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Back in April, we introduced our Cameyo Rapid Recovery service to help organizations keep their networks & data safe and their people productive in case of an emergency and/or ransomware attack. The service runs in Google Cloud and provides organizations with a separate, secure cloud desktop environment from Cameyo that they can instantly switch to if their on-premises environment is attacked or disrupted, enabling their employees to maintain access to all their business-critical apps in case of emergency. 

And while Cameyo Rapid Recovery provides a great option for organizations running their own data centers to fail over to Google Cloud with no interruption to the Cameyo cloud desktop service – what about organizations that are already utilizing Google Cloud but also want an added layer of resiliency in case there are any issues with their primary data center location? That’s why today we announced new Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS) capabilities within Cameyo called One-Click Cloud Failover. The introduction of One-Click Cloud Failover gives organizations using Cameyo’s service in Google Cloud the ability to easily select a backup region so that, in case of an issue in their primary data center location, they can easily switch to the new data center region without disruption in service to end users. 

“While Cameyo Rapid Recovery was designed to provide our self-hosted customers with an insurance policy in case their on-premises environment was attacked, our new One-Click Cloud Failover capabilities give our fully-hosted customers additional peace of mind in case anything were to happen with their primary Google Cloud data center location,” said Andrew Miller, Co-Founder and CEO of Cameyo. 

“IT organizations have learned the importance of business continuity, and Cameyo’s new One-Click Failover and it’s existing Rapid Recovery capabilities leverage their partnership with Google Cloud to give companies the capabilities they need to ensure end-user productivity in the event of a disruption to their primary site. This is a natural fit for companies that want to use the cloud as a backup datacenter, or that want to add resiliency to an existing Cameyo deployment in Google Cloud,” said Gabe Knuth, Senior Analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG). “Plus, Cameyo’s dedication to Zero Trust means that this can be done without cutting any corners on security.”

The Cameyo One-Click Cloud Failover functionality is available today to all Cameyo customers using Google Cloud. Like all of Cameyo’s security capabilities, One-Click Cloud Failover is built into the core of the platform and is available immediately to Cameyo customers at no additional cost. Want to learn more? Schedule a quick demo with one of our cloud desktop experts and we’ll show you how it works. 

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Are there options available for QuickBooks hosting or QuickBooks remote access? This is a common question we get at Cameyo. The answer is yes, but how it is hosted depends on the version of QuickBooks you need.

According to QuickBooks’ website, almost 6 million customers are using its powerful accounting software. Geared towards small and medium-sized businesses, QuickBooks offers software that you install on your Windows or Mac computer or an online service that is completely hosted. When choosing, you should be aware that there are significant differences between the desktop versions and the online service.

QuickBooks Desktop vs. Online

The Small Business software reviews site, Merchant Maverick provides an in-depth article on the differences between QuickBooks Desktop version and QuickBooks Cloud version (QBOnline). Their review rated QuickBooks Pro as the overall winner saying that it won in “the categories that matter-accounting and features.” The review went on to say, “When it comes to accounting software, business owners just can’t beat the desktop version of QuickBooks.”

Access QuickBooks Pro, Premier or Enterprise from another device?

As you are likely well aware, the QuickBooks desktop version is installed locally on a Windows or Mac computer. Unless you set up QuickBooks remote access, which can be complicated and does not always work well, you can only access the program from that particular computer. A simpler option is QuickBooks Cloud Hosting, which is offered for an additional fee.

What is QuickBooks hosting?

With QuickBooks hosting, you can access the QuickBooks desktop programs from the browser on any device. The only thing you really need is a good connection to the Internet. The service is run in a secure environment, but as with anything security related, you should use a strong password and make sure your computers are running the latest OS, antivirus and browser versions.

Can I run QuickBooks on a Mac?

Yes, but if you are a Mac user or organization, the best way to utilize QuickBooks is the online version. However, if you need the additional features only available in the desktop programs, Intuit offers QuickBooks Desktop for Macs. The program is not identical to the Windows version. Be sure to check to ensure that it has the features you need before purchasing.  

How do I access QuickBooks remotely? 

Cameyo for QuickBooks is the perfect solution for customers who need the power of QuickBooks Pro, Premier or Enterprise, but don’t want to pay expensive hosting fees. QuickBooks remote access is the most cost-effective way to deliver QuickBooks to any device, no matter where you are. And it works the same way it does on the desktop. Cameyo offers a free trial and It typically takes less than 10 minutes to log in and publish QuickBooks, regardless of your IT experience. Or if you’d prefer, we can show you how Cameyo works with QuickBooks if you schedule a demo at a time that is convenient for you.

The post Simple, Cost-effective QuickBooks Hosting with Cameyo for QuickBooks appeared first on Cameyo.

With Cameyo Analytics we’re providing an end-to-end view of your Virtual Application Delivery environment, and the platform’s new AI helps optimize your cloud and on-premises environments. This helps you ensure your end-users always have the best, most productive experience with virtual apps while also reducing cost and complexity by optimizing infrastructure utilization in the background. 

The Dollars and Cents

So when we talk about “reducing cost”, what do we mean? During our beta testing of Cameyo Analytics we determined that organizations are typically overpowering their infrastructure for virtual applications by 3x. Optimizing their environments with Cameyo Analytics can save them a minimum of 50% on server and usage costs. Yes, you read that correctly – a 50% reduction in costs. Especially when we look at large global-scale deployments, these cost savings are incredibly significant. 

But Hey, Don’t Take Our Word For It…

Here’s what Sanmina, one of our Fortune 500 customers, had to say:

“Cameyo’s Virtual App Delivery platform already plays a critical role in enabling our Digital Workplace strategy by removing the legacy application roadblocks that were preventing widespread Chrome adoption here at Sanmina,” said Mario Zúñiga, IT Director, Digital Workplace at Sanmina. “When we began working with Cameyo we provided feedback regarding the type of analytics and reporting that would be useful to us, and Cameyo not only listened to our suggestions – they incorporated them. Now with Cameyo Analytics, we get a whole new level of real-time monitoring, alerts, and actionable intelligence that will enable us to continually optimize our Digital Workspace.”

