What is Zero Touch Provisioning?

Zero Touch Provisioning is a process that allows IT teams to remotely and automatically configure devices for end users without any physical intervention. With ZTP, IT administrators can eliminate the need to manually set up each device, reducing the time and effort required for deployment. By leveraging automation and predefined configurations, ZTP ensures a seamless and consistent experience for end users when they first log into their devices.

How Does Zero Touch Provisioning Work?

Zero Touch Provisioning works by leveraging preconfigured settings and automated workflows to provision devices remotely. IT teams can utilize tools and technologies that enable device imaging, remote configuration, and software deployment. By defining standardized settings, policies, and software requirements in advance, IT administrators can streamline the device setup process. When a device is powered on and connected to the network for the first time, it automatically retrieves the necessary configurations and applications, enabling users to start working without delay.

A Typical Zero Touch Provisioning Process

A typical ZTP process involves several key steps that enable IT teams to remotely configure and deploy devices to end users. Here’s an overview of the steps involved in a typical ZTP workflow:

1. Preparing the Device: Before the device is sent to the end user, IT teams ensure that it is properly prepared for Zero Touch Provisioning. This may involve verifying hardware compatibility, IP address, performing initial configurations, logging the device’s serial number, and installing any necessary firmware updates or drivers.
2. Defining Configuration Profiles: IT administrators create standardized configuration files that encompass various config settings, policies, and software requirements. These profiles serve as templates for device provisioning and include details such as network settings, security configurations, application installations, and user preferences.
3. Device Shipment: Once the new devices are prepared and the configuration profiles are defined, IT teams ship the devices directly to the end users. The devices are typically pre-registered and associated with the appropriate configuration profiles in the ZTP system.
4. Device Activation: Upon receiving the device, the end user powers it on and connects it to the network. The device then initiates the Zero Touch Provisioning process by automatically contacting the ZTP server or cloud-based provisioning service.
5. Configuration Retrieval: The ZTP server or cloud-based service responds to the device’s request and retrieves the appropriate configuration profile based on the device’s unique identifier. The profile includes all the predefined settings and policies required for the user’s role or department.
6. Configuration Application: The device applies the retrieved configuration profile, automatically applying specific configurations for network settings, security policies, and software installations (if needed). This step ensures that the device is provisioned according to the organization’s standards, reduces the opportunity for human error, and provides a consistent and secure working environment.
7. Application Delivery: If utilizing a virtual app delivery solution like Cameyo’s VAD, the device will automatically show each user the necessary applications based on the user’s role or department. This enables users to access their required applications immediately after signing in for the first time, eliminating the need for manual software installations.
8. User Onboarding: With the device now provisioned and applications available, the end user completes the login process and gains access to their personalized and fully functional workspace. They can begin working right away without any additional configuration or setup.
9. Post-Provisioning Management: IT teams can remotely manage and monitor the provisioned devices using centralized management tools. This includes applying updates, pushing new policies, performing remote troubleshooting, ensure devices and their operating systems remain secure and up-to-date, and even returning devices to their factory default configuration/basic configuration if a user leaves the company.

By following a typical Zero Touch Provisioning process like the one outlined above, IT teams can streamline device deployments, reduce manual effort, and provide a seamless experience for end users, enabling them to start working productively from the moment they receive their devices.

But, what if there was an even easier way…

Virtual App Delivery and Zero Touch Provisioning

The whole purpose of ZTP is to simplify the process of getting devices into your users’ hands so that they can be productive, without physical device configuration. Also, as organizations approach their next device refresh cycles, many are realizing that they can dramatically reduce cost and increase security by moving to cloud-first devices like ChromeOS or IGEL and/or by moving to a BYOD model. Regardless of the approach, these organizations need a secure way to deliver all the apps their people need to be productive from anywhere, regardless of device – and all without requiring IT to physically provision those devices in advance.

Cameyo’s Virtual App Delivery (VAD) solution empowers IT teams to provide end users with instant access to all the applications they need to be productive – regardless of the device’s operating system. With Cameyo’s VAD solution, IT administrators can ensure that users have access to their essential applications immediately upon logging into their devices (after authentication via the organization’s SSO provider of choice). This eliminates the need for manual software installations and updates, allowing users to dive into their work without delays.

In particular, Cameyo has a solution called Cameyo for Cloud Workers which addresses the needs of modern organizations by allowing them to issue cost-effective cloud-first devices or allow end-users to utilize their own devices, all without sacrificing security or their people’s access to critical applications. With Cameyo for Cloud Workers:

• Whether the user is on a cloud-first device or their own personal device,  Cameyo enables them to simply sign-in with credentials provided to them by IT, leveraging their SSO of choice. 
• When the user signs in, all their apps appear immediately as Cameyo Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) with no need for IT to touch the device. 
• Cameyo provides the user with ultra-secure access to all the apps they need to be productive in a way that protects sensitive data and locks the user into the session, regardless of device. 
• And with Cameyo for Cloud Workers, organizations can take advantage of a concurrent pricing model that enables them to pay only for what’s being used. 

Cameyo for Cloud Workers is specifically available as a self-hosted solution, meaning organizations can host it in their own data center or in any cloud service provider of their choice (like Google Cloud, AWS, Azure, etc.). Self-hosting in their own data center enables them to keep everything behind their own firewall, if needed,

What are the Advantages of Zero Touch Provisioning?

Zero Touch Provisioning offers numerous advantages for IT teams, including:

1. Time and Cost Savings: With ZTP, IT administrators can provision multiple devices simultaneously, significantly reducing the time and effort required for deployment. The automation eliminates the need for manual configurations and on-site visits, resulting in cost savings for the organization.
2. Enhanced Efficiency: ZTP enables IT teams to streamline their device deployment process by eliminating manual interventions. IT administrators can focus on more critical tasks while ensuring a consistent and error-free device setup experience for end users.
3. Scalability and Standardization: Zero Touch Provisioning allows IT teams to scale their device deployment efforts effortlessly. By establishing standardized configurations, policies, and applications, organizations can ensure consistency across all devices, improving security and compliance.
4. Remote Deployment: ZTP enables IT teams to provision devices remotely, regardless of their physical location. This capability is especially valuable in today’s remote work environment, where employees may be spread across various geographical locations.

To highlight the advantages of enabling Zero Touch Provisioning with Cameyo, QAD – a Cameyo for Cloud Workers customer – says:

“The combination of ChromeOS and Cameyo gives us the ability to eliminate the provisioning of user laptops and drastically improve the security of our end user devices,” said Scott Lawson, Director, IT Security, and Architecture at QAD. “Because of how integrated Cameyo is with ChromeOS and the Google Admin console, we’re able to publish apps in minutes and push those to the appropriate users so that when they log in, the apps are there waiting for them. It’s seamless and secure.”

Conclusion

Zero Touch Provisioning has become an indispensable tool for IT teams seeking to streamline device deployments and enhance user productivity. By leveraging virtual app delivery solutions like Cameyo, organizations can further simplify the ZTP process and optimize productivity on their devices. To learn more, check out https://cameyo.com/news/cameyo-for-cloud-workers/

The post How to Use Zero Touch Provisioning to Simplify Device Deployment appeared first on Cameyo.

When talking about context switching when it comes to human productivity, people are usually referring to the amount of time people lose when switching between different tasks throughout their workday. Research shows that there’s a significant cost of context switching, in that it takes an average of 9.5 minutes to get back into a productive workflow after task switching. This is why so many time management and productivity experts suggest that, to truly achieve a state of deep work you should focus on a single task until it is complete. For bigger projects that will take a long time, people suggest things like breaking the task up with the Pomodoro technique, using time blocks, or the bundling of similar tasks to facilitate more focused work and tackle your to-do list.

