Ruben's EUC Industry Bento Box - January 2024

Industry News & Insights

1. VMware - Broadcom - Fiasco - Opportunity!

   Exciting times right now when you are in 'End User Computing,' Datacenter Infrastructure, and Cloud Native Applications. With VMware joining Broadcom and VMware End User Computing being divested from Broadcom, a lot is happening for partners, competitors, customers, and friends working at VMware. It's exciting, challenging, and interesting to see how all this will work out (or not)!

   Various articles about Broadcom and VMware have been written in the past weeks; if you haven't seen them, they provide insights into what is happening behind the scenes:

   • As Broadcom nukes VMware's channel, the big winner is set to be Nutanix
   • Broadcom Takes Top VMware Accounts Direct 'Effective Immediately'
   • Scared, Angry And Terminated, VMware Partners Unload On Broadcom
   • Broadcom ditches VMware Cloud Service Providers
   • Broadcom to divest VMware's EUC and Carbon Black units and VMware's response: “An exciting new era for End-User Computing”
   • VMware's end-user compute products are for sale. Who might buy 'em?
   • EQT, KKR Are Among Suitors for $5 Billion Broadcom Asset

   I see a massive challenge and opportunity here. For many vendors, this is wind in their sails. I believe Microsoft, Nutanix, Dizzion, other DaaS providers, and the Broadcom shareholders will win in the VMware-Broadcom acquisition and VMware EUC sell-off. How and where do you start when you are a VMware customer or partner?

   Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. When is the last time you did something for the first time?

   — Ruben

2. 👑 Introducing the New Dizzion - I love it when a plan comes together!

   

   It has been an exciting and busy time since Frame and Dizzion merged about six months ago. We enable customers to quickly and easily transform their workspace experience by delivering comprehensive solutions and services with unparalleled simplicity, flexibility, composability, and support.

   🕹️Make the Switch to Dizzion

   We are offering new customers who are switching from an existing DaaS or VDI solution, such as a VMware or Citrix solution, a one-year Flex subscription (powered by Frame) for FREE.

   ☀️What makes Dizzion different than Amazon, Citrix, Microsoft, and VMware? We are different by design: Full stack DaaS solution, Premium User Experience, True Multi-cloud support, No Cloud lock-in, powerful administration experience and Flex, Managed and Complete offerings. Check out all of our offerings at a glance!

3. Alternatives to Citrix and VMware for Remote Work

   Gabe Knuth's article at TechTarget explores various options beyond the commonly used virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) services provided by Citrix, Microsoft, and VMware. Gabe looks at alternative vendors in the VDI and DaaS market, discussing their unique offerings and potential benefits for organizations seeking different solutions in the evolving remote work environment.

4. LinkedIn shelved planned move to Microsoft Azure, opting to keep physical data centers

   LinkedIn has reversed its decision to fully migrate its data center technology to Microsoft's Azure cloud, a plan initially set under the project "Blueshift" announced in 2019. This decision marks a significant strategy shift and a setback for Microsoft's cloud services growth ambitions. Despite the change, LinkedIn will continue using some Azure services and focus on enhancing its own on-premises infrastructure. The reasons for this pivot include challenges in integrating LinkedIn's proprietary tools with Azure and a mutual agreement to prioritize resources for external Azure customers. LinkedIn is also expanding its data center capabilities to meet its computing needs.

   My personal opinion is that customers and partners should be Cloud Smart rather than Cloud First and run workloads where it makes sense.

5. Let's Talk Startups - The Workspace 365 story with Erik Nicolai

   

   Listen to this great podcast by "Let's Talk Startups" as they discuss with Erik Nikolai, founder of Workspace 365, reshaping work environments and navigating the challenges of remote work and international office management. Erik dives into effective entrepreneurial strategies, the importance of customer and partner feedback, and building a solid remote team culture. I like the conversation since it offers excellent perspectives for entrepreneurs and innovators looking to adapt to the evolving business landscape. I always enjoy Erik's POV, his down-to-earth, feet on the ground, and "Dutch Mindset" combined with easy-to-understand examples of lessons learned both business and private.

6. Paid add-ons to Microsoft 365 are multiplying rapidly. What's a customer to do?

   

   Mary Jo Foley discusses the increasing number of extra-cost features, apps, and licenses in Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 subscriptions. These add-ons have grown fourfold in the past four years and include security, compliance, management, and premium capabilities services. The cost of these services, such as Microsoft 365 Copilot and Teams Premium, adds significantly to the base subscription prices. The article raises concerns about the rising costs and complexity of managing these tools, questioning whether Microsoft's offering optional add-ons is sustainable or if a new, more inclusive subscription tier might emerge.

For the Greeks

1. The Future of End User Computing (EUC) by Shawn Bass and Brian Madden

   This video captures a great conversation between two EUC industry friends and veterans. They recap and discuss what happened in the last years of EUC and what is next. Shawn and Brian compressed seven hours of content into one hour. So, buckle up. They address Office 365, AI, Mobility, User Experience Monitoring, DaaS, Enterprise Browsers, Public Clouds, and more.

2. NerdNight at TD Synnex - Dune, Command & Conquer

   🎮It is fantastic to support partners, including those who are 'Nerding out' with Dune, Command & Conquer, and other games at TD SYNNEX- Nutanix NerdNight. These games aren't the typical Frame use case, but why not - it's fun!

   🕹️They used Dizzion Frame with "Cloud Workstation" w/ NVIDIA powered GPUs using Frame Remoting Protocol v8 that supports multiple monitors, 4K resolution, 60fps, YUV444 - all in browser. Super Easy to set up a great Admin and User Experience. ☀️ Florian Schorn created excellent video impression. Are you also planning OpenRA?

   

3. 🎯Nutanix Community Edition for Home Lab.

   

   With VMware vSphere's future uncertain, many home-labbers are exploring alternative solutions. While Proxmox and XCP-ng are popular open-source options, have you considered Nutanix Community Edition? It's free to download and provides a reliable solution for running your home lab. As the enterprise world looks for alternatives to VMware, Nutanix may become a popular choice. 🔔A great detailed write-up by Brandon Lee

   🚀If you are looking for a VMware Horizon or Citrix replacement? Dizzion Frame is worth investigating, and this blog about using Nutanix CE with Dizzion Frame is a great read: 'Geek Out with Frame: A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Frame and Nutanix Community Edition'

4. The Walt Disney Company Imagineer Lanny Smoot makes History with the most realistic, expandable, extendable lightsaber and HoloTile floor

   

   Great to see where Lanny making the magic happen - insights in his lab, inventions and more!

   

5. Beyond Coding Podcast about EUC and Silicon Valley

   📢 Check out this engaging episode of the Beyond Coding Podcast #140 featuring Patrick Akil and me. Some of the topics:

   • Working remotely, taking the plunge, and managing risks
   • The Pros and Cons of Startups
   • My Digital Twin and how to stay ahead of the game
   • What is End User Computing?
   • UX is KING
   • ShadowIT
   • E-waste and sustainability

Something extra:

Kindness, it's a superpower. You never know what someone else is going through. I challenge you to "Be a rainbow in someone's cloud. Be a blessing to someone.

Featured in a great short video, found via Jed Ayres.

Thanks for reading, if you have any questions feel free to contact me!

Want to take Frame on a free 12-hour test drive? Click here! If you are active in the EUC community with e.g., Amazon, Citrix, Microsoft, Nutanix, or VMware, and you want to use Frame for 1 year for free. Just let me know so I can tell you more about the Frame Community Program.

Ruben Spruijt
Field CTO, Dizzion
ruben.spruijt@dizzion.com
@rspruijt