And for the analyst perspective on our new technology:

“As organizations accelerate investments to enable productive remote & hybrid work at scale, they also require solutions that provide visibility into cost efficiencies and predictable user experience,” said Mark Bowker, Senior Analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG). “Cameyo’s AI-driven monitoring and analytics identifies issues and proactively acts upon that data to constantly optimize cost within an organization’s Virtual Application Delivery environment. Especially as more organizations shift from Virtual Desktops to Virtual App Delivery, Cameyo’s AI is helping them boost confidence during the transition by automating away the complexity traditionally associated with VDI and DaaS.” 

So, What New Features Does This Enable  

Actionable Intelligence

Cameyo Analytics’ AI provides more than just real-time insight – it provides actionable intelligence that can be easily implemented. Cameyo Analytics provides information including CPU, GPU, and RAM usage, session requests & concurrency, and more. This enables customers to easily optimize their infrastructure, creating greater efficiency and reducing costs. Benefits include:

• Real-time alerts identify issues as well as opportunities for optimization. 
• Automated actions enable the quick implementation of necessary changes, regardless of your environment (cloud, multi-cloud, on-premises or hybrid).
• Identification of trends and suggested actions to customize your Virtual Application Delivery strategy accordingly. 

Proactive Issue Remediation

Cameyo Analytics gives you the real-time data needed to proactively identify, troubleshoot, and remediate problems before they become issues that impact your employees’ experience and productivity. This AI-enabled issue remediation is done automatically in the background for Cameyo fully-hosted customers, and Cameyo self-hosted customers receive alerts and suggested actions they can easily implement in their own environments. Benefits include: 

• Real-time monitoring and AI provides the industry’s deepest insights into your Virtual Application Delivery environment.
• Cameyo’s AI constantly compares those insights against historical data to detect potential issues before they arise.
• Alerts and automated actions ensure you have immediate insight and the ability to quickly fix issues before they have a chance to impact the user experience.

How Much Does This Fancy New AI Cost? 

That’s the best part – as of today, Cameyo Analytics is automatically enabled for all customers at no additional cost. Self-hosted customers can simply login to their Cameyo dashboard and navigate to Admin, then Analytics to access all features of Cameyo Analytics. Want to learn more? Check out the video below, or check out the full announcement here. 

The post The First AI to Optimize Virtual App Delivery Cost & Experience appeared first on Cameyo.

Obviously, there are many technologies on the market. But to make things even more challenging, It can be difficult to differentiate between the various terms and technologies used to describe these various technologies.  For instance, what’s the difference between Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS), and Virtual App Delivery?  And what role does each of these technologies play in the overall “Digital Workspaces” category? Also – whatever happened to “Application Virtualization”, and is that the same as “Virtual App Delivery”? 

Let’s take a closer look at these different technologies to compare and contrast their capabilities, and to shed some light on how we got to the current Digital Workspace stack.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS), and Virtual App Delivery

Many organizations today are using Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) to deliver business-critical resources to remote workers.  It is a popular option. However, it can be both challenging and costly to implement.  First of all, what is VDI?  In general, it refers to solutions that pool together desktop resources on a centralized server and deliver these to end-users.  The end-user is then able to access the full desktop and run applications, and access data.  VDI is a pre-cloud technology that businesses generally deploy in on-premises environments.     

Citrix Workspaces and VMware Horizon are two of the major players in this space, and many organizations choose solutions from these solutions to deliver VDI in their environment.  What are the challenges with VDI?  VDI is notoriously expensive and resource-hungry.  It usually requires a dedicated set of servers, storage, and network infrastructure to deliver virtual desktops to end-users in a performant way.

To go along with the dedicated servers, storage, and network infrastructure, organizations generally have to hire at least one or two engineers who specialize in VDI to manage, configure, and troubleshoot the environment daily.  The ongoing costs of both dedicated hardware and a team of professionals to manage and maintain the VDI environment can add up.

There have been efforts to overcome challenges and costs with managing an on-premises VDI environment, such as Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS).  With DaaS, the hope is to abstract some of the complexity by shifting the underlying infrastructure to cloud environments so organizations can operate the VDI offering as a service and not deal with the infrastructure side of things.  However, DaaS still requires the cloud expertise to deliver the solution, and the underlying complexity is still there.  It can also lead to costly spending on cloud services.

Which leads to another key technology in the Digital Workspace stack – Virtual App Delivery.  When businesses start to look at what is most important to enable anytime, anywhere productivity for remote end-users, it is generally the applications.  When connecting to VDI or DaaS environments, many remote workers are simply accessing business-critical applications and not interacting with the desktop environment for other reasons. In those cases, VDI/DaaS are overkill, and both the IT environment and the user experience can be simplified with Virtual App Delivery. But it’s important to note that it’s usually not an either/or proposition – in many organizations IT can utilize VDI/DaaS for the users who truly need a full virtual desktop, and then utilize Virtual App Delivery for everyone else. 

But Wait – What About Application Virtualization? 

The concept that not every user needs a desktop is not new.  Application virtualization first emerged many years ago to address this issue, and to provide a simpler way to just provide apps instead of full virtual desktops. App virtualization has been around for a while on many different platforms, such as Microsoft Remote Desktop Services, with the aim of providing a more efficient approach to delivering applications to the end-user without the full desktop.  App virtualization provides a more efficient footprint and is capable of greater user density per server resource. However, the App Virtualization approach generally requires the same infrastructure configuration whether full desktops are delivered or not.  Below is Microsoft’s architecture overview of Remote Desktop Services, housed in Azure.  There are many moving parts and components, including Remote Desktop Gateway, Remote Desktop Web Services, Remote Desktop Session Host, Active Directory, File services, etc.  

