User environment management
Encyclopedia
User environment management (also abbreviated to UEM) is a computing term used to describe the management of a user's experience within their desktop environment
.
Managing user personalization is complicated due to the number of factors and variables to be considered. As the desktop computing environment has evolved, the methods for delivering the desktop and applications have grown, further compounding the complexity involved in managing the user’s personality.
was introduced to the workplace, initially as a standalone device. Over time these were networked and computer data storage was introduced to enable resources and information to be shared.
A number of advancements and new technologies from software companies have extended and improved this model. Citrix provides the ability to store the desktop environment
centrally and publish it to remote users. Microsoft
acquired some of this technology to develop their terminal server
solution. Virtualization is a technology that evolved from the mainframe computer
, initially into the x86 architecture
servers and now enables virtualized desktop environments. This is largely led by VMware
and Citrix. A further technology, application streaming
, offers an alternative method for delivering applications to users. Softricity were the leading company specializing in this technology before being bought by Microsoft
who take the solution to market as Microsoft Application Virtualization
.
, virtual desktop
s, terminal server
s, application virtualization
, application streaming
. Typically a combination of these is used to address all the requirements and constraints placed on an organization. Market analysts suggest these technologies are complementary and will exist in tandem, rather than the newest technologies dominating. One growing part of the market is an increase in provisioned and virtualized desktops which can be managed centrally and addresses many of the limitations associated with distributed desktop computing. Several analysts have stated that the future of PC desktops will be heterogeneous (i.e. differing Windows desktop delivery methods will coexist). Key to this is how system administrators design the user experience, the closer the basic look and feel is to how users have previously interacted with their desktops, the more accepting of the new technology they will be. “The nature of pooling or sharing desktops means that each user does not always log on to the same virtual desktop each time they log in and as a result, organizations need to properly plan for this version of musical chairs. It is absolutely critical when using pooled virtual machine
s (sometimes called dynamic pools) that you have a method of deploying applications and settings to users that is fast, robust and automated.” . It is from this growing requirement that user environment management developed. Critical to the user environment is making sure that user profiles are portable in one manner or another from one session to the next.
s. User environment management can be applied to all Citrix, VMware
and Microsoft
delivery methods, including virtual, provisioned, streamed and published environments.
Due to the extensive nature of user environment management, there are a number of solutions in the market which address part of the solution such as Group Policy
Preferences, Scriptlogic for policy management; RTO Software or SepagoPROFILE for profile management. A few companies offer a comprehensive and complete user environment management solution (i.e. the ability to control both profile settings and offer a portable user experience) including AppSense
, Entrigue Systems, RES, Tricerat, and Tranxition.
Desktop environment
In graphical computing, a desktop environment commonly refers to a style of graphical user interface derived from the desktop metaphor that is seen on most modern personal computers. These GUIs help the user in easily accessing, configuring, and modifying many important and frequently accessed...
.
The user environment
In a modern workplace an organisation grants each user access to an operating system and the applications required for their role, applying corporate policy to ensure the user has appropriate access levels. This typically includes items such as the drives, printers and applications they should and shouldn’t have access to. Within this framework, each user has a preferred way of operating and they make a number of changes to enable them to work most efficiently. Common user changes are email signatures, language settings and the environment ‘look and feel’. The combination of the corporate policy and user preference is described as the ‘user personality’. Users get attached to their PC’s, “their attachment is not to the device itself, but to the way in which they do their jobs today”Managing user personalization is complicated due to the number of factors and variables to be considered. As the desktop computing environment has evolved, the methods for delivering the desktop and applications have grown, further compounding the complexity involved in managing the user’s personality.
History
The personal computerPersonal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
was introduced to the workplace, initially as a standalone device. Over time these were networked and computer data storage was introduced to enable resources and information to be shared.
A number of advancements and new technologies from software companies have extended and improved this model. Citrix provides the ability to store the desktop environment
Desktop environment
In graphical computing, a desktop environment commonly refers to a style of graphical user interface derived from the desktop metaphor that is seen on most modern personal computers. These GUIs help the user in easily accessing, configuring, and modifying many important and frequently accessed...
centrally and publish it to remote users. Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
acquired some of this technology to develop their terminal server
Terminal server
A terminal server enables organizations to connect devices with an RS-232, RS-422 or RS-485 serial interface to a local area network . Products marketed as terminal servers can be very simple devices that do not offer any security functionality, such as data encryption and user authentication...
solution. Virtualization is a technology that evolved from the mainframe computer
Mainframe computer
Mainframes are powerful computers used primarily by corporate and governmental organizations for critical applications, bulk data processing such as census, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise resource planning, and financial transaction processing.The term originally referred to the...