Now, when we talk about context switching as it relates to software and computing, that refers to the disruption that is caused when someone has to switch from one environment to another in order to complete a new task. One common example of the cost of context switching when it comes to computing is the use of traditional virtual desktops environments.

The use of virtual desktops (whether legacy VDI or DaaS) skyrocketed during the pandemic as orgs needed a way to give their people access to the apps & data they need to do their work from any device, anywhere. In some cases those orgs needed to send their people home with whatever devices they could find (or afford), and in other cases they needed their people to work on their own personal devices. The issue that orgs then have is that you may have people on multiple different operating systems like Windows, MacOS, ChromeOS, and more – but those people still need access to the business-critical apps and data needed to do their jobs.

By implementing virtual desktops, this creates a bifurcated experience in which your team members may have some applications installed locally on their device, and they also likely access a lot of their apps via SaaS – but then they have to log into a separate virtual desktop environment to access their business-critical apps (like your ERP, CRM, EHR, etc.). When a user has to stop working in one environment and then start a new process or application in another environment, that context switching takes a toll on your employees’ productive time and leads to attention residue that makes it harder for your people to get their focus time back.

Context Switching and its Impact on Digital Transformation

As part of their digital transformation efforts, many organizations are looking to move more of their infrastructure and applications to the cloud. Similarly, there is an accelerated demand for cloud-first operating systems (OSs), like ChromeOS, due to the cost, manageability, and security benefits. In fact, analyst firm IDC recently released a study titled “Accelerating Enterprise Adoption of Cloud-First Operating Systems with Virtual App Delivery (VAD)” addressing that trend.

But at the end of the day, the traditional virtual desktop approach to delivering apps is inherently problematic for the long-term adoption of cloud-first OSs like ChromeOS because it requires context switching that degrades the user experience & disrupts productivity. 

For example – on ChromeOS, users access most of their apps as SaaS directly from Chrome or as PWAs. But when they need to access legacy Microsoft Windows, Linux, or internal web apps – the traditional virtual desktop model forces users to log in to a separate Windows OS-based environment. This context switching results in an awkward, bifurcated experience that (at best) annoys the user or (at worst) confuses them. In either case, it is an interruption to their workflow that distracts them from important tasks.

The context switching that virtual desktops force is one where users must switch back and forth between a modern, cloud-first computing model and the legacy model of a traditional Windows desktop. Virtual desktops and their reliance on the legacy Windows OS will always anchor organizations to the past, making it harder to fully adopt the future of computing. 

Eliminating Context Switching for Cloud-First Operating Systems like ChromeOS

Cameyo has believed since day one that the future of computing is the elimination of the traditional desktop (the Windows OS, and therefore all legacy virtual desktops, too). Cameyo pioneered the Virtual App Delivery (VAD) market to make virtualization invisible to the end user, simply letting them access all of their apps the way they always have, as if they were installed locally, regardless of device. And we do so by eliminating the virtual desktop altogether and simply letting users access their apps from any device/operating system with no change to their behavior.

Cameyo is the only virtualization solution that eliminates context switching on cloud-first operating systems like ChromeOS. For example, with ChromeOS and Cameyo, a user simply logs into their ChromeOS device and can access all of their apps either from the browser or as PWAs. Even legacy Windows, Linux, and internal web apps can be deployed as Cameyo PWAs on ChromeOS, so the end user simply clicks on the app icon in the taskbar/shelf and the app launches in its own window. To the end user, Cameyo doesn’t exist – they simply click an app icon from the ChromeOS taskbar and work the way they’ve always worked (rather than logging into a Windows OS-based virtual desktop before launching their apps).

The Future of Computing, Unlocked

The world is increasingly aware of the security, manageability, and cost benefits of cloud-first operating systems – especially ChromeOS. Accelerated adoption of ChromeOS is not an awareness problem – it’s a legacy roadblock problem. Many enterprise IT leaders know that ChromeOS would yield many benefits for their org, but they are held back because they either think that they simply cannot access Windows (and other) apps on ChromeOS, or they think that the only way to do so is with virtual desktops which, in addition to the context switching problem, introduce cost, complexity, and security issues. 

ChromeOS is the modern approach to computing that today’s cloud-first enterprises need. But organizations’ perceived need to adopt legacy virtual desktops in order to gain access to their critical apps on ChromeOS – forcing their people to switch back and forth between the future and the past – will continue to impede adoption. 

ChromeOS and Cameyo (a Chrome Enterprise Recommended virtualization solution) unlock a future of computing where organizations no longer have to give any thought to which OS is required to run their apps. Orgs can now embrace the world’s most secure, manageable, sustainable, and cost-effective operating system and simply know that their people will be able to access all of their apps with absolutely no change to their behavior. As a result, a cloud-first operating system like ChromeOS can become the future of computing, with no need for users to ever switch back to the past.

The post Cameyo Eliminates Context Switching for Seamless Productivity on ChromeOS appeared first on Cameyo.

VDI was one of the earliest ways for modern organizations to enable their users to stay productive while offsite. It’s been around for several decades, which is why VDI’s approach to virtualization is based on the traditional workstation computing model — back when everyone used desktop PCs. Through the use of virtual machines (VMs), VDI tries to replicate that classic operating system-style desktop environment. From a technical standpoint, your standard VDI environment is built on a lot of hardware and software like data centers, thin clients, load balancers, Windows servers, authentication mechanisms and so on.

Once mobile devices and cloud-based computing technologies started to mature, everyone from IT leaders to ordinary users started reframing things in terms of workspaces. VDI followed suit. Its model shifted slightly to desktop as a service (DaaS), which essentially took VDI’s on-premises infrastructure and swapped all or part of it for cloud infrastructure. But DaaS isn’t a huge departure from classic VDI solutions. Although it adopts SaaS-style pricing, DaaS is still very much focused on replicating the Windows-centric user experience on endpoint devices.

If DaaS is just cloud-based VDI, what’s a VDI workspace?

A VDI workspace is, in a nutshell, the environment users have to log into in order to gain remote access to their apps. The term itself doesn’t really distinguish whether that workspace is provided through classic on-premises VDI or DaaS managed services.

However, what nearly all VDI workspaces have in common is that they stick to the desktop-first paradigm that is the hallmark of VDI solutions like Citrix and VMware. They force the end user to log into a Windows OS “workspace” just to access their apps. It’s effectively the 20th-century workstation concept with some 21st-century dressing.

The result is a user experience that’s completely at odds with today’s more modern, fluid technology landscape. VDI workspaces insist that the growing numbers of Mac, Linux or Chromebook users have to go through a separate Microsoft Windows environment in order to work with their apps. That separation just isn’t conducive to most contemporary workflows. It creates barriers to remote and hybrid work by trying to make user devices fit the outdated mold of desktop workstations.

The digital employee experience (DEX): Seamlessness, not segregation

In recent years, and especially since the workplace upheavals of 2020–2021, IT thought leaders have begun placing increased emphasis on the digital employee experience (DEX). In fact, DEX has become so important that Gartner estimates that half of IT organizations will have a DEX strategy and tools in place by 2025.