Virtual App Delivery  vs. App Virtualization

So, what’s the difference between Application Virtualization and Virtual App Delivery? Think of Virtual App Delivery as the next-generation of App Virtualization. Virtual App Delivery is the cloud-native approach designed to address the challenges and hurdles of legacy App Virtualization by automating away all of the complexity seen in the diagram above.  A modern Virtual App Delivery platform should display the following three key characteristics:

• Simplicity
• Seamless Connectivity
• Intrinsic Security

Simplicity

App virtualization products require the same infrastructure needed for full virtual desktops.  It results in unnecessary complexity from an architectural perspective and requires numerous components to ensure the solution is reachable, highly-available, and secure.  The term Virtual App Delivery emphasizes the importance of the delivery of the application to the end-user.  The delivery must be seamless and straightforward, as we will see.  

Seamless Connectivity

With the tremendous transition to remote work in 2020 and continuing this year, employees continue to work from many different locations.  They use many types of devices to access business-critical applications and data.  However, there is generally one type of access that all devices, both traditional and mobile, have in common – a browser.  Modern Virtual App Delivery solutions must provide seamless connectivity to all of the applications people need to be productive from anywhere and on any device through an HTML5 browser.  This eliminates the requirement for a “fat” client and allows fully encrypted sessions through SSL encryption. 

Intrinsic Security

Cybersecurity has never been more critical than it is today.  With record numbers of cyberattacks and new threat vectors popping up each day, today’s digital workspaces using Virtual App Delivery must deliver security intrinsically as part of the solution.  With traditional remote access and app virtualization solutions, security is an afterthought or a “bolt-on” component.  This approach is no longer sufficient, so it’s important to ensure that any Virtual App Delivery solution you’re evaluating has security built in at the very foundation. 

Cameyo Modern Virtual App Delivery

There’s no question that today’s employees need to access business applications from anywhere and on any device.  Cameyo’s Virtual App Delivery platform provides a robust Digital Workspace that delivers virtual apps to remote workers with simplicity, seamless connectivity, and security.

Simplicity

Unlike legacy application virtualization solutions, Cameyo is purpose-built and engineered for modern Virtual App Delivery.  It means there are no unnecessary architectural components in the way of servers, storage, or networking required.  It eliminates the cost and management complexity involved in managing VDI and DaaS and other legacy application virtualization solutions.   

Customers who choose the on-premises solution can use a single Cameyo execution server on-premises (two recommended).  For those who want to use Cameyo as a Cloud SaaS offering, Cameyo offers a fully-managed customer cloud environment for hosting applications.

The Cameyo Virtual App Delivery solution architecture is straightforward: 

• The end-user requests to initiate an application by invoking a “play” action URL from the Portal in the form of: https://online.cameyo.com/apps/1234…./play. This can also be invoked through a Cameyo API.
• Portal checks the user’s authentication for this application. If authentication is required but missing, the portal authenticates the user either through login credentials or the configured SSO provider. SSO can be any OIDC-compliant provider, including Azure AD, Google, Okta, Ping, etc.
• The Cameyo cloud portal communicates with Cameyo “execution” Servers, which deliver applications to end-users
• The Cameyo execution server responds to the portal with the connection details. The portal translates them to the client:
  • HTML5 client: user’s browser is forwarded directly to the server’s HTTP/S address with a given token. The execution server then verifies that token against the portal.
  • Native Windows / Android RDP clients: connection is made directly through RDP, using one-time credentials generated on-the-fly and transmitted to the client.
• The session runs according to Cameyo’s policy settings such as maximum time / idle time, cloud storage virtualization/synchronization, shell lockdown, toolbar options, file transfer permissions, etc.
• Upon the session’s end, the user profile is cleaned up. If Cameyo is configured to “Temporary User Profiles,” the entire user profile data is wiped out of the server. If SessionSync is enabled, this is done after synchronizing the user’s data back to the central / cloud storage.

Cameyo Virtual App Delivery Architecture Overview

Seamless Connectivity

Cameyo provides seamless connectivity to all Windows and internal web applications from any device.  Customers’ end-users only have to have access to a browser to run the full desktop of any application from their browser with Cameyo.  This means end users have nothing new to learn – they simply access the applications they’e always utilized, just via a browser tab instead of an installed app. 

Intrinsic Security

Cameyo is built with a zero-trust security model from the ground up.  Cameyo never exposes the execution server to the public-facing Internet.  Using its unique RDP and HTTP/S Port Shield technology, only authenticated sessions can communicate with RDP and HTTP/S ports on Cameyo servers.  Once authenticated, end-users only have access to the sanctioned applications and never to the core system components.  Additionally, when a user logs off, Cameyo Port Shield removes the end-users’ IP address from accessing the Cameyo server at a network layer.   

The intrinsic security provided by Cameyo allows organizations to provide access to business-critical applications on any device, even non-IT managed personal devices, without the danger of data leakage, malware, or other compromising behaviors.

Final Thoughts

The way we live, socialize, and work are continuing to change.  Businesses are rethinking their remote employees’ workflows and figuring out how to ensure all of their people can access the business-critical apps they need to do their jobs from anywhere and on any device.  There are many different solutions for providing remote access to employees, including Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) – but for the majority of the workforce who simply need access to their business applications, Virtual App Delivery is simpler, more cost effective, and more secure. Rather than providing a full desktop, only the necessary applications are presented to the end-user.

Whereas Application Virtualization first emerged to highlight the need for delivering apps instead of full virtual desktops, Virtual App Delivery is the modern, cloud-native approach that enables the delivery of apps without the complex infrastructure requirements of VDI/DaaS & App Virtualization.  It helps to overcome traditional application virtualization challenges by providing simple, seamless, and secure access.  Cameyo delivers modern Virtual App Delivery without unneeded infrastructure, using a simple SSL browser connection and zero trust security mechanisms to ensure your data and applications remain safe no matter what devices your people are utilizing.    

Want to try it for yourself? You can be up and running with Cameyo in minutes – just start your free trial below. 

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With all that spending on DX, you’d think that most companies would be trumpeting their success. However, prior to the pandemic surveys were indicating that seven out of ten digital transformation initiatives had fallen short of expectations.

Those less than stellar results could be chalked up to a number of factors. An important one is the fact that legacy Windows apps are such a hard habit to break. Even though many organizations still rely on older software for business-critical tasks, anything described as “legacy” is often seen as an insurmountable hurdle to a comprehensive DX initiative.

Bridging the DX gap – Run Windows applications in the browser

The truth is, legacy Windows applications can be modernized. And with zero redevelopment time to boot. It just depends on how they’re delivered. Running Windows apps from the browser is the ideal way to give users access to tried-and-tested software via a secure, up-to-date, multi-platform client.

Here are five reasons why running Windows apps in the browser makes sense—whether it’s part of a dedicated DX strategy, your long-term remote work strategy, or some other initiative:

1. To reduce complexity. With the permanent shift to remote work, IT needs to give end users access to important apps regardless of where those users are or which device they’re working on, even if it’s not a company-issued device. Virtual app delivery makes it much easier to provision and update apps in one location rather than having to maintain locally installed apps on thousands of devices.
2. To lower costs. Delivering virtual apps through the browser takes existing, proven solutions and makes them available to current-gen devices. With the right virtual app delivery platform, there’s no need to invest in untested new software, expensive virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) or time-consuming provisioning methods.
3. To increase security. Running Windows applications in the browser has the potential to be much more secure than similar alternatives. Its simplicity actually leaves fewer gaps for malicious actors to exploit. By eliminating the need for VPNs and open RDP ports, it can reduce the attack surface for remote workers. And by keeping the user device separate from the corporate network, it helps to augment strict Zero Trust security models.
4. To boost productivity. Another benefit of browser-based delivery of legacy Windows apps is that it caters to the dynamic nature of remote work. If an end user switches to a different device in a new location, they still have secure access to the apps they need. They can maintain their usual workflow without missing a beat. But virtual app delivery is also great news for IT. The built-in security and ease of administration means overworked IT staff can refocus on more pressing issues.
5. To enhance the user experience. When users are running Windows applications in a browser, they get the exact same desktop version of the application they’re used to. The only difference is that the application launches in a browser tab, instead of as a locally-installed app. Because there’s no learning curve and no VPNs to negotiate, it’s incredibly transparent to the end user. It’s also ultra-versatile, because it means critical apps—even legacy ones—are now available on any device with a browser.

Make legacy Windows apps part of your digital transformation

Even when your end users are working remotely on personal devices, Cameyo’s virtual app delivery platform gives them convenient, secure access to their familiar desktop-class software at a fraction of the cost of VDI. And with none of the usual drawbacks.

Get started with a free trial of Cameyo today and discover how quick and easy it is for your end users to run Windows apps right from their browsers. Instead of viewing legacy software as a compromise to your company’s DX, you’ll see how those solutions can become an integral part of it.

The post 5 Benefits of Running Windows Applications in the Browser appeared first on Cameyo.

For businesses currently using highly customized traditional applications, it would seem these are at an impasse with going “all in” on the cloud.  So, why can’t organizations just abandon all that highly customized legacy software and utilize a web-based/Software as a Service (SaaS) version instead?  Or is there a hybrid approach that makes sense?  And if so, are there technologies that help bridge the gap between legacy applications and the cloud?

Why organizations can’t just abandon their customized legacy software

Many enterprise businesses have been using “snowflake” configurations of highly customized legacy applications, including ERP, CRM, EHR, and others, for years now.  Why can’t these organizations simply abandon their highly customized legacy applications in lieu of a shiny new cloud variant by way of a SaaS offering?  There are a few reasons to note.  

1. They have significantly invested in the solution
2. It is business-critical
3. Current software works well for the business

Let’s see how each of these may keep businesses from abandoning their custom solutions for cloud SaaS offerings.

1.  They have significantly invested in the solution

Many businesses may have started with an “out-of-the-box” legacy software package that provided most of the functionality needed to run their business.  However, as their business grew and the needs and functionality requirements changed, they may have customized the software to fit their specific needs.  This overall process may have taken years to achieve a highly optimized and customized set of workflows.  Additionally, organizations may have spent millions in developer time over the years to customize, add, and modify legacy software to meet their expectations and provide the capabilities needed. 

In many cases this includes adding functionality to the software, extending its features, and integrating it with other systems required for data and other services.  Again, this may represent a considerable amount of capital investment and time to achieve a fully-featured software package that meets the business’s needs.

Even with the impressive set of out-of-the-box features provided with many cloud SaaS offerings from various software vendors, default functionality may be a far cry from what is needed by the business.  Generally speaking, customers cannot customize cloud SaaS software offerings in the same manner as traditional on-premises applications.  Typically with cloud SaaS, companies cater to the software’s capabilities, not the other way around.  Asking businesses to leave behind the customizations and features that currently run their business to only “hope for the best” and accept default functionality and features does not bode well with many.  

2.  It is business-critical

Highly customized, legacy applications are often the pillar of the company and serve many business-critical functions.  Legacy applications seen in the banking industry are a classic example of highly customized, legacy applications still heavily used.  Legacy banking systems have operated for more than 30 years now, with over $2 trillion in assets flowing through these each day.  It would be an understatement to say that a forklift upgrade of these financially critical systems would be risky and complicated.