, initially into the x86 architecture
X86 architecture
The term x86 refers to a family of instruction set architectures based on the Intel 8086 CPU. The 8086 was launched in 1978 as a fully 16-bit extension of Intel's 8-bit based 8080 microprocessor and also introduced segmentation to overcome the 16-bit addressing barrier of such designs...
servers and now enables virtualized desktop environments. This is largely led by VMware
VMware
VMware, Inc. is a company providing virtualization software founded in 1998 and based in Palo Alto, California, USA. The company was acquired by EMC Corporation in 2004, and operates as a separate software subsidiary ....
and Citrix. A further technology, application streaming
Application Streaming
Computer application streaming is a form of on-demand software distribution.The basic concept of application streaming has its foundation in the way modern computer programming languages and operating systems produce and run application code. Only specific parts of a computer program need to be...
, offers an alternative method for delivering applications to users. Softricity were the leading company specializing in this technology before being bought by Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
who take the solution to market as Microsoft Application Virtualization
Microsoft Application Virtualization
Microsoft Application Virtualization is an application virtualization and application streaming solution from Microsoft. It was acquired by Microsoft during the acquisition of Boston, Massachusetts-based Softricity on July 17, 2006...
.
The current environment
An IT administrator now has a variety of options when delivering a desktop and applications to a user; personal computerPersonal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, virtual desktop
Virtual desktop
In computing, a virtual desktop is a term used with respect to user interfaces, usually within the WIMP paradigm, to describe ways in which the size of a computer's desktop environment is expanded beyond the physical limits of the screen's real estate through the use of software, This saves space...
s, terminal server
Terminal server
A terminal server enables organizations to connect devices with an RS-232, RS-422 or RS-485 serial interface to a local area network . Products marketed as terminal servers can be very simple devices that do not offer any security functionality, such as data encryption and user authentication...
s, application virtualization
Application Virtualization
Application virtualization is an umbrella term that describes software technologies that improve portability, manageability and compatibility of applications by encapsulating them from the underlying operating system on which they are executed. A fully virtualized application is not installed in...
, application streaming
Application Streaming
Computer application streaming is a form of on-demand software distribution.The basic concept of application streaming has its foundation in the way modern computer programming languages and operating systems produce and run application code. Only specific parts of a computer program need to be...
. Typically a combination of these is used to address all the requirements and constraints placed on an organization. Market analysts suggest these technologies are complementary and will exist in tandem, rather than the newest technologies dominating. One growing part of the market is an increase in provisioned and virtualized desktops which can be managed centrally and addresses many of the limitations associated with distributed desktop computing. Several analysts have stated that the future of PC desktops will be heterogeneous (i.e. differing Windows desktop delivery methods will coexist). Key to this is how system administrators design the user experience, the closer the basic look and feel is to how users have previously interacted with their desktops, the more accepting of the new technology they will be. “The nature of pooling or sharing desktops means that each user does not always log on to the same virtual desktop each time they log in and as a result, organizations need to properly plan for this version of musical chairs. It is absolutely critical when using pooled virtual machine
Virtual machine
A virtual machine is a "completely isolated guest operating system installation within a normal host operating system". Modern virtual machines are implemented with either software emulation or hardware virtualization or both together.-VM Definitions:A virtual machine is a software...
s (sometimes called dynamic pools) that you have a method of deploying applications and settings to users that is fast, robust and automated.” . It is from this growing requirement that user environment management developed. Critical to the user environment is making sure that user profiles are portable in one manner or another from one session to the next.
User environment management
User environment management is a software solution which enables corporate policy and user preference data, the ‘user personality’, to be abstracted from the delivered operating system and applications and centrally managed. This personality can then be associated with the variety of delivery mechanisms an organization uses ‘on-demand’, enabling dynamic personalization of provisioned desktops and easier migration of users to newer technologies such as virtual desktopVirtual desktop
In computing, a virtual desktop is a term used with respect to user interfaces, usually within the WIMP paradigm, to describe ways in which the size of a computer's desktop environment is expanded beyond the physical limits of the screen's real estate through the use of software, This saves space...
s. User environment management can be applied to all Citrix, VMware
VMware
VMware, Inc. is a company providing virtualization software founded in 1998 and based in Palo Alto, California, USA. The company was acquired by EMC Corporation in 2004, and operates as a separate software subsidiary ....
and Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
delivery methods, including virtual, provisioned, streamed and published environments.
Due to the extensive nature of user environment management, there are a number of solutions in the market which address part of the solution such as Group Policy
Group Policy
Group Policy is a feature of the Microsoft Windows NT family of operating systems. Group Policy is a set of rules that control the working environment of user accounts and computer accounts. Group Policy provides the centralized management and configuration of operating systems, applications, and...
Preferences, Scriptlogic for policy management; RTO Software or SepagoPROFILE for profile management. A few companies offer a comprehensive and complete user environment management solution (i.e. the ability to control both profile settings and offer a portable user experience) including AppSense
AppSense
AppSense is a privately-held company providing user virtualization technology. AppSense has a US headquarters in New York City and a UK headquarters in Manchester, England. The company also has offices in London, Munich, Melbourne, Amsterdam, Paris and Oslo, and a technology center in Santa Clara,...
, Entrigue Systems, RES, Tricerat, and Tranxition.