At #VMworld 2017 US, VMware announced a number of new features and new innovations to VMware Workspace ONE powered by AirWatch, and their end user computing portfolio.  Let’s take a look at some of the things VMware has added to the already powerful software suite.

One Platform to Rule All Devices

One of the biggest challenges organizations face with the rise of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies is managing those assets.  VMware Workspace ONE is now the only unified endpoint management system to support all of the major operating systems BYOD users are now bringing to work.  VMware Workspace One now supports Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, and Google Chrome OS.

Chrome OS devices have increasingly become a popular choice due to their cost effectiveness, portability, and ease of use.  VMware Workspace One has the ability to deliver virtual apps and desktops to these devices, providing a seamless end user experience.

At the heart of this is the AirWatch console, where administrators can centrally manage mobility and identity management.  Additionally, VMware has realized the need for organizations to be able to seamlessly integrate with and deploy Office 365.  The latest release of the VMware Workspace ONE unified admin console allows for Office 365 configurations to be managed from this centralized location administrators are already familiar with.

Speaking of the new partnership with Google’s Chrome OS, VMware Workspace One powered by AirWarch is also working with Google on additional endeavors.  The platform will support Android Enterprise for use with Zebra devices.  Think “rugged device management” a la barcode scanners, point-of-sale devices, and other peripherals.  In addition, they will also work with a company by the name of Infinite Peripherals to deliver the same functionality for Apple iOS based devices.

VMware Workspace ONE Gets Smarter

VMware also announced VMware Workspace ONE Intelligence.  This new analytics platform will take a holistic look at the complete Workspace ONE environment, in order to help organizations determine the best course of action for them to take in variety of instances.  These auctions may even be automated to enable organizations to respond to requests even quicker.  For example, a user may be able to seamlessly upgrade their virtual workspace to something even more high performing if a certain threshold is met.  This is an add on feature to Workspace ONE.

VMware’s investment in the EUC space was apparent once again at VMworld.  Another hot topic, of course, was Horizon 7.  SDDC Manager, a key component of VMware Cloud Foundation, aims to aid organizations with automating their system lifecycle, from day zero, to upgrades, to patching.  SDDC manager is integrated with Horizon 7, in order to streamline deployment and configuration of this critical aspect of any VDI infrastructure.

While we always joke that this year is the year of VDI, the fact remains the end user computing space is as hot as ever.  This is a space packed with innovation, which was on full display at VMworld 2017.

Years ago, when VDI was still in the pilot stages, it was the technology teams in the organizations who were the users.  When BYOD first started, it was the technology based organizations and teams who began to adopt it.  Today, more and more organizations are adopting BYOD practices for everyone with a user account, not just the technology teams.

This requires a fundamental shift in the desktop management teams operate.  It requires a new set of tools, and a new set of processes.  Luckily, there are tools like VMware Workspace ONE powered by Airwatch and Horizon 7 available to these organizations to allow them to manage their VDI and BYOD users’ experiences from a centralized location.