It helps to illustrate that many of the highly customized legacy applications in use by businesses today provide the core functions, integrations, and workflows of the entire company.  Moving the whole business-critical software stack to the cloud is no easy undertaking and is fraught with potential obstacles for most organizations.  The message often heard in the industry to “move to the cloud, and all problems will be solved” is naïve and unrealistic.  

3.  The current software simply works well for the business

Many organizations struggle with the prospect of migrating business-critical software functionality to cloud SaaS environments simply because using their existing custom legacy software on-premises just works for them.  While cloud-based applications are extremely powerful and provide many incredible features and capabilities, customized legacy applications may cater to the business’s individual needs and deliver benefits beyond those realized with cloud-based software replacements. Basically, it comes down to: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Software vendors often drive the push to the cloud

While there may be legitimate reasons for organizations to look to software based in the cloud, software vendors are increasingly the ones leading the charge when it comes to encouraging organizations to move their applications to the cloud.  SAP recently announced that customers would need to drop customizations and migrate their services to the cloud to follow a significant initiative to migrate its existing customer base to its SAP cloud platform.  For many customers, this will undoubtedly require a substantial refactoring of business processes and workflows due to losing very intricately and highly customized SAP software applications currently used on-premises.  

As another example, Atlassian recently announced that on February 2, 2021, they would end the sale of new licensing for the on-premises server variants of their software and would be ceasing feature development for the server lineup.  According to Atlassian, this is to streamline their focus on delivering the latest software that meets regulatory, security, and other requirements moving forward.

While the cloud can provide tremendous benefits for software vendors and their customers, this is not always the case.  It helps to see that it is often not the customers driving the shift to cloud services and applications but rather software vendors.           

A hybrid approach to legacy applications and cloud

Organizations may find it challenging to deliver an effective digital workspace to end-users and customers alike.  They may currently be happy with their highly customized legacy application’s capabilities, workflows, and integrations.  However, cloud SaaS may seem like the only viable solution to provide anywhere, any time access to business-critical applications.  Is there a way that organizations can have the best of both worlds?  Can they retain highly customized legacy applications in which they have made significant investments and still “breathe” cloud accessibility into these?  

Cameyo is empowering businesses to do just that.  It allows organizations who are using highly customized legacy applications to be able to continue using these to carry out business-critical operations while at the same time providing a modern application delivery vehicle to deliver the application with a cloud SaaS feel.

Using Cameyo, businesses can allow end-users to access any legacy application through a modern web browser connection.  This means legacy applications not designed to run on mobile devices or other current end-user clients can efficiently run in a modern web browser session.  It effectively delivers the “cloud feel” for business-critical applications without refactoring or redeveloping the application.

Cameyo also helps secure access to legacy applications with cutting-edge security capabilities delivered as part of the Cameyo solution.  Most legacy applications are accessed by equally legacy remote access platforms riddled with security vulnerabilities and other security concerns.  Cameyo provides a “zero-trust” environment for delivering remote applications.  An end-user only has access to published applications when they have successfully authenticated.  It dramatically reduces the chance of brute force attacks, zero-day vulnerabilities, or other security concerns with legacy applications. 

Cameyo also provides organizations with the ability to create a modern digital workspace, even with legacy applications.  It eliminates network challenges, device compatibility issues, and security concerns as part of legacy applications’ delivery.   

Cameyo digital workspace with published apps

Concluding Thoughts

Many organizations today are still using highly customized legacy applications.  They have invested significant resources into applications that are still providing core business-critical functionality for their business and may still do this well.  While cloud environments offer robust features and capabilities in general, companies may not be in a position to abandon their legacy applications as the effort to migrate to new cloud SaaS offerings is too great.   

Cameyo provides organizations with the tools needed for a hybrid approach to delivering legacy applications without refactoring or abandoning the platform.  It provides the easy ability to provide access to any legacy application using a modern web browser connection.  By leveraging Cameyo, businesses can have the best of both worlds.  They can retain access to highly customized legacy applications and leverage a modern digital workspace for end-users.     

Want to see Cameyo in action for yourself? Sign up for a free trial and you can be up and running in minutes, or you can request a customized demo once you’ve started your trial. 

The post SaaS is Eating the World, But Many Orgs Still Can’t Abandon Legacy Apps appeared first on Cameyo.

Many of these organizations rely on managed service providers (MSPs) to deliver and manage those technology solutions for their business. And the pandemic has made the role of the MSP more strategic than ever. 

MSPs have had to step up to the challenge of enabling software delivery at a larger scale, with great flexibility, while also providing more options to their customers.  How is virtual app delivery helping MSPs to meet these new challenges?  Let’s take a deeper look, and then zoom in to see how Cameyo’s Digital Workspace platform provides MSPs with a particularly useful solution to empower their customers’ businesses in an ever-changing world.  

Traditional Options for MSPs and Customers

Traditionally, MSPs tasked with enabling customers to deliver applications to end-users had conventional virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS), or Remote Desktop Services (RDS) technologies at their disposal.  While these technologies certainly enable customers to deliver remote workers’ applications, these are often not the most efficient, flexible, or cost-effective approach.

VDI is expensive to implement, requiring dedicated virtualization environments with flash storage requirements for acceptable performance.  VDI is also a very complex technology to deliver effectively.  MSPs often find supporting VDI infrastructure time-consuming, costly, and generally overkill for customers who simply want to access Windows applications for end-users.  Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) solutions have brought new options to the table. However, DaaS again may not be the best solution for customers who want to deliver access to applications for end-users in a flexible and cost-effective way. 

Remote Desktop Services (RDS) is a longstanding traditional technology that has been relied upon in the enterprise for years now.  Many MSPs have turned to RDS as a solution to enable customers to access their business applications remotely.  While RDS works and provides a familiar solution that MSPs are often comfortable leveraging, full-blown RDS infrastructure deployments can be challenging to manage for multiple customers.  Addressing customer’s security concerns and staying on top of RDP security challenges can also be extremely difficult.     