At its most basic, DEX is a way for organizations to assess how well their technologies are empowering their users. To determine where your organization’s DEX strategy currently stands, it helps to start asking questions like these:

• Are our technologies generic and one-size-fits-all? Or do they cater to different workflows and workloads?
• How can we truly optimize our technologies for different use cases?
• Do our end users have access to their essential productivity tools anywhere and on demand?
• Are we still thinking exclusively in terms of desktops and laptops? Or are we considering all mobile devices?
• Can we achieve an unparalleled user experience alongside cost-effectiveness and zero trust security?

There are plenty of DEX resources out there, but it might be helpful to know that many of the leading articles on DEX recommend “going beyond portals” (a legacy of the workstation mindset) to make it easier for users to engage with their colleagues and their productivity tools. That means phasing out practices like VDI workspaces that channel users through what is essentially a segregated, self-contained Windows environment.

Those at the forefront of DEX and digital transformation are instead advocating for seamless digital workspaces — that is, workspaces that aren’t bound to a specific operating system, user device or workflow. Which makes Virtual App Delivery a key enabler of the secure digital workspace.

Cameyo boosts DEX (and productivity!) through flexibility and security 

As the only virtualization solution that doesn’t force users into a Windows workspace, Cameyo’s VAD platform provides the seamlessness and flexibility that enhance an organization’s DEX right out of the gate. Cameyo transcends VDI’s outmoded workstation models by getting apps, not operating systems, into users’ hands on any device, regardless of OS.

Cameyo also streamlines DevOps processes by enabling IT professionals to deliver all the apps their people need directly to their devices as progressive web apps (PWAs). No software redevelopment is necessary as part of this, and users don’t have to change their behavior at all. With Cameyo, they simply use their Windows, Linux, SaaS, and internal web apps from any device—including Macs, Chromebooks and mobile devices (e.g., iPhone, Android tablet)—within that device’s native environment. It’s completely transparent to them, so they can work as they’ve always worked.

On top of that, Cameyo’s VAD is an integral part of Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA). So organizations can implement security best practices while also boosting the DEX for end users.

You wouldn’t adopt a VDI solution without testing it first, and we wouldn’t expect you to adopt a VAD solution without the same due diligence. Sign up now for your free trial of Cameyo to see how quickly you can start publishing and delivering your business-critical apps to end users. If you’d rather have one our engineers take you through things in a bit more detail, don’t hesitate to schedule a demo instead.

The post What is a VDI Workspace? appeared first on Cameyo.

Not all remote desktops are VDI, but you could say that VDI is a form of remote desktop. It effectively creates workspaces—usually Windows environments—that end users can access through specially configured devices or software clients. The infrastructure (the “I” in VDI) consists of on-premises host servers running virtual machines (VMs), and it’s these virtual machines that users connect to and interact with.

What’s so wrong with virtual desktop infrastructure?

Virtual desktop infrastructure achieves a particular end, but it’s not the most elegant or efficient solution. Generally, it has three main drawbacks.

• Cost: On-premises infrastructure is expensive. The servers that host the virtual images, store data and assist with authentication during remote access sessions all have to be purchased and maintained. VDI also requires organizations to purchase specific endpoints. These can be specialized thin or zero clients or laptops that have been provisioned for use with VDI. Plus organizations will also pay to license the VDI solution and the Windows operating system on the VMs.
• Complexity: Desktop virtualization solutions claim to be optimized for easy provisioning and administration, but they don’t just manage themselves. Some organizations have entire in-house teams of trained, certified IT professionals to oversee their VDI implementation. Others have to pay to outsource that responsibility. Either way, those teams constantly have to optimize VDI deployments for particular workloads and help users troubleshoot the various problems that can emerge.
• Security: VDI has a troubled history with security. End users need remote access to the VDI host servers, and this is typically done via a virtual private network (VPN) in combination with the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). RDP in particular has several well-known vulnerabilities, and VPNs have the potential to allow complete access to the corporate network if they’re compromised. That runs completely counter to today’s zero trust best practices.

In recent years, the advent of the public cloud has enabled VDI to transition into what’s called desktop as a service (DaaS). DaaS largely follows the same model as traditional VDI except the infrastructure is transferred to cloud-based backends like Azure or Amazon Web Services (AWS). That removes some of the need for expensive on-premises data centers, but it’s not as if the SaaS-style pricing of cloud infrastructure is free.

More importantly, DaaS comes with many of the same drawbacks as traditional VDI. Even seemingly straightforward solutions like Amazon Workspaces can’t escape the steps involved in provisioning virtual desktops to end users or the licensing costs associated with operating systems.

What about Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops?

Like VMware Horizon View, Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops is one of the more popular virtual desktop solutions. Because of Citrix’s long history in the desktop virtualization space, the name alone still carries a lot of weight in IT circles.

But that same popularity also makes Citrix solutions a known target for malicious actors, which raises worrying security concerns. As recently as December 2022, the United States National Security Agency (NSA) was sounding the alarm over two Citrix networking products. With the backing of the Chinese government, the APT5 hacking group was actively exploiting a zero-day vulnerability Citrix ADC, an application delivery controller, and Citrix Gateway, a remote access tool, to gain wide-ranging access to targeted networks.

These exploits can be directly attributed to the various components that Citrix uses to power its virtualization solutions. This highlights how VDI’s complexity can become its Achilles heel: The more moving parts, the greater the attack surface. 

VAD: The true virtual desktop alternative

As these issues of cost, complexity and security make clear, finding virtual desktop alternatives isn’t as important as finding an alternative to VDI itself. Even a low-cost, open-source VDI solution, if one existed, would still bear many of the inherent shortcomings of the virtual desktop infrastructure model.

The true virtual desktop alternative is one that isn’t bound to any particular operating system. It’s one that enables end users to work with ALL of their essential apps – Microsoft Windows, Linux, SaaS, and internal web apps – from any device. It’s quick to deploy, easy to provision and incredibly intuitive for end users. Above all, it’s cloud-native and supports zero-trust network architecture by design.

That’s exactly what Virtual App Delivery (VAD) offers. VAD transcends the limitations of a virtual desktop, instead creating a flexible, secure, user-optimized digital workspace. And, as a pioneer of VAD technology, Cameyo is able to provide streamlined remote access to business-critical and even legacy apps without compromising the seamless user experience or the rock-solid security that modern organizations need to stay agile and productive.

Here are just a few of the many ways that Cameyo supports zero trust practices:

• Segmentation – Cameyo separates end users’ sessions and isolates their devices from corporate networks and data. Should a device become infected with ransomware or malware, the malicious software has no way to reach the corporate network/data or the Cameyo system.
• Least privilege – All traffic is encrypted, and apps are delivered via a secure HTML5 web browser. Along with maintaining device segmentation, this eliminates the need for VPNs for remote access.
• Identity & access management – Cameyo integrates with your preferred Single Sign-On (SSO) provider. Any Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) that the SSO utilizes also applies to Cameyo.

That tight security, combined with cost-effectiveness and simplicity, is what makes Cameyo’s VAD so superior to VDI when it comes to remote work enablement. With just a click, end users can start working with full-featured desktop versions of their essential apps from any of their devices — whether it be an Android tablet, an iPhone running iOS, a Mac or a computer running a Linux operating system (including ChromeOS). You can think of it as a highly customizable, app-first cloud desktop.

These are the reasons why Computerworld called Cameyo “the new alternative to Citrix.” And it’s also why the industry as a whole is moving away from virtual desktops in favor of Virtual App Delivery. VAD is more streamlined, more versatile, more secure than VDI and easier on your bottom line, as former Citrix customers like Ur&Penn have already discovered after migrating to Cameyo.

