Automatically Deliver Intelligent Application Stacks
Managing application dependencies has long been a pain point for people in the virtualization world (if you’ve had to deal with App-V Connection Groups, you know what I’m talking about). It’s devastating to spend hours preparing deployments and having things go south because you forgot to install a runtime, overlooked a plugin, or deployed conflicting applications together.
It’s even worse if you discover the problem via the employees you just deployed flooding the service desk with calls.
Application Dependencies in Cloudpager alleviate these issues by allowing you to define application dependencies (e.g., other applications, runtimes, plugins, etc.). In other words, you can guarantee the right applications arrive together with everything they need to run.
Seamlessly Manage Application Dependencies with Cloudpager
When orchestrating application deployments at enterprise scale, it’s simply not feasible to remember every specific application version’s dependencies. Cloudpager’s new Application Dependencies feature alleviates the headache of having to manually check every Workpod for dependencies.
By setting application dependencies, Workpods and Storefronts can now automatically include dependencies as soon as containers are added to them.
For example:
- Eclipse depends on Java 17 JRE/JDK or newer. As soon as you add Eclipse into a Workpod or Storefront, Cloudpager will automatically add Java 17 JRE, as well.
- Paint.NET has three plugins your team needs? As soon as you add one of those plugins to a Workpod or Storefront, Paint.NET will also be added.
With Application Dependencies, there’s no more guesswork for IT Administrators. Set the dependencies once and you’re good to go.
Enhance the End User Experience by Automating Application Dependency Handling
The Application Dependencies feature improves the end user experience in multiple ways. First off, all applications will just work with all the functionality they need right off the bat – reducing Help Desk tickets.
This feature becomes particularly valuable for self-service application access through Cloudpager Storefronts. Let’s say a designer wants to use BrushBox, a popular Photoshop plugin, forgetting they had uninstalled the latest version of Photoshop.
Upon selecting BrushBox from Cloudpager Storefront Storefront (again, not realizing they don’t have Photoshop on their machine), Cloudpager will automatically provision Photoshop to them alongside BrushBox.
As far as they are concerned, their software “just works” as anticipated with full interoperability – no need for IT to get involved.
Avoid Application Conflicts While Customizing Deployments
This release is not just about what to include, but also what not to include in a given deployment. Administrators can create Incompatibility workflows – which serve as the inverse of a dependency. These “conflicts” are completely up to administrators discretion.
Let’s say you are adding Application 1.0 to a Workpod, which you don’t want running on systems with Application 2.0. You can set an “Incompatibility Workflow”.
If someone adds Application 2.0 into a Workpod with Application 1.0, Cloudpager will highlight you have introduced conflicts so you can solve the problem before provisioning to your end users.
This ensures you deliver clean, reliable desktop experiences without version clashes or redundant apps.
How Application Dependencies Help Existing Cloudpager Customers
Existing Cloudpager customers have been accustomed to managing application dependencies by including all inter-dependent applications in the same Cloudpager Workpod. While this workflow was still simpler for Administrators than alternatives on the market such as App-V Connection Groups, it did require Administrators to remember to include all inter-dependent applications at the time of publishing the Workpods.
We felt the workflow could be improved. Existing customers should appreciate this change in workflow as it makes Cloudpager even more intuitive than before. Existing customers will also enjoy the inclusion of the ability to set Application Incompatibilities which is something that was not possible until now.
Why This Matters
- Reduces IT overhead: No more hunting for missing dependencies.
- Simplifies Self-Service Application Access: Employees automatically get everything they need to run their desired software.
- Delivers a consistent application experience: Applications arrive fully functional, regardless of which Windows OS employees are on or where they work from.
- Minimizes deployment risk: Proactively mitigates application deployment failures, conflicts, and end user confusion.
Containerize Everything to Establish Modern Application Operations
Cloudpager is designed to simplify the orchestration of Windows desktop environments through intelligent and highly automated application management. For all things applications, stick with Numecent. Sign up for our email list below and be among the first for all cutting-edge developments and industry insights:
