – Dan

Runts

“Surprisingly hard, I thought they would be chewy. They have a really strong flavor at first and then they just turn into powder. But the banana is nice.” – Jeni
“These are just bombs of sugar.” – Lee
“I’m liking it, but I wasn’t prepared for the texture.” – Vijay

Hot Tamales

“Tastes like medicine. I like it.” – Lee
“Kind of like spicy jelly beans.” – Sara
“Disgusting. They burned my tongue.” – Jeni
“These are a winner. They taste like medicine, but I’m down with that.” – Dan

Sour Patch Kids

“Yes. An absolute delight on the tongue. A dancing of flavors on the taste buds. Green is the best.” – Lee
“These don’t taste of anything except sugar. The green is disgusting.” – Jeni

Nerds

“They are too small, awkward to eat. It’s just sugar, isn’t it really?” – Lee
“The classic Nerd. Good, if you’re eight years old. And the colors! Can we turn the lights of and see if they glow in the dark?” – Dan

Even though the opinions were varied, my main takeaway is that when a British person is disgusted by something, somehow, they still sound so classy. I need to work on switching out my “ewww gross” with “absolutely horrid.”

Interchange Unplugged Behind the Scenes

Mon, 08 Jul 2019 22:41:59 Z

Interchange, Ivanti’s user conference, is an amazing chance for IT professionals to come together for networking, technical workshops, expert one-on-one sessions, and thought-provoking keynotes. This year, our two Interchange conferences were hosted in Madrid, Spain, and Nashville, Tennessee. In addition to these main events, we are offering 21 different one-day events globally, otherwise known as Interchange Unplugged.

Interchange Unplugged Japan

So far, we’ve already hosted these events in Dubai, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, and Japan. There are more coming in China, Australia, China, South Africa, the UK, Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.

These events allow you to discover more about Ivanti’s solutions for IT Asset Management, Identity Management and Automation, Security, Service Management, Unified Endpoint Management and User Workspace Management. They all include break-out sessions and informative content, designed to extend your knowledge of Ivanti and its solutions.

Planning the Event

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#InterchangeUnplugged19 of the year in Dubai was yesterday. Great turnout, educational tracks and lots of insightful conversations between Ivanti customers, partners and executives! Thank you to everyone who attended. pic.twitter.com/AoBoolVuzW
— Ivanti (@GoIvanti) April 25, 2019

Before the day of the actual event, there is a ton of planning that goes into Unplugged. I asked Miko Arai, our Japan Field Marketing Manager, about what goes into planning an Unplugged event, as she just wrapped up Tokyo Unplugged. “It’s a lot of communication, internal and external. This includes collaborating with local media, getting a referral for a keynote guest speaker, getting partners onboarded to sponsor the event, working with customers to join as guest speakers (this is especially key because the customer session is the most popular session every year). It also includes reviewing presentation slides of internal speakers and partners as well as having the sales team and partners engage by inviting customers and prospects,” Miko said.

Jeni McSkimming, EMEA West Field Marketing Manager, added to the list of everything that needs to be considered when planning an event. “Planning any event is hard work, you literally need to think of everything, from the minor to the major. Staffing, electricity requirements, internet, speakers, and social media all need to be considered, and that is just scratching the surface. You need to start planning at least 10 months in advance to establish a location, venue, and content, but of course content can change up to the very last minute,” Jeni explained.

Christine Butsmann, our EMEA Central Senior Field Marketing Manager, and her team refer to their Unplugged events as their “Interchange Roadshow.” “With a sound system, furniture, and equipment such as a reception desk and a lectern, we’re basically a band on tour, just without the musical instruments. The atmosphere even makes us feel like roadies. We drive together, we eat together, and we help each other up to the moment we are all exhausted – but happy. That’s my favorite part of Interchange Unplugged, when everything is in the van, all bundles laced and off we go!” Christine said.

Cultural Differences

Another key part about planning any event is catering for your specific audience and keeping in mind cultural differences. You need to consider these differences depending on your location, an Unplugged event is going to look very different in London vs Japan. “In Japan, people are more serious, so it is hard to play around and make the event more entertaining. During the actual presentations, people prefer written surveys over Q&A sessions and they like printed presentation materials available the day of the event. Half-days are usually preferred over full-day events so people can work in the morning. We have a lot of workaholics here!” Miko said.

Interchange Unplugged EMEA South

“In Germany, people appreciate an event that they do not have to stay overnight at. We try to start an event no earlier than 10am and end it no later than 4pm. We also try to choose a venue that can easily be reached by plane, train, public transportation, or car. This gives everyone the freedom to travel in the morning and evening,” Christine said.