Sign up for your free trial of Cameyo today and discover how easy it is to roll out app-centric digital workspaces to your end users. Or maybe you’d like more details on how exactly Cameyo supports your zero trust IT practices? In that case, simply schedule a demo and one of our engineers will reach out to provide you with the right info.

The post Your Options for a Virtual Desktop Alternative appeared first on Cameyo.

Of course, a good chunk of that rapid growth can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mid-size and large-scale businesses needed to pivot quickly away from decades-old workplace models and equip their newly remote end users with cost-effective tools to remain productive. But what does it say about Chromebooks that they were the go-to choice for facilitating that pivot?

What’s driving the move toward the Chromebook enterprise?

It wasn’t too long ago that the “Chromebook enterprise” was considered a fanciful notion. Certain misnomers about Chromebooks—and their native operating system, the Linux-based ChromeOS—arose when the devices were still in the process of carving out their own unique technological form factor. And, unfortunately, some of those assumptions have persisted over the years.

The Mac, so the thinking ran, was for creatives. Chromebooks were for students. And Windows devices were for businesses.

However, some open-minded technology experts outside of the K–12 space started to recognize Chromebooks for what they are:

• More Cost-Effective: Largely due to ChromeOS, Chromebooks accomplish more with less. Whereas even laptop PCs need to be powered by beefy (and expensive) AMD Ryzen or Intel Core i5 processors to run Microsoft Windows and all its related software, Chromebooks can achieve the same level of performance with more budget-friendly specs, such as Intel Celeron CPUs. Being cloud based, they also don’t need the same amount of SSD storage space.
• Great for ROI: It isn’t just that Chromebooks have lower upfront costs. They introduce new efficiencies to IT as well because, through programs like the Chrome Enterprise Upgrade, an entire fleet of ChromeOS workspaces can be administered easily from a single console. Furthermore, some studies have shown that Chromebooks can save SMBs as much as 45% on software licensing costs alone.
• Longer Lasting: This applies in day-to-day use, as many end users report Chromebooks’ long battery life to be one of their most valued attributes. But it also applies to the lifetime of the device. Rather than being disposable, rapid-upgrade devices, Chromebooks actually maintain the same level of functionality over a longer period of time. That’s why it’s not uncommon to find a vintage Mac or PC struggling a lot more than a Chromebook of the same age.
• Secure by Design: ChromeOS has more than flexibility and efficiency going for it. It gives IT tight control over trusted apps, updates automatically to apply the latest patches and provides proactive protection against malware threats. These security features make Chromebooks some of the most secure devices available. 

When it comes to connectivity, Chromebooks have also largely kept pace with their bulkier, pricier Windows PC cousins. Although barebones Chromebooks certainly exist, it’s not hard to find a Chromebook with all of the necessary business connectivity options like HDMI, current-gen Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, a webcam, IPS displays with Full HD (FHD) or higher resolution as well as UHD graphics, USB-C ports, a headphone jack and even a stylus and touchscreen. This menu of ports and specs enables end users to connect to a wide variety of detachable peripherals, further extending the functionality of their Chromebooks.

What’s the best Chromebook for your needs?

In the traditional laptop corner, you have trusted standbys like the Dell Latitude, the HP Elite series and the Lenovo ThinkPad. These brands and models are well known in the enterprise world and have generated a lot of loyalty on account of their durability and feature set.

But even if a handful of your end users are wedded to their ThinkPads for life, that doesn’t mean that you can’t find viable replacements for all or part of your fleet in options such as the Asus Chromebook line, the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook line, the HP Chromebook line, the Lenovo Chromebook line, Google’s Pixelbook Go, the Acer Chromebook Spin series and many more from smaller-scale manufacturers.

Each range will bring its own inherent strengths and functionality, and the constant updates to their form factors and specs make any definitive recommendation difficult. Your best bet is simply to survey the Chromebook landscape (our go-to source for current Chromebook reviews and specs is Chrome Unboxed) just before you’re ready to purchase and make sure that your proposed devices offer the connectivity, warranty and price your organization is looking for. Need help determining which devices are right for your organizaiton’s specific use cases? Reach out to Cameyo here and we’ll connect you with one of our reseller partners who specialize in ChromeOS devices. 

What barriers remain to Chromebook enterprise adoption?

With Chromebooks having matured into enterprise-grade devices and so many options to choose from, it seems like enterprise adoption would be virtually guaranteed across the board.

And yet there’s been a sticking point for IT when it comes to fully embracing ChromeOS: the ability to provide all of their users with seamless access to all of the apps (including Windows apps) they need to be productive on Chromebooks. Previously, this limitation ruled out ChromeOS for end users who needed to do hardware-intensive tasks like video editing — or even those who just needed to work with the desktop version of Microsoft Office.

Cameyo completely removes that limitation. Its Virtual App Delivery (VAD) solution clears the path for enterprises everywhere to finally make the shift to ChromeOS and not look back. With Cameyo, organizations of any size can provide their end users with access to desktop-class applications across their devices, Chromebooks included.

Let’s say, for example, a remote Chromebook user needs to work with the Windows version of Microsoft Excel on account of macros and compatibility. Through Cameyo’s Virtual App Delivery platform, that user can access their business-critical native Windows software right from within their ChromeOS workspace. Cameyo integrates seamlessly, as you’d expect from a Chrome Enterprise Recommended partner, so users can easily continue multitasking with their ChromeOS and Windows apps alongside one another, with nothing new to learn for your end-users.

Fortune 500 manufacturing company Sanmina utilized Cameyo to remove the roadblocks to Chromebook adoption, and is in the process of migrating it’s 30,000 employees to ChromeOS while giving them seamless access to all of their apps with Cameyo. The large Swedish consortium Klarahill leveraged Cameyo to transition to Chromebooks without sacrificing support for legacy Windows apps — and reduced their remote desktop costs by 85% in the process. Retailer Ur&Penn deployed Cameyo to smooth their transition from Windows PCs to Chromebooks by maintaining effortless access to their essential Windows software. And the list goes on and one (see more case studies here).

The takeaway to all this? When paired with Cameyo, any Chromebook can be the best Chromebook for your organization. There’s no compromise in functionality because the operating system is no longer a limitation. Your end users enjoy all the cost, security, and manageability benefits of Chromebooks plus the advantages of working with all of their full-featured desktop Windows, Linux, and other apps.

And it’s easier than you think to get started. Sign up for your free trial of Cameyo today to begin testing its Virtual App Delivery platform right away. If you have questions that need answering beforehand, that’s fine too. Simply schedule a demo to have one of our engineers take you through the basics and show you how Cameyo bridges the enterprise gap between ChromeOS and your essential Windows software.

The post The Rapid Adoption of Chromebooks for Business appeared first on Cameyo.

So what does it take to get full-blown Linux on your Chromebook and start making use of that functionality? If you happened to see our recent blog post on installing Windows on your Chromebook, you’ll probably be relieved to know that Linux installation is slightly easier than that.

But before we start exploring the steps toward a dedicated Linux installation on your Chromebook, you might begin by evaluating whether or not you really need to go through that trouble in the first place. When your goal is simply accessing Linux apps, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to install an entire secondary operating system on your Chromebook.

Instead, a more streamlined and cost-effective alternative is to provide users with access to the Linux apps they need, right from within ChromeOS. That’s exactly the solution that Cameyo for Linux provides (in addition to enabling you to deliver all non-Windows web apps via Linux servers on Cameyo).

