access capture on Access IT Automation

Why is Evergreen IT Important & What Does It Typically Look Like?

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0100

Are you using Evergreen IT the right way?

Long gone are the days when you migrated your entire user base to a new version of Windows as a huge, high-risk, big-bang project every few years. For most organizations, OS updates happen every 12-24 months and only take about 6 months to complete.

Application Whitelisting as Part of your Automated Packaging Workflow

Mon, 06 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0100

In a large corporate environment, the end-users do not usually have the rights to install just any application they download from the internet themselves.

But how do you decide which applications are allowed to be installed and run and which aren’t? Today, I want to walk you through the application whitelisting basics, the most common ways enterprises whitelist their apps, as well as how you can increase your security by adding digital signatures to your applications as part of your automated packaging process.

Everything You Should Know About MSI Packaging

Thu, 02 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0100

The definitive list of everything you need to know about MSI packaging.

With Millennials making up more than half of today’s workforce, companies can no longer play by the old rules of the Baby Boomer or early Gen X generations. Today’s employees aren’t coming into the same office, same desk, and same computer every day as they used to only a decade ago. Whether it is for business or personal reasons, working from your home office, on the road, in a coffee shop, at co-working spaces, or even in a remote location is not only acceptable but even desired by some companies. But how does this link to MSI?

10 Things To Consider Before Purchasing An Enterprise MSI Packaging Tool

Mon, 30 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0100

When it comes to picking a tool, make sure you pick the right one!

Trying to decide on the right MSI packaging tool for your company is a bit like shopping for a new car but without the pushy car salespeople (at least we hope not for your sake, because no one likes pushy salespeople) or the gift cards for test driving.

How To Stop Your Product Owners From Complaining About App Packaging Documentation

Mon, 23 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0100

Let’s just be honest for a second and come right out with it: No one likes to create app packaging documentation.

Creating the documentation is probably the most boring part of app packaging an application! So oftentimes, product owners skip through the steps half-heartedly, rushing to get through it as fast as they can, or ignore it altogether. And who can blame them? It’s hours of tedious work and it’s a pain in the neck.

Business As Usual Application Management Mistakes

Tue, 05 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0100

Don’t make these 5 crucial mistakes that could stall your BaU application management process!

Last week, we published an interactive assessment called “Can We Guess Your Risk Level For Adopting Business-as-Usual?” from an application management perspective. Basically, we asked 12 questions and you pick the answer that best fits. At the end, we can predict how risky it will be to adopt this new IT management approach given your current application estate and management process, and we map out what it would take to take it to the next level. If you haven’t tried it yet, I highly recommend that you give it a go!

Quiz: Can We Guess Your Business-as-Usual Application Readiness Risk Level Correctly?

Tue, 29 Aug 2017 00:00:00 +0100

Take this quiz to see just how safe your applications are!

In the past year, I talked to a lot of enterprises IT pros about the challenges that most modern IT teams face today: flat budgets, headcount reductions or no additional hiring, having to do more work with fewer hands — all while modernizing the existing IT landscape, increasing security measures to prevent possible data breaches or malware attacks, migrating to Windows 10 (and managing the frequent subsequent updates), enabling the company’s Digital Business Transformation initiative…the list is endless.

Windows Branching 101: Everything You Need To Know About The New Servicing Model

Mon, 14 Aug 2017 00:00:00 +0100

It’s time to get rid of the Windows Servicing headache.

Remember the elation and expectations when Windows 95 was released over two decades ago? And the excitement and frustrations with subsequent releases like Windows 98, ME, and 8.1?

With each new version the Start button either disappeared or came back, the Control Panel was rearranged and moved, and some users couldn’t even figure out how to shut their computer down.

7 Smart Ways To Automate Your Windows 10 Hand-Over & Sign-Off

Thu, 27 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0100

Migrations, sign-offs, and handovers can be a headache. Don’t let them hinder your plans.

An OS migration can be such an overwhelmingly complex and huge project that it can become easy to lose sight of what happens when the migration is done. How will you gain end-user sign-off or train them on the new functionality? How will you deal with issues that arise as users power up their machines for the first time?

With Increasing Off-Shore Costs Are You Getting The Service Quality You Paid For?

Wed, 12 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0100

On the surface, it appears that offshore IT rates have remained relatively stable over the last 10 – 15 years. That is only partially true

In my experience, the average rate of an inexperienced resource for IT work is still about $18 an hour, but the rates for a high-end resource are now over $50 per hour, so the overall offshore cost depends on the project and the company.

How To Automate Your App Certification Process To Streamline Your Windows 10 Deployment

Tue, 11 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0100

I can hardly believe that it has been almost two years since Windows 10 was officially released!

Most enterprises have finished evaluating the new operating system and kicked off their migration efforts by now. But unlike previous Windows deployments where organizations had three to four years before the next upgrade cycle was due, Windows 10 (a.k.a. Windows-as-a-Service) churns out two new significant feature upgrades a year. Since its debut, Windows 10 has seen three new versions and another one is just a few months away.

Evergreen IT Management 101: What Is It & What Benefits/Challenges To Expect