Now to be fair – if your organization has a certain percentage of power users who truly need a full virtual desktop environment, then it makes sense to use VDI or DaaS for those users. But for the rest of their users who simply need secure access to all of their business-critical Windows applications on any device – there are other options. 

Modern Virtual Application Delivery

There is a common theme among most customers looking to empower their remote workforce.  For many, remote workers need access to applications and not necessarily desktops.  It is an important distinction to make as MSPs can leverage more efficient and effective technologies to empower customers to meet their business needs, outside of the traditional technologies used for years.   

Virtual application delivery enables the delivery of applications to the end-user without the need for a full virtual desktop.  MSPs have a strategic opportunity to identify what percentage of their customers’ users actually need full virtual desktops, and what percentage just needs virtual access to all of their critical Windows apps.  For those who just need their apps, it is highly inefficient to deliver all the necessary infrastructure to provide a full desktop session if the end-user does not need this.  

Virtual application delivery allows the delivery of what customers need in a highly efficient and cost-effective way.  MSPs tasked with providing access to applications instead of desktops can leverage much more efficient infrastructure and solutions for this purpose.  It also allows MSPs to offer a much simpler, more flexible solution.

Cameyo Empowers MSPs to Simply & Securely Deliver Virtual Applications

Today, MSPs face various challenges to meet customer demands and compete in a landscape where it is becoming increasingly difficult to grow revenue and simplify application delivery.  These challenges can be summarized by the following:

• Delivering value-added services in a cost-effective manner 
• Providing simple solutions – both from the customer experience perspective and the long-term management perspective
• Empowering customers with flexible solutions that enable them to scale up/down based on business needs

By shifting to virtual application delivery in a world where customers are focused on remote work and access to applications, MSPs can effectively generate revenue growth and simplify the delivery of applications for customers.  

Cameyo is a cloud-native virtual application delivery platform that brings Windows applications to any device through the web browser.  It does this with intrinsic simplicity and security built-in.  Cameyo for MSPs, released in March 2020, helps build profitable virtual application delivery practices while eliminating the cost and complexity of virtual desktops. Cameyo’s solution is tailored to MSPs’ needs and allows delivering Windows applications to any device.

Since Cameyo delivers applications from any HTML5 browser, there is no client-side software to install.  It eliminates the need for MSPs to manage software on potentially hundreds or thousands of end-user devices to consume virtual applications effectively.

Cameyo is also a solution MSPs can deploy in minutes, not hours or days.  The intrinsic simplicity of Cameyo for MSPs leads to further increased revenue potential, simplified provisioning, and management.  The simple delivery of virtual applications by Cameyo also transitions to the customer.  It allows easy co-management if shared with customer IT staff and fewer end-user issues accessing business-critical apps.  

Key benefits of Cameyo for MSPs:

• Simplified Management – Easily add new customers and deliver the apps they need to any devices within minutes, all from a single pane of glass in your Cameyo for MSP dashboard.
• Reduced Cost – Eliminate the high cost of VDI licensing and deliver a more secure solution with a significantly lower cost per user. 
• Eliminate Complexity – Remove the complexity of managing VDI across multiple customer environments, and deliver seamless software updates that are completely transparent to your customers.
• Enhanced Security – Cameyo’s solution is fully encrypted and adds a security layer by separating applications from the operating system.  All customer data is protected and private and never resides on a Cameyo server, plus your customers can lock user settings for PCI and data compliance needs.  Cameyo provides Port Shield, Layered Revert, and Session Sync for a Zero Trust approach to remote work security.
• Easy Scalability – MSPs are not required to set up a different VDI environment for each customer.  Cameyo for MSPs lets you easily add new customers in your Cameyo dashboard and get them started in minutes, not weeks or months.

Providing Cloud Agility

Using Cameyo for MSPs provides the cloud agility they need to offer virtual application delivery to all of their customers.  MSPs can quickly get started with Cameyo with a self-hosted solution or a Bring Your Own Cloud (BYOC) approach.  For self-hosted solutions, Cameyo is easily installed on Windows Server 2016 and higher in an MSP data center.  After installation, using Cameyo’s admin console, MSPs can quickly add customers and start provisioning customer applications.  

 
Cameyo’s easy admin console allows MSPs to quickly provision customer apps

In addition to the self-hosted solution, MSPs can take advantage of the full features and benefits of Cameyo’s cloud platform by deploying it in their own Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud environments.  It allows customers to take full advantage of the “cloud DNA” of Cameyo.  Housing Cameyo in the cloud includes the elasticity and usage optimization technologies that help to dramatically reduce cost by dynamically spinning up and down servers based on demand.  Also, Cameyo’s Session Sync technology provides data resiliency and file synchronization between sessions, providing a seamless user experience. 

MSPs Benefit from Leveraging the Right Tools

To stay competitive and offer customers the right options, MSPs must use various tools and software delivery solutions.  Is one solution the “end all be all” that is right for every use case?  No.  However, virtual application delivery is exceptionally well-suited for end-users who need access to applications and not desktops. 

And it’s not an either/or proposition – you can always utilize virtual desktops for the small percentage of power users who need that, and then utilize virtual app delivery to simplify (and reduce the cost of) delivery of business-critical apps to the rest of your customers’ users. For MSPs, having the right tools and leveraging the right solution for each specific customer use case grows revenue potential, improves simplicity, and provides the flexibility that customers need.

Wrapping Up

Today, MSPs are tasked with providing technology solutions for businesses to meet the challenges of a world in the grips of a global pandemic and who need to provide access to business-critical applications.  Virtual application delivery platforms like Cameyo allow MSPs to offer extremely efficient and cost-effective solutions to their customers.  It eliminates the need to provision full-blown VDI environments when desktop sessions are not needed.  It also provides a cloud-native approach to delivering a modern solution that offers elastic scalability and flexibility.  