Cameyo for Linux leverages the same technology model that has made our pioneering Virtual App Delivery (VAD) platform such a popular choice for Windows app delivery. From healthcare to the enterprise, Cameyo has enabled organizations of any size to provide all their people with mission-critical Windows, SaaS and internal web apps, no matter what desktop environment they happen to be using.

For example, Fortune 500 manufacturing powerhouse Sanmina utilized Cameyo to eliminate the Windows application gap, enabling it to migrate its workforce to Chromebooks. A major Scandinavian company deployed Cameyo to equip its employees, now on Chromebooks, with business-critical legacy applications.

Because Cameyo is OS-independent, organizations like these can use it to deliver apps not just to Windows but also Mac, Ubuntu and ChromeOS machines. In fact, Cameyo can even deliver desktop-native apps to mobile OSes like Android and iOS.

And now Cameyo for Linux extends that capability to Linux apps, so users can seamlessly work with Linux files and Linux-based software on any device—including Chromebooks—without having to run Linux outright or create a dual-boot environment.

What’s the advantage of Linux apps in ChromeOS?

The benefits of running Linux software are applicable to all operating systems, not just ChromeOS.

• Many Linux apps have lower costs. Unlike Windows apps, which can command a hefty price tag, open-source Linux software is more likely to have lower upfront pricing on commercial or enterprise licensing. Many popular distros and titles are even free or donationware. Furthermore, Linux apps such as the Gnu Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) or the LibreOffice suite can be just as powerful as their Windows counterparts.
• Linux distributions can be tailored to your needs. Windows aims to be one-size-fits-all, but that can come at the expense of customization. Linux, by contrast, comes in many flavors that are often far more optimized for specific use cases or implementations. As a result, you can choose a Debian-based distro like Ubuntu, an Arch-based Linux distro like Manjaro or a Fedora-based distro like CentOS depending on your exact application.
• Linux servers have lower admin overhead. The ability to tailor your Linux distro also reduces the number of unnecessary software modules, which in turn limits the scope for incompatibility and error. That contributes to the stability of Linux and scales back the amount of administrative maintenance and oversight required to keep them running smoothly. No wonder so many enterprise-scale organizations are powered by Linux servers.
• Linux performs better on lower-spec hardware. Another bonus of Linux customization and only having to apt-get the software modules and libraries you need? Even with a less expensive CPU and less RAM, you can often achieve the same level of performance as a Windows-based server.
• Avoiding vendor lock in. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Microsoft would very much like your organization to stay within its ecosystem forever. On Linux, the barriers to migration between solutions aren’t nearly as steep, and the lower overall costs mean that organizations have the freedom to experiment with new and potentially more optimized solutions.

With Cameyo for Linux creating the essential bridge between ChromeOS and your organization’s Linux apps, you can now tap into all of these efficiencies. And if you don’t have the resources to manage Linux servers in-house, that’s totally fine. By using Cameyo’s fully hosted option, your organization can deliver apps hosted on Linux servers without having to actively manage the supporting infrastructure on your own.

Still determined to run Linux on a Chromebook?

If you’d still prefer to forge ahead with installing Linux on your Chromebook, there is a sanctioned method for running individual Linux apps in ChromeOS. It’s called Crostini.

Be warned: This functionality is not something that will easily scale to more than a couple very self-sufficient, tech-savvy users. It also only supports Chromebooks released since 2019. More importantly, key steps of the process will likely wipe all your existing data and settings, so be sure to back up beforehand.

First, enable Developer Mode. You do this by opening the “Settings” page and searching for “Linux” in the search field. Click the “Turn On” button, which will initiate a series of prompts that ultimately enable Linux.

Second, install your Linux apps. Keep in mind that the Linux model of software installation is not like it is on Windows. Downloading an app and clicking on the icon in your Downloads folder will not always work. Apps that require dependencies will not run until those dependencies are installed. Most apps can only be successfully installed via command line instructions. For this method, you’ll need to type sudo apt-get install [PACKAGE_NAME] in the terminal window and press Enter.

Maybe Crostini won’t cut it and you’d rather install a full-blown Linux desktop environment to run alongside ChromeOS. This is done through a modified chroot environment known as Crouton.

As with Crostini, using Crouton begins by enabling Developer Mode as above. Once you’ve done that, power off your device, hold down the ESC and Refresh keys, then press the power button to reboot. This will put your Chromebook in Recovery Mode.

When the recovery screen appears, press CTRL + D. Next, you’ll be asked to turn off OS verification. It’s important to note that from this point forward, every time you boot your Chromebook, you’ll have to press CTRL + D and decline OS verification.

After completing these steps, you should be in ChromeOS. Now search GitHub for Crouton and download it to your Downloads folder. Press CTRL + ALT + T to open the ChromeOS terminal, type shell and press Enter to open a terminal window. Next, run the following command:

sudo install -Dt /usr/local/bin -m 755 ~/Downloads/crouton

The following command will install Crouton with the XFCE desktop environment:

sudo crouton -t xfce

It could take some time for that process to complete. Once you’ve confirmed its success, enter this command to launch the Linux desktop environment:

sudo enter-chroot startxfce4

This is by no means the end of your Chromebooks Linux installation adventure; but as of this writing, it should at least give you a working Linux desktop environment on your Chromebook.

Cameyo for Linux + ChromeOS for a user-friendly Linux experience

Clearly, installing Linux on a Chromebook isn’t for the average user. Or the faint of heart. To bring Linux apps to ChromeOS in a way that’s truly as easy for IT as it is for users, Cameyo for Linux is the most economical and seamless solution.

With Cameyo for Linux now a part of our suite of VAD solutions, organizations are able to give all their users access to all of their apps from all their devices. It doesn’t matter whether the apps are coded for Windows, Linux, SaaS or as internal web apps, and the same platform agnosticism is true for the user’s device. It’s a complete liberation from the traditional limits of the operating system.

And with Cameyo’s digital workspaces, there’s none of the complexity of virtual machines and classic remote desktop deployments. Nor is there fine print that forces users to download special Android apps or proprietary cloud desktop clients. When we say universal access to apps from any device, we mean it. So now you can feel confident about adopting cost-effective Chromebooks and efficient Linux infrastructure without compromise and concessions.

To get started with Cameyo for Linux, simply sign up for your free trial. That will give you a hands-on feel for what VAD can do and how it can empower both remote and in-house users with access to all their apps. Alternatively, you can schedule a demo and have a Cameyo engineer take you through the ins and outs of VAD and why the vast majority of users (and IT staff) will prefer it to a dedicated Linux installation.

The post How to Install Linux on Chromebook: A Guide to Linux Apps on ChromeOS appeared first on Cameyo.

Among IT teams, one security technology that’s gaining traction to combat these risks is browser isolation (also known as web isolation). Browser isolation came about in response to one of the most obvious and exploitable vectors for a cyberattack: web browsing. Any end user who visits a compromised website is potentially exposed to malicious downloads, harmful scripts or phishing attacks. If successful, these can result in sensitive data being leaked or even entire IT systems falling prey to outside control.

Browser isolation works by creating a self-contained “airtight” browsing session that prevents malware and other malicious content from accessing anything outside of those confines. Unlike antivirus solutions, which attempt to identify and quarantine malware after it’s already been saved to the computer, browser isolation stems from a preemptive Zero Trust approach that assumes all web content is untrusted and therefore high risk—even if it happens to come from a supposedly trusted or verified source.

Because of its practicality and effectiveness, browser isolation is now regarded as a best practice when it comes to hardening web security and establishing a secure web gateway.

