IGEL DISRUPT 2023 Munich – Accelerating innovation in cloud-based VDI

It’s an exciting time to be in the end-user computing business!

A few weeks ago, the AWS End User Computing (EUC) team attended IGEL DISRUPT 2023 in Munich. Congratulations to Jed Ayres, Jim Airdo, and the entire IGEL Technology team for a phenomenal event! It was great to see old friends and make new ones in a great location and wonderful city. As customers and partners strive to improve workforce productivity and operational efficiency, it’s exciting to see the industry respond with all the innovative solutions showcased at this year’s event.

For nearly 10 years, AWS EUC has been serving customers with our end-user computing solutions. During this time, we’ve noticed that no two organizations take the same path on their journey to the cloud. However, one thing they all have in common is a desire to ensure the transition to the cloud is seamless from an end user’s perspective. Whether the actual desktop sessions reside on-premises or in the cloud, the end-user environment, available apps, and overall experience should remain 100% consistent. The end user should not know, or even care, where their actual virtual desktop instance runs. That’s why we at AWS believe in the Ten Principles of Fair Software Licensing for Cloud Customers. Two of the principles are paramount in giving customers choice:

• Freedom to run on-premises software on the cloud of your choice.
• Equal treatment for software licensing fees in the cloud.

We believe these tenets are evidenced in our work with fellow IGEL DISRUPT sponsors and Amazon WorkSpaces Core partners, VMware and Workspot.

VMware announced VMware Horizon 8 on Amazon WorkSpaces Core at AWS EUC Innovation Day last September.  When running on premises, VMware Horizon 8 delights customers with its simplicity, security, speed, and scale for delivering virtual desktops and applications with cloud-like economics and elasticity. When integrated with WorkSpaces Core cloud-based virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), Horizon 8 customers enjoy the benefits of a fully managed, SLA-backed, Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) solution without the need for additional IT staff to manage it. Those who went by the VMware booth or attended their sessions at IGEL DISRUPT saw firsthand the benefits of Horizon 8 on WorkSpaces Core.

Workspot announced WorkSpaces Core support for Workspot Cloud PCs at IGEL DISRUPT. Workspot customers know that Workspot delivers a secure, accessible, and cost-effective enterprise desktop. By allowing building Workspot solutions on WorkSpaces Core infrastructure, Workspot Cloud PCs will be central to accelerating the digital transformation of the modern enterprise for Workspot customers around the globe.

AWS End User Computing has a solution for you regardless of your use case. Our highly flexible managed services include Amazon WorkSpaces, an all-inclusive, fully persistent virtual desktop service; Amazon AppStream 2.0, a low-cost virtual desktop and application streaming service with selective persistence; Amazon WorkSpaces Web, a secure web browser for accessing internal websites and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) apps; and Amazon WorkSpaces Core, a cloud-based VDI service built to work with third-party VDI management solutions via API. If you are interested in testing your specific use case(s) with any of these services, speak with your account team about our $2,500 credit program available to current and new customers.

In recognition of our strategy and the broad range of capabilities delivered through AWS End User Computing services, IDC named AWS a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Desktop-as-a-Service 2022-2023 Vendor Assessment. This report provides useful insights regarding the entire DaaS vendor landscape and helpful information for any organization considering leveraging Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) solutions to empower their hybrid and remote workers.

The conference wrapped with former Citrix CEO and current Workspot Chairman of the Board, Mark Templeton, giving the closing keynote. One of Mark’s observations was that customers everywhere are contemplating migrating their users from on-premises to cloud-based solutions. We at AWS are excited to be a key part of the conversation.

Fair thee well, Munich. We’ll see you in Tennessee for IGEL DISRUPT Nashville.

Kevin Goodman is the Director of Product Management for AWS End User Computing services.