During my vacation Microsoft has announced that Azure RemoteApp (ARA) is ending/ended. The service provided the ability for mobile devices running on different platforms to get access to any corporate app. Microsoft will continue support to existing Azure RemoteApp customers on the service through August 31st, 2017, when the service will be wound down. Nobody saw this coming, I guess?
But the good news is: Citrix is introducing a new Citrix application virtualization service ”XenApp Express” that will serve as the next generation service for Microsoft Azure RemoteApp customers. This revolutionary new app delivery service will combine the speed of Microsoft Azure RemoteApp with many of the enterprise capabilities of Citrix XenApp to create the fastest, simplest way for you to access your app from the cloud.
In many ways, you can look at this "XenApp express” service as Azure RemoteApp v2.0. You can also see it as the fastest, easiest way to use XenApp in the cloud. Either way, this new service will be the next generation application virtualization and delivery service for Azure. Hope to see more about that in future!
Did post a few blogposts myself about Azure RemoteApp, but unfortunately the cloud solution is no more. Just have a look at the following blogposts for more information. XenApp Express will be expected somewhere in 2017.
From Microsoft:
Application remoting and the Cloud
Microsoft and Citrix Partner to Help Customers Move to the Cloud
From Citrix:
An Open Letter to Microsoft Azure RemoteApp Customers
Citrix to Introduce a Cloud Service that Delivers Secure Apps from Azure to any Device
In an earlier blogpost I explained Azure RemoteApp (ARA) functionality and to publish native and virtual (App-V) applications. Now the story continues with some other device experiences. Therefore I installed the Remote Desktop client on a Windows 10 Mobile, Android phone and iPad 3 device. Let's have a look again.
ARA can be used on a variety off devices. Sounds like a