Types of browser isolation

All browser isolation strategies follow the same basic logic. Like its name suggests, browser isolation technology moves all of a user’s browsing activity to an isolated environment that is somehow separated from the endpoint device. That leaves malware with no way to escape the sandbox environment. This way, the user and system data is never actually exposed to the web content.

Currently, browser isolation solutions come in three different varieties:

• With client-side browser isolation, the web content from the user’s browser is still saved locally on their device as it is with conventional (non-isolated) web browsing activity. However, real-time virtualization or sandboxing functionality is employed to keep the web-related data contained.
• Remote browser isolation (RBI) makes use of cloud security principles. When an end user accesses a web page, the web content is actually loaded (along with any JavaScript code) on a remote server hosted in the cloud. Whatever web traffic is generated during browser sessions is kept separate from the user’s device as well as the internal networks.
• On-premise browser isolation works in the same way as RBI, with the main difference being that the server is managed in-house by the organization and is not hosted in the cloud.

Regardless of their methodology, browser isolation solutions invariably delete all of the associated data when the user’s web browsing session ends. Any malicious content or downloads get deleted along with it.

Why implement web isolation?

The overall benefits that browser isolation brings to web security are pretty self-evident.

• Potentially harmful downloads are eliminated from the user’s device.
• Attack surface is reduced because malware is kept sandboxed.
• The device-level “air gaps” created by browser isolation also increase network security.
• The user experience remains the same because web browsing interaction remains unchanged.
• Any modern web browser can be configured to work with browser isolation.
• Unknown vulnerabilities like zero-day exploits pose less of a risk.

The larger takeaway is that browser isolation is a simple security service that is effective at mitigating frontline cyber threats and therefore helps to prevent the debilitating data loss that can result from them.

Beyond web browsing: Enhancing zero trust

As security measures go, browser isolation makes both economic and technological sense. But it’s not enough to implement browser isolation technology alone and call it a day. For a true Zero Trust initiative, you have to make sure that all your solutions are working toward the same goal.

Cameyo’s Virtual App Delivery (VAD) platform was developed from the ground up to meet two key criteria. Number one, it had to enable seamless end user productivity by giving people a secure cloud desktop to access all of their apps from any location and any device. And number two, it had to support organizations in their adoption of Zero Trust security principles. As a result, it achieves both by design with a Zero Trust security model built into the foundation of it’s platform.

Cameyo succeeds here because it delivers Microsoft Windows applications to endpoint devices via an HTTPS-encrypted browser session in any HTML5 browser. That makes it incredibly easy for end users to access their full-featured desktop applications from any device. It also leaves attackers with very few options. Here are the Zero Trust security principles utilized in Cameyo’s platform:

• Segmentation: Since the Windows software isn’t actually running on the local endpoint device, Cameyo’s VAD platform limits potential on-device vulnerabilities. Furthermore, Cameyo actively segments the browser session from customer networks and data so any malicious code can’t spread.
• Device access control: In line with Zero Trust principles, Cameyo assumes every device is untrusted and potentially compromised. Full isolation exists between user-level devices and organizational network/data—without sacrificing ease of use.
• Non-persistent data: Just like browser isolation wipes web content after a web browsing session, Cameyo wipes all customer user data from the server every time the user logs off.
• Least privilege: Cameyo encrypts all of its web traffic and delivers it via a secure HTML5 browser. Not only does this support segmentation, it also eliminates the need for VPNs.
• Identity & access management: Thanks to its rich integration with popular single sign-on (SSO) providers, Cameyo fully supports modern authentication mechanisms. And if you have Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) set up with your SSO, it also applies to Cameyo.

Of course, running Windows applications in a secure browser session also has advantages like lower costs and reduced complexity. That’s why Cameyo’s secure cloud desktops shrink your organization’s attack surface while also shrinking TCO at the same time.

For proof, check out our case study on Sweden’s Klarahill. They deployed Cameyo to support a Zero Trust security model and cut remote desktop costs by 85% in the process. “With Cameyo you get this very powerful solution, with very low complexity and cost, all while getting greater security than you’ll find in other solutions. Complexity is the antithesis of security. The more complexity a solution has, like the many components of virtual desktop solutions, the more potential security issues you will have. Cameyo is built on a Zero Trust security model, and it also strips away all of the complexity that could result in security issues down the line,” said Adam Nerell, Head of IT for Klarahill.

We offer a free, no-strings trial of Cameyo so you can evaluate it in your organization’s environment alongside any browser isolation technology you might already be using. Our engineers are also happy to walk you through the functionality of our VAD platform as well as its cybersecurity features. Just request a demo and we’ll set something up.

The post What is Browser Isolation, and Will it Benefit You? appeared first on Cameyo.

As you know, anything that requires a change in the end user’s behavior is going to degrade that user’s experience. This often leads to frustration by the end user, and more support tickets as a result (both of which lead to reduced productivity).

So how can you provide your people with a seamless app experience on any device – including Chromebooks – without compromising security or productivity? 

That’s exactly what we’ve aimed to solve from day one with Cameyo’s ultra-secure cloud desktop solution, powered by our Virtual App Delivery (VAD) platform. And today we announced yet another innovation in virtualization that makes using Windows apps on any device a truly seamless experience. 

Introducing Cameyo’s Native File System Integration

Cameyo’s Virtual App Delivery (VAD) platform now features native file system integration with ChromeOS, giving users direct access to their local folders and files from within virtual apps. This, combined with our recent Cameyo PWAs announcement, enables ChromeOS users to launch any Windows apps directly from their taskbar and open/edit/save files locally on their device – all without the apps being installed locally. 

“Google and Cameyo have a long history of joint innovation aimed at enabling IT to adopt ChromeOS devices without having to sacrifice the business-critical Windows applications people still need to do their jobs,” said Mark Bowker, Senior Analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG). “This level of integration shows Cameyo’s commitment to delivering a seamless experience for Windows apps on Chromebooks, and removes a potential barrier for IT teams that have been considering ChromeOS but were concerned about enabling Windows apps.” 

Enabling You to Cut Costs Without Compromise

The introduction of Cameyo’s native file system integration with ChromeOS delivers an experience where Chromebook users cannot tell whether or not a Windows app is installed locally on their device (even though Windows apps cannot be installed on ChromeOS). There’s no change to the user experience, which eliminates the need to purchase, maintain, and refresh costly fleets of Windows PCs just to support the Windows apps users need to access. Organizations can now reduce costs by switching to Chromebooks and Cameyo without sacrificing the user experience or their productivity. 

“Chrome adoption is rapidly increasing worldwide because of the extreme cost savings and security benefits, but for some organizations, the transition to ChromeOS is impeded because they are worried about disrupting their people’s access to critical Windows apps,” said Andrew Miller, Co-Founder & CEO at Cameyo. “This integration provides a truly seamless user experience for Windows apps on Chromebooks so that organizations can have the best of all worlds – cost savings, increased security, and improved productivity regardless of the apps they need to use on ChromeOS.”  

Cameyo’s web file system integration works with all ChromeOS, Windows, and macOS devices and is available today to all customers, at no additional cost. 

Tutorial

Let’s take a look at how it works:

Once you activate our file system integration for your users, the Cameyo file dialog will display “My Device” on the left-hand side, allowing your users to connect to their local folder of choice:

Clicking on “My Device” will let the user select the folder they’d like to connect:

Due to HTML5 safety measures, your users will be prompted for permission twice – once for Read access, and once for Write access. Click Allow for both. 