“I have found over the years of event planning that in the UK, we do like some social drinks at the end of an event. We’re happy with a full day of events as long as the content is engaging, and we get a nice long lunch breaks and plenty of time to check emails!” Jeni said.

During the Event

The Unplugged events are a great chance to meet with Ivanti experts and partners. We asked Anne-Pierre Guignard, EMEA South Field Marketing Director, what sort of value people can expect from attending an Unplugged event. “The events have great solution keynotes and demos in local languages. The number one topic this year was Ivanti Cloud. Attendees also have a chance to hear interesting customer testimonies, have one-to-one meetings with Ivanti experts, and discover the benefits of Unified IT,” Anne-Pierre said.

Jeni added to Anne-Pierre’s sentiments. “We have so many updates and product insight at the events. It is a chance for our customers to network, meet industry folk who know and breath Ivanti, meet peers, and of course enjoy the day at no charge,” Jeni said.

“The best part about Interchange Unplugged events are the interactions and discussions with the customers, prospects, and sponsors (plus the selfie opportunities!). As one customer told me, ‘It’s good to feel like being part of the Ivanti family at Unplugged.’ These events are great teamwork events where everyone is involved,” Anne-Pierre said. Even with all of the stress that comes into the actual event and the planning, it is very rewarding seeing our customers come out with a great experience. “The fun of Unplugged comes during the execution. To see a well-organized event take place and customers get what they wanted and what was intended from the day is so fun. It’s also great working with a team who support the event in all aspects and make good things happen,” Jeni added.

No matter where you are in the world, the Interchange Unplugged events are a great way to network, connect with and learn more about Ivanti, attend educational IT sessions, and hopefully have a lot of fun. Check out our Unplugged site to find a location near you. We hope to see you soon!

Highlights From Infosec Europe 2019

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 20:11:53 Z

If you’re looking for your Sweet Spot of Security, you need to visit @GoIvanti at #InfoSec19 at stand C80! Jelly beans, lollies and strawberries are waiting 🍓🍭 pic.twitter.com/4FHJVbcwQt
— e92plus (@e92plus) June 5, 2019

Earlier this month, Ivanti had the chance to partner with e92plus at the Infosecurity Europe Conference at Olympia London. The three-day event was buzzing with IT professionals from beginning to end. There were many opportunities for networking, educating yourself on the industry, and learning from other experts in the industry.

The Ivanti and e92plus Booth

There were a lot of amazing booths at Infosec, but the Ivanti and e92plus booth was definitely a stand-out. Our goal was to help people hit the sweet spot of security by bringing together their patch management, privilege management, and whitelisting. We had skeeball on the stand, so people could practice hitting the sweet spot, while serving people’s sweet tooth with strawberries and cream, lollipops, and jelly beans. We also had live demos available on the stand so people could learn more about Ivanti’s security solutions.

The booth was a hit! People were lining up to enter our giveaway by competing at skeeball. We also had crowds of people coming to the booth for our demos and a chance at a fresh snack in the form of strawberries and cream.

Expert Sessions

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When the #cybersecurity knowledge that @ChrisGoettl is about to drop is so 🔥🔥🔥 that you need headphones to fully appreciate it #infosec19 #SilentPresentation pic.twitter.com/jyrvmCAaSW
— Ivanti (@GoIvanti) June 5, 2019

On the second day of the event, Chris Goettl spoke at two sessions, a strategy talk and a technology showcase. The first was about modern cyber threats and prioritizing security controls to combat them. The session ran sort of like a silent disco, where everyone had headphones to listen to the presentation with.

Chris talked about phishing and how “to break into an enterprise network today, you can still follow the exact same process as you did in 1999.”

He also took a trip down memory lane (or should I saw malware lane) and looked back at ransomware attacks SamSam, Emotet, and TrickBot.

He also looked into the future and discussed BlueKeep. “BlueKeep has Wannacry potential. 35% of Windows workstations globally are affected by BlueKeep. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when,” Chris said.

The second presentation covered why vulnerability management fails. Chris discussed BlueKeep in depth. He talked about the BlueKeep timeline over 14 days and how crucial patching the BlueKeep vulnerability is.

Chris also had a chance to speak to Infosec representatives about the value of breaking silos and providing technologies that IT need so that they can do their job.

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It’s a very full house for the @e92plus CyberSocial at #infosec19! Thanks to everyone who’s come along for a 🍻 pic.twitter.com/YAbuQ7AhJ6
— e92plus (@e92plus) June 5, 2019

e92plus Party

e92plus hosted a CyberSocial, which took place at Latymer’s Pub near the event. According to Field Marketing Manager Jeni McSkimming, “The place was full of partners and vendors all ready to enjoy the wonderful Thai buffet and free beer on offer. The numbers even sprawled out into the street. The evening was filled with fun, laughter, and a lot of wholesome conversation. Ivanti was pleased to be a part of it.”