Want to see how simple it is to deliver virtual apps with Cameyo? Start your free trial in minutes here.      

The post How MSPs Can Leverage Virtual App Delivery appeared first on Cameyo.

I laughed at that comment at the time, but its kernel of truth stuck with me. In my years of enterprise SaaS experience, every organization has at least a handful of legacy Windows apps that they still rely on for core business processes. That software is incredibly hard for IT to eliminate or replace.

Why are those legacy Windows apps so tenacious? It mostly comes down to three main reasons.

1) Time and money already invested in customizations

Even if the ERP, CRM, EHR, etc. that your organization relies on does have a cloud-based version as well, many organizations have spent years and millions of dollars customizing their on-premise software to fit the specific needs of their businesses. In those cases, making the move to a cloud-based version would mean giving up those customizations to in exchange for a standardized SaaS version of the software. 

That trade-off simply does not work for organizations who depend on customized software to run their business, because:

• Their business processes can be severely disrupted if they lose access to the customized software
• They lose the heavy investment – both in time and money – made over the years to ensure the software meets their specific needs 

For example, a recent article from The Register talks about SAP’s recent efforts to get customers to abandon their customizations and move to the cloud, and comes to this conclusion:

“But for many customers, it will be anything but a simple technical migration. Those who have made modifications to the software to fit their business will be in for a rude awakening as they consider the leap to the cloud, where standard – if configurable – systems are the name of the game.”

2) The cost and effort of migration

Migration can involve a lot of unknowns. When your organization is using legacy Windows apps, there’s a certain amount of predictability in terms of cost (e.g., licensing fees, support) and administrative overhead. The accounting department is usually a big fan of that predictability. It’s easier for IT to make a budgetary case for the status quo.

Another important factor is all the work that invariably goes into migration. As much emphasis as there is on running Windows applications from the cloud, even the most ambitious cloud-first initiatives have to be weighed against the effects of potential upheaval and fine-tuning.

No wonder many IT departments would prefer to stick with the devil they know—at least for the time being.

3) End-user resistance

It’s no secret that end users can be remarkably stubborn. How many of us have friends or family members who are still plodding along on Windows 7, even though it’s been end-of-lifed? They’re creatures of habit, like many of us, and they prefer an experience that’s familiar to one that’s current.

This mindset is often expressed as, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

As a result, if familiar apps are replaced with a solution that’s perceived as inferior, there’s a real risk of widespread employee dissatisfaction, surges in helpdesk calls and a medium-term drop in productivity. That’s why many companies continue to prioritize running legacy Windows applications on personal devices, even if newer and more secure versions might exist.

Where legacy meets leading edge

Instead of putting legacy Windows software in the same bucket as Twinkies and cockroaches, maybe it’s time to reframe the question around it.

The real question isn’t how those legacy applications should be eliminated or replaced. It’s how they should be delivered.

Cameyo is a virtual application delivery solution that effectively wraps legacy Windows software in a modern framework, often referred to as a Digital Workspace. Your end users get the familiarity and functionality they value by accessing and utilizing the same desktop version of the software they currently use – running securely in the browser. At the same time, IT is able to maintain proven software – along with any and all customizations they’ve made to that software – without having to compromise on the latest standards in security or compatibility. It’s a win–win.

Our secure and convenient Digital Workspace platform lets end users work with legacy Windows apps on any device, including Chromebooks, Macbooks, thin clients and tablets. That’s because they’re able to run those legacy Windows apps in any browser that supports HTML5. Users retain full productivity on their personal and BYOD devices while IT retains full control over their app access.

Flexible enough for any workplace

Today’s work settings come in all shapes and sizes. The traditional office is now augmented by work-from-home (WFH), hybrid, hoteling and mobile models. To enable your end users to access their preferred legacy Windows applications on personal devices in any environment, Cameyo has two options:

• Fully hosted: Cameyo is a Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Microsoft Azure partner, which means you can provide legacy Windows applications from the cloud without any management overhead. Our service seamlessly integrates with G Suite and Active Directory for single sign on (SSO), permissions, cloud storage and printing. No VPNs necessary.
• Self-hosted: Some organizations want total backend control over their users’ digital workspaces. No problem. Cameyo also lets you self-host and manage our virtual application delivery platform in any environment – on premises, in your cloud of choice, or any hybrid model. VPNs aren’t required here, either. Users maintain quick, secure, and seamless access to the software they need.

It doesn’t matter whether your employees are using legacy Windows apps on Chromebooks, Macs, thin clients or their home PCs. Cameyo makes it easy, cost-effective and secure for organizations to continue to support them – boosting employee productivity while reducing complexity. Sign up now for a free trial of Cameyo and see how simple it can be to future-proof your legacy Windows software.

The post You Don’t Have to Eliminate Legacy Windows Apps to Stay on the Cutting Edge appeared first on Cameyo.

Cameyo has distinguished itself as a powerful remote work and digital workspace solution that is serious about security, built from the ground up with a Zero Trust security model that helps reduce your organization’s overall attack surface. Let’s take a closer look at the foundational security capabilities built into the Cameyo solution and see how these bolster the overall security posture of your organization’s digital workspace.

Key security features found in Cameyo

When evaluating a digital workspace solution, it’s important to determine whether the vendor views security features/capabilities as “optional add-ons”, or whether security comes baked into the core. With Cameyo, all security capabilities are built into the foundation of the platform and are included for all customers at no additional cost. Let’s take a look at four key security capabilities designed into the Cameyo platform:

• Cameyo NoVPN
• Cameyo Port Shield
• Cameyo Layered Revert
• Cameyo Session Sync 

Cameyo NoVPN

The Cameyo solution effectively provides a secure digital workspace environment without the need for VPN.  Organizations have traditionally used VPN technology for decades to allow remote workers to connect to corporate resources that are located in the on-premises corporate data center.  However, VPN has become a legacy technology that is less than desirable and even opens your organization up to security risks.  