And that’s it! Now your users’ selected folder will be available to them within Cameyo sessions. They can now open, edit, and save files locally on their device from within virtual apps, just as if the apps were installed locally. 

To see how simple this is in real-time, check out the tutorial video:

Combined with Cameyo PWAs, Cameyo’s native file system integration with Chrome OS delivers a truly seamless app experience on Chromebooks, even for Windows apps, which requires absolutely no change to the user’s behavior. To learn more about publishing and pushing any app to your users’ taskbar in minutes as a PWA, check out our Cameyo for PWAs tutorial or schedule a personalized demo today.

The post Providing a Seamless App Experience on Chromebooks with Cameyo’s Native File System Integration appeared first on Cameyo.

However, even companies that appreciate these trends might be at a loss when it comes to cost-effectively addressing them in a way that enables anytime/anywhere productivity. 

For example, you’re no doubt well aware that cloud solutions are essential for dynamic work environments, remote work and online collaboration. But how can you cost-effectively provide your end-users with high-performance tools to support their individual workloads under those conditions? More importantly, how can you do it in a way that’s not only cost-effective but also less complex from an IT deployment & management perspective?

And perhaps even more importantly, how can you avoid the common security pitfalls that are leading to massive spikes in successful ransomware attacks?

Texas-based Community Hospital Corporation (CHC), one of the United States’ top providers of healthcare consulting and management services, is one of thousands of organizations globally who have turned to cloud desktops to address these issues. CHC selected Cameyo‘s virtual app delivery (VAD)-enabled cloud desktop solution, yielding exceptional results in terms of reduced cost and complexity. 

CHC wanted to streamline its infrastructure across more than 20 hospitals nationwide. Yet the company still wanted to provide customized workspaces for its end users in order to enhance the user experience and make its outstanding patient care even better. As CHC was already familiar with desktop virtualization through virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), the company initially saw VDI as the default method of getting Windows apps into the hands of its distributed staff.

What is a virtual desktop?

Many companies—from small businesses to global Fortune 500 enterprises—follow that same line of thought. VDI has been around for decades, so in many cases, organizations can default to this legacy approach due to it’s familiarity.

VDI is a pre-cloud technology that’s built around providing complete desktop environments, usually some form of Microsoft Windows, to remote endpoints. The way it works in most use cases is that virtual machines (VMs) are hosted on a centralized on-premises data center server. End-users connect to these VMs through a complex server-based authentication mechanism that typically involves Microsoft Active Directory. That then allows those users to interact with a familiar desktop environment on their local machine—even though the actual computing is being performed on the host server.

Simply accessing virtual desktops has traditionally been a stumbling block for users as well as IT. Most VDI solutions require dedicated software clients—interactive viewer windows, so to speak—that don’t work with every endpoint device. Users are also often expected to connect to the virtual desktop infrastructure via virtual private networks (VPNs), which introduce major security risks. This leads to IT diverting more and more resources to providing technical support, locking down firewalls, assisting with basic connectivity and maintaining the VMs.

That was certainly CHC’s experience with virtual desktop solutions.

“[W]e did what most people probably do – we started with all of the biggest players. We spent almost four years evaluating VMware, Citrix and Nutanix. But it became clear, time and time again, that none of those solutions were feasible from either a cost or complexity perspective. Many of our facilities only have one or two IT personnel, and it typically takes 10 or more people to manage a VDI deployment full time,” said Brian Stopinski, Corporate IT Operations Director, CHC.

“So it doesn’t matter that these were the solutions that were in the upper right of Gartner’s Magic Quadrant – they simply were not an option for us.”

What is a cloud desktop?

The term cloud desktop has been applied as a catch-all to many remote desktop and desktop virtualization solutions that have incorporated a cloud computing framework. Sometimes dubbed desktop-as-a-service (DaaS), a fair number of these are just legacy virtual desktop infrastructure in disguise: VDI with a backend cloud infrastructure and SaaS-style pricing. The longstanding complexity and limitations are still there, even if they now happen to leverage popular cloud services.

But true cloud desktop solutions encompass a technology that departs from VDI and represents an evolution in virtualization solutions: virtual app delivery (VAD).

Cameyo was an early pioneer of VAD technology as a more cost-effective, flexible and secure response to conventional Windows virtual desktops. Unlike legacy desktop virtualization approaches, we saw that a user’s desktop environment didn’t have to be tied to a specific operating system (Windows) or even a universal set of apps. It could change to suit individual or group workflows. It could take full advantage of cloud infrastructure for on-demand responsiveness. And it could neatly solve the issues presented by VPNs and remote desktop protocol (RDP) vulnerabilities to provide an incredible—and incredibly secure—user experience.

While VAD may have emerged as a cloud-native alternative to VDI and DaaS, just how much of an alternative it offers can sometimes be overlooked. That was certainly the case for CHC. At the beginning, at least.

“When I first started my conversation with Cameyo, my mentality was that we had to deliver full Windows desktops. It’s simply the byproduct of 25 years of experience with Windows desktops, and I think a lot of people are still stuck in the same mentality that I was,” said Stopinski. 

“We were still in the mindset that we needed to deliver a full Windows desktop to give our people access to their apps. So at first, I completely discounted Cameyo and didn’t think it would work for us. But we decided to do an evaluation based on Google’s recommendation.”

Cameyo’s engineering team showed Stopinksi and his team at CHC how they could spin up the exact cloud desktop environment they were looking for. And what’s more, they did it in just 45 minutes.

FAQs about Cameyo’s digital workspace solution

How is Cameyo different from a virtual desktop?

Fundamentally, VAD and VDI are both digital workspace solutions with a shared goal: empowering users to stay productive in any environment. But Cameyo moves beyond classic desktop virtualization in many important respects, with cost-effectiveness, security, and flexibility being the biggest factors. By design Cameyo bolsters zero-trust computing policies while being far more user friendly for end users of all technical backgrounds. And it can reduce your costs by up to 85% compared to traditional Windows OS-based virtual desktops.

What devices is Cameyo compatible with?

It’s easy to forget that one big promise of the public cloud was device agnosticism. Unfortunately, old habits die hard, and some solution providers have clung to software clients that only work with a handful of operating systems.

Cameyo, by contrast, works on any device that can run an HTML5-capable web browser like Chrome. That means Mac and Linux computers, iOS (e.g., iPad, iPhone) and Android mobile devices, Chromebooks and even PCs with aging CPUs can access the full desktop versions of Windows software—on demand and in real-time—without those applications being installed locally on the device.

Is Cameyo more cost-effective than VDI?

Without a doubt.19% of Cameyo customers report an immediate ROI due to a reduction in cost compared to their previous VDI/DaaS solutions, while 61% report ROI in less than 3 months, and 91% experience ROI in less than a year.  

Then there’s the cost savings that comes from reduced complexity. As a true cloud desktop, Cameyo doesn’t come laden with all the legacy baggage of VDI. With Cameyo, you’re delivering apps, not operating systems, which means less time spent on technical support, increased user productivity and minimal to no infrastructure footprint. In Stopinski’s words: “In our initial evaluation, I was shocked by how small the footprint was of Cameyo’s solution. All of the servers, load balancers, and other infrastructure you have to manage with Windows desktops – we didn’t have to deal with any of that with Cameyo.”

And by helping to mitigate ransomware attacks through features like HTTPS encryption and non-persistent sessions, Cameyo can also spare your organization from the expensive and disruptive aftermath of disaster recovery.

Does Cameyo require extra training and certifications?

