*This post originally appeared on the AppSense blog prior to the rebrand in January 2017, when AppSense, LANDESK, Shavlik, Wavelink, and HEAT Software merged under the new name Ivanti.

Hi Guys,

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It’s been a while since I have written a blog but there is so much we’ve been doing lately I thought I had something of value to share.

No this is not just a blog about lovely brunettes zapping people with magical powers, it’s about focus, it’s about what we see in the market right now, and it’s about a lesson learnt from Steve Jobs.

We sit and talk with customers every day and there is usually a long list of challenges and issues they are trying to overcome. You’ve all seen those lists and you would know as well as I do that they are more of a WISH list than a TO-DO list.

Steve Jobs famously used to meet with his 100 Best and Brightest where he asked them to come up with the 10 most important things Apple should be doing. Of course all of these people had their own agenda to push so you can imagine how long the list became. Gradually he drove them to refine the list to a Top 10. Then came the kicker. He turned to them and said “We will only do the Top 3”. Now think about that. Here’s a room full of highly intelligent people – most of which have had their pet project put in the bin. Or you could look at it from the other angle – here is a room full of highly intelligent people – who moving forward – will ALL be focusing on just three things. So how does that help our customer with their list of 15 important IT challenges they must resolve ASAP – same same – they need to focus on their Top 3 – get them done, and then move onto the next most important Top 3.

When we talk to customers today, across enterprise and medium size organizations, their Top 3 typically fits into one of these three categories:

  1. Desktop Migration – O/S life cycle is getting shorter and shorter, clients need to keep up and also make sure that any benefits from a new OS, a new application deployment method, or a new platform for users is rolled out rapidly, smoothly, and with as little impact on the users as possible. The ability to find solutions for project roadblocks, along with eliminating future migration projects are key benefits AppSense adds to any migration project.
  2. Security – With all the focus on XP End of Life and concerns about Zero Day attacks post April 8, organizations are taking another long hard look at white listing, and the removal of local admin rights. Recommendations and guidelines are flying think and fast from organizations like so to remain compliant with those directions, organizations need to implement a solution quickly. Now you could argue (and people do) that the return on investment from extra security measures is limited – how much does it cost me if I do nothing – well nothing really – until it all goes bad and then the costs could be significant.
  3. Desktop Virtualization – I put this one last because quite often it’s being driven by the needs from point 1 and 2. When we need to migrate, one way is to give the user a virtual desktop rather than a physical, and that may simplify the migration process. If we have issues with security of files, let’s centralize and give people a “View Only” way of accessing sensitive corporate data. Everything is kept in a central data center and is easily backed up and controlled. The VDI experience varies for users from the brand new Alfa Romeo that everyone wants ( hey I want one – you can insert your own favorite car if you like), to an aging VW Beetle – cute and funky to drive, but still has some issues with the experience.

The great news for AppSense customers is we have proven market leading solutions for each of these key areas. Santos used our technology as a key part of their Desktop Migration Windows 7 rollout – read how we removed the drain on staff resources and productivity by improving the user’s login experience.

For whitelisting and security, our technology is used at organizations like Department of the Environment (SEWPAC), and Department of Defense – organizations that need a reliable, easy to manage solution. Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) for example. Brian Clark the Executive Director of IT Services talks about their VDI project in this article and states “AppSense completed the solution by providing user virtualization which ensured students had a consistent experience regardless of the device they used.” All 70,000 odd RMIT students are clearly driving the Alfa.

So that’s my advice - and I suppose some advice from Steve Jobs – pick your top three and focus on getting them done. Once they’re ticked off - move to the next three most important things.

Talk to us – we are happy to listen and see where we can help your organization move forward in these rapidly changing times.