There are many challenges and concerns to consider with traditional VPN connections.  VPNs do not scale very well across a large client base and performance can quickly become an issue with many users aggregated to a VPN concentrator.  There are also management challenges to overcome with VPN such as client VPN software that must be installed, provisioned, configured and managed throughout the lifecycle of the solution.   Aside from the management and performance challenges with VPN, there are security risks involved as well.  

When remote clients are connected via a VPN tunnel, the remote client device essentially becomes part of the corporate network, much the same way as if you simply plugged a network cable into a network switch in the corporate office.  With this behavior as part of VPN solutions, any unwanted or potentially malicious software loaded on the remote client is brought into the corporate network by way of the VPN connection.  This means there is the potential for extremely dangerous malicious code such as ransomware to have unfettered access to the corporate network by means of the VPN connection.  

In addition to the risk of malicious software by way of VPN connectivity, VPN provides the possibility for easy data exfiltration from the corporate network.  When a remote user is connected via VPN, data can easily be copied from corporate network resources to the remote end user client or even a personal cloud environment.  

With Cameyo’s NoVPN functionality there is no requirement for VPN connectivity for remote workers to access business-critical applications.  This provides many benefits, including: 

• The client stays outside the corporate network with no direct connection
• Connectivity to applications is made possible through a secure browser connection
• SSL encryption protects communication between client and application
• There are very simple requirements including a browser, and HTTPS egress traffic only
• Unlike VPN, there is no end user client software that is required besides a browser

Port Shield 

Cameyo takes security several steps further by protecting the ports that are needed for various operations with a technology called Port Shield.  Unlike other remote work or digital workspace solutions, Cameyo requires very few ports to interact with the solution.  These include ports for RDP and web connectivity.  

• RDP port 3389 – Used for administrative tasks and installing applications on the Cameyo server
• HTTPS 443 (this is configurable) – Used for end-user connectivity to published applications

Cameyo Port Shield automatically closes external access to the specified ports unless needed.  When an end user or administrator connects to the Cameyo portal and is authenticated, Port Shield then dynamically orchestrates firewall rules on the Cameyo server to allow the specific IP address for an end user or administrator who has been granted access.  Once the end user or administrator logs out, the firewall exception, even for the once authenticated session IP, is removed.

With this approach, no ports are allowed to stay open for any period of time.  This results in a solution that, by default, is hardened from brute force attacks or zero-day vulnerabilities that an attacker may attempt to capitalize on with systems that are exposed to the outside world using a persistent open port or range of ports. 

Port Shield settings defined in the properties of your Cameyo server

Layered Revert

For organizations who have supported Terminal Servers and the newer Remote Desktop Services servers, the server essentially becomes a “glorified workstation” for your end users who use it to login and launch applications.  With this approach IT has to manage not only the applications, but also the user profile and session data, which can be problematic for IT support.  It can also introduce the possibility for security issues since the user profile data generally persists after logoff and can often be a hiding place for unwanted or outright malicious software.  

To solve for this, Cameyo developed its Layered Revert technology. With Layered Revert, Cameyo employs a volatile layer on which users work that is not attached to any specific user profile.  Session data is redirected to on-premises or cloud storage through a patent-pending I/O virtualization technology.  While the volatile layer with other changes are discarded, application data does persist.  When a new session is started, an empty layer is provided for the user session to take place. 

How the Layered Revert process works is very similar in concept to reverting a VM back to a particular snapshot point in time.  The changes that have happened since the snapshot was taken are discarded.  On the session’s end, the volatile layer employed by Cameyo is discarded while the important application data persists.  The entire workflow and underlying process is transparent to the end user working with published applications.     

Cameyo Layered Revert ensures pristine and isolated sessions with each new connection

Session Sync

Rounding out the Cameyo solution to provide a secure digital workspace to end users is a technology called Session Sync.  Cameyo’s Session Sync technology allows end users to have access to specific configuration settings and user files that will follow them between settings.  Session Sync works in harmony with Layered Revert to ensure user data is persistent, while ensuring the session layer is pristine and secure upon each new connection.  With Cameyo’s Session Sync, user files and data are synced to Google Cloud Storage or Microsoft OneDrive.  This means that users are able to see and access data such as auto-saved files, stored data, and their settings.  

Another great feature of Session Sync is that it provides the ability for organizations to turn off the downloading of files by end users.  This can protect against data exfiltration concerns for sensitive data as well as help to ensure regulatory compliance.  

Wrapping Up

As your organization transitions to a more permanent remote work strategy or as you’re looking for a secure platform for establishing a digital workspace, make sure the solution you choose takes security seriously.  Cybercriminals are increasingly on the hunt for remote work environments that have vulnerabilities and are easy prey for ransomware or brute force attacks.  

Cameyo was designed from day one with security at the foundation of the platform. Cameyo’s founder and CTO, Eyal Dotan, has spent his entire career in cybersecurity. He designed one of the first Host Intrusion Prevention (HIPS) software solutions of its kind, and he holds 12 invention patents in the field of computer security. As a result, Cameyo’s entire approach to remote work is centered around security.

With each layer of the solution, security has been given priority in the overall design and execution of the platform. And all this security doesn’t come at the cost of simplicity – Cameyo actually automates the complexity out of remote work infrastructure.  With robust security features such as NoVPN, Port Shield, Layered Revert, and Session Sync, Cameyo helps ensure that your remote workers AND your corporate network & data are secure at all times.  

The post Why Security Must Be Designed Into the Core of Your Digital Workspace appeared first on Cameyo.