Overall, Ivanti was excited to participate in such a wonderful industry event. We loved the chance to meet so many IT professionals and hear insights into what IT is dealing with in the field. We hope all those who visited the Ivanti booth had a “sweeter” experience at Infosec because of us! If you didn’t have a chance to visit us, check out our exclusive 60 day free trial for Ivanti Security Controls here.

The Definitive British Crisp Ranking (According to an American)

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 16:53:53 Z

About three months ago, I decided to completely alienate myself at the Ivanti office by writing a definitive ranking of British biscuits. I thought the UK was divided in the Brexit dealings, but it turns out all you need to unify the country is to have an American call Jaffa Cakes disgusting. I practically lost my visa over the controversy.

But baby, this American is back, ready to give my fire takes on an equally important topic: British crisps.

Here is a quick glossary of terms for my fellow Yankees:

Crisps (UK) = Chips (USA), which is kind of confusing, because:
Chips (UK) = Fries (USA). But to make the math even more difficult:
Chips (UK) ≠ Wedges, thin fries, sweet potato fries, or curly fries.

Example: If you want thicker fries with your fish, you order fish and chips. If you want thin fries with your burger, you order fries or French fries. If you want a side of sweet potato fries, you order that, not sweet potato chips.

And one more, to really screw with you:

French fries (UK) = A type of crisp (a USA chip) but also refers to a skinny chip (UK).

Now, I really don’t want to be the annoying American tweeting out insults and criticisms like a certain president of ours, and as a noted chip lover in the US, I wanted to fall in love with British crisps. But with crisps flavors like prawn (shrimp) cocktail, pickled onion, scampi and lemon, and marmite, it’s hard to feign that famous British politeness. So, let’s dive in as I laugh in the face of swimsuit season and eat the equivalent of two family-size bags in thirty minutes. I present to you the definitive British crisp ranking, from worst to best.

20. Pickled Onion Monster Munch

Description: A massive airy crisp in the shape of a circle with four fingers. You can smell them a mile away. You can feel them destroying your gums and the roof of your mouth as you chew.
My thoughts: A picture’s worth a thousand words, but in this video’s case, I’m speechless.

19. Mr. Porky Crackles

Description: These are bits of pork rind. I could smell the opened bag from across the room and sniffing the pork rind directly had me feeling nauseous. Some parts are extremely crunchy while other pieces (that contain the pork fat) are soft. Apparently, if you’re lucky, you’ll get one that still has pig hair on it.
My thoughts: There were a lot of gross crisps, but this is the only one that made feel like I was going to throw up.

18. Scampi ‘n’ Lemon Nik Naks and Scampi Fries

Description: Although both of these are different shapes and sizes, they have a lot in common. They smell like death. Opening the bag fills the room with the scent of an old fish that’s been sitting out in the sun.
My thoughts: These are truly shocking. First, I fundamentally believe that “Scampi and Lemon” is great for pasta, but is not a flavor that needs to be replicated and mass produced. I’ve never had a sour chip, but these somehow are both sour and stale.

17. Twiglets

Description: They look like little sticks with part of the bark stripped off. These traditional Christmas crisps are marmite flavor, which is basically yeast.
My thoughts: Are you in the mood to eat a burnt stick? Twiglets are perfect for you!

16. Pickled Onion Space Raiders

Description: Another airy crisp in the shape of little alien heads with very retro packaging. As far as presentation, these get a 10/10.
My thoughts: I just don’t understand why pickled onion crisps need to exist.

15. Salt and Vinegar Squares and Discos

Description: Both of these pack a punch of salt and vinegar flavor. Squares sort of have the consistency of a pita chip, where Discos are more stale circles.
My thoughts: I’m not a salt and vinegar person, so I didn’t like these, but I could see how a reasonable human would enjoy them.

14. Prawn Cocktail Skips

Description: Opening up a bag of Skips, you are immediately hit with the smell of the ocean and seafood. Which is great, if you’re at the beach. Inside of a little bag of chips? Not so much…
My thoughts: Like Nik Naks, their smell is worse than the taste. They fade away fairly quickly, sort of melting in your mouth, but not in a good way. They taste weirdly sweet, which is surprising in a shrimp flavored chip. Overall, everything about these was just plain weird.

13. Real Roast Ox Crisps

Description: A strong meaty smell and flavor.
My thoughts: Roast ox – the chip flavor nobody asked for but they made it anyway.

12. Spicy Tomato Snaps, Pom-Bears, Cheddar Quavers, and Salt and Vinegar Chipsticks

Description: These are four different crisps that are basically interchangeable. They all have the consistency of plain Veggie Straws in the US, but are just different shapes and are seasoned differently.
My thoughts: Spicy tomato flavor isn’t as bad as it sounds. Cheddar Quavers are probably the best of these four, but none of them are particularly special. One important thing to note, according to Ivanti Sales Development Representative and Englishman Lee Crombie, “Quavers stick around. You’ll burp three days later and taste it again.” I think that says it all.

11. Cheese Savouries

Description: Cheese flavored crackers
My thoughts: A half-assed version of Goldfish. Half the flavor, half the fun.

10. Nik Naks Nice ‘n’ Spicy

Description: Little squares with a spicy tomato flavor
My thoughts: These are pretty decent. Honestly, at this point, I’m just grateful for anything that isn’t fish flavored.

9. Hula Hoops and Wheat Crunchies (I tried the Crispy Bacon flavor and the Cheddar and Onion)

Description: Cylinder crisps that are completely hollow. Hula Hoops are smaller where Wheat Crunchies are longer.
My thoughts: These are almost too crunchy to eat, you could break a tooth of these if you aren’t careful. You must burn more calories trying to chew them than you gain ingesting them. But these will work in a pinch when you’re hit with a snack craving.

8. Wotsits

Description: The UK’s answer to my burning question: Where are the Cheetos?
My thoughts: First off, I feel like I’m living in a Dr. Seuss book. Between Wosits, Twiglets, Discos, and Frazzles, these crisp names are certainly stranger than fiction. Wotsits taste like puffy Cheetos with less fake cheese flavor.

I was treated to another “Sara Coppock Special” with Wotsits (remember, she is the creator of the famous Rich Tea Sandwich from the biscuit blog). It’s called a Crisp Butty, which is two pieces of bread with cream cheese and Wotsits in the middle. Basically if you’re in the mood for empty carbs, this is the sandwich for you.

7. Sensations Roasted Chicken and Thyme

Description: I’ve been told these are “posh crisps” aka rich people crisps. These have the same look and feel as Classic Lays, but BOY OH BOY the taste is something very, very different.
My thoughts: Remember in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when Willy Wonka made a stick of gum that was a whole meal? This chip is a whole roast dinner squeezed into the metaphorical stick of gum. It really is shocking to bite into a chip and get hit by the overwhelming flavor of chicken. Even though these are really weird, they are tasty.

6. Ringos Onion Rings

Description: Very similar to Funyuns in the US. Onion flavored circles.
My thoughts: Your breath will be crazy after eating these. But to be fair, your breath will be even crazier if you eat all of these crisps in one sitting, so who am I to judge? These are very addictive though, it would be easy to blow through a bag.

5. Ready Salted Walkers (I also tried Beef and Onion flavor)

Description: Very similar to a Lays potato chip
My thoughts: A classic. Less salty than Lays but still hits the spot for any potato chip craving.

4. McCoy’s (I tried the Salted flavor and Cheddar and Onion)

Description: Like Wavy Lays or Ruffles, a classic ridge cut chip
My thoughts: There is a little bit less seasoning than an American chip would have, but these are great. Exactly what you look for when you want a crisp.

3. Crispy Bacon Frazzles

Description: They come in the shape of little pieces of bacon, streaks and all. They are another airy one, drenched in bacon flavor.
My thoughts: I’m a big fan of bacon, but not a big fan of bacon flavored stuff. I suppose you could call me a purist. But I have to admit, these are peculiar, but delicious. They stink, you’ll smell them on your fingers for ages, and they are very salty, but overall I really enjoyed them.

2. French Fries (I tried the Cheddar and Onion flavor and Plain Salted)

Description: Very thin and crunchy while still holding true to the airiness of a British crisp
My thoughts: Who would have thought that crisp with the name that perplexes me the most would end up bringing me the most joy? These simple little crisps were an absolute delight.

1. Sensations Thai Sweet Chili

Description: Classic potato chips with a sweet and spicy seasoning
My thoughts: This is the perfect crisp, and I’d venture to say, even better than most crisps in America (gasp!). They are spicy without being overpowering and a light sweetness brings all of the flavors together.

Final Thoughts

British crisps are better than American chips in three ways:

They have more interesting names
They come in fun shapes and there is a bigger variety of textures
They aren’t afraid of unique flavors and really commit to wacky combinations

Even considering these factors, America pulls ahead in the most important category: taste. Nothing can quite compete with our greasy, calorie-filled chips that leave a heavenly layer of fake cheese dust on your fingers.

America: home of the free, land of the Lays.