No. Compared to VDI, which often requires a dedicated technical support team with bespoke VDI training and certifications, Cameyo has been deployed in hundreds of environments across all industries by non-specialists—and usually in a matter of hours. It doesn’t take any special skills to get Cameyo up and running or optimize it for your particular use case.

Which cloud service providers does Cameyo support?

Cameyo is all about flexibility and customization. While our fully-hosted solution is available in your choice of Google Cloud (default) or Microsoft Azure, we also offer a BYOC (bring your own cloud) option. You can also self-host Cameyo in any cloud of your choice, as well as hybrid and on-premises environments. 

What kind of user experience can we expect with Cameyo?

Virtual app delivery through Cameyo provides your end-users with a Windows-independent cloud desktop on any device, no matter where they happen to be. Whether they’re working from home or in a dynamic hoteling workplace, accessing the full desktop version of their apps is as straightforward as clicking a Cameyo PWA-enabled app icon in their taskbar (which launches the app in its own window, even though it’s not installed locally) or accessing the apps in the browser just like SaaS apps. Your users literally have nothing new to learn – they simply use their apps as they normally would, no matter what device they are on. And all of this ease of use is underpinned by Cameyo’s uncompromising security features.

Move beyond Windows-based virtual desktops

The idea of a cloud-native, cost-effective and user-optimized cloud desktop experience with industry-leading security and ease of use might sound like an IT wish list, but CHC was pleased to discover that Cameyo was a proven virtualization solution that checked all the boxes. The biggest hurdle was thinking beyond traditional VDI and realizing the benefits of a Windows OS-independent cloud desktop.

“The reality is, we didn’t know what we didn’t know. We thought we needed to deliver a Windows desktop in order to give everyone access to all their apps, including Windows apps, on any device,” said Stopinski.

“With Cameyo, I finally realized that the user doesn’t need to see the Windows OS. As an organization, we always ask ‘What is the value add?’ whenever we’re evaluating something new. So I applied that question to something old – Windows desktops – and it became obvious that the added value was zero.”

If you’d like to know more about CHC’s experience with Cameyo, you can read the full case study here. On the other hand, if you’re eager to leave behind the cost, complexity and security risks of legacy VDI solutions, be sure to sign up for your free trial of Cameyo today or request a demo from one of our engineers.

The post Cloud Desktops – Reducing the Cost of Virtual Desktops While Enhancing Security & User Experience appeared first on Cameyo.

Part of that evolution has been the introduction of a cloud solution to complement the traditional desktop version of QuickBooks. Unlike the versions of QuickBooks that are installed and run locally on a Microsoft Windows or Mac computer, QuickBooks Online adopts a cloud computing model. This allows multi-user access to QuickBooks via a web browser as well as mobile apps. Pricing, like most software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions, is a monthly subscription that varies depending on the number of seats and selected add-ons.

QuickBooks Desktop vs. QuickBooks Online

For some organizations, the major drawback to QuickBooks Online is that it lacks some of the functionality of QuickBooks desktop software. In the past, important features like job costing have been present in the desktop version but missing in the cloud editions of QuickBooks. Some small businesses also prefer to pay the one-time upfront cost of the desktop software rather than the ongoing monthly fees.

An alternative to QuickBooks Online is QuickBooks Desktop hosting, which combines elements of the two. Hosted QuickBooks is typically a scenario in which the desktop software is run on a local computer, an on-premises server or a data center server provided by a hosting service. QuickBooks users can then connect to the local software hosting solutions or the off-network server through some form of local network or remote access, such as a remote desktop client.

As you can imagine, these configurations involve many moving parts and can be tricky to set up. They also often involve changes to device firewalls and other security settings to facilitate access. To better maintain data security when using a third-party cloud server, it’s important for organizations to seek out an authorized QuickBooks hosting provider. Cloud hosting providers with this seal of approval have been vetted by Intuit and confirmed to be taking appropriate security measures to protect your data.

However, you will end up paying ongoing fees for dedicated QuickBooks cloud hosting from these providers, and the cost may or may not include customer support, technical support or uptime guarantees. Exact pricing will depend on the hosting plan you negotiate.

Cameyo: A simpler, more cost-effective alternative to hosted QuickBooks

Similar to many small to mid-sized businesses around the world, JTM Electrical Contractors relies on QuickBooks. As JTM has grown, so have the company’s business needs and what it requires from its core accounting software.

For many years, the company made use of the various hosted QuickBooks configurations with different QuickBooks versions. At first they ran QuickBooks Enterprise on a central computer and configured remote access to that machine. Then, in an attempt to introduce greater scalability, they looked to the cloud services model of QuickBooks Online. Unfortunately, that version lacked essential functionality. As an alternative, they found a QuickBooks solution provider that could host QuickBooks Enterprise, but the hosting and licensing fees started to mount.

Then JTM discovered Cameyo. Our virtual app delivery (VAD) platform gave them everything they were looking for: secure access to their preferred version of QuickBooks with all the scalability advantages of cloud computing and budget-friendly pricing. Now all their QuickBooks users can work with the full desktop software from any device.

“Not only did the cost of Cameyo balance out our previous costs, but Cameyo gives us the ability to grow and scale the number of users cost effectively, enabling us to grow as much as needed in the future,” said Kari Ugent of JTM Electrical Contractors, Inc. You can read the full case study here.

FAQs about Cameyo and QuickBooks Desktop

Is Cameyo truly cloud native?

Yes. Cameyo’s VAD platform was designed from the ground up so that you can self-host Cameyo in any cloud of your choice. You can also select Cameyo’s fully hosted option and choose between Google Cloud or Microsoft Azure.

How difficult is it to set up Cameyo with QuickBooks software?

It’s super simple. Deploying Cameyo involves no downtime. Many of our customers are up and running within a single business day—and sometimes as little as an hour. No infrastructure is required, and it takes minimal IT experience to configure and administer Cameyo.

What about security?

Your QuickBooks data is always keep separate and isolated from Cameyo, and no data is stored on our servers. All client connections are HTTPS encrypted, and Cameyo’s browser-based virtual app delivery model keeps QuickBooks software isolated from potential security issues on client devices. In fact, Cameyo is so secure that it can be used to support zero trust computing policies.

How does Cameyo work with my QuickBooks license?

Just like hosted QuickBooks, your standard QuickBooks Desktop license is valid for use with Cameyo. Your users will still be accessing the full desktop version of the software (so the licenses you have are still needed), but they’ll be able to access it seamlessly from any browser instead of it needing to be installed on their device locally. 

Does Cameyo integrate with cloud service providers for added functionality?

Of course. For example, you can tie into Google’s G Suite for single sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication, feature-enhancing add-ons and Google Drive storage.

When you say Cameyo works with any device, what’s the catch?

There is no catch. Cameyo has no operating system requirements for your QuickBooks users. Any authorized user with an Internet connection and an HTML5 web browser can access the full desktop version of QuickBooks in real-time via Cameyo. That means they can work just as easily from a Mac or an iPhone as they can from an Android tablet or a Chromebook.

How can I determine if Cameyo is right for my QuickBooks use case?

Easy! Just take a few seconds to sign up for a free trial of Cameyo—no credit card required. Along with seeing why Cameyo is ideal for giving users remote access to QuickBooks, you’ll also discover how VAD can be a complete cloud desktop solution—one that’s more streamlined, cost-effective and secure than virtual desktops. And if you’d prefer a one-on-one technical walkthrough, simply request a demo.

The post Your Guide to QuickBooks Hosting vs. QuickBooks Cloud appeared first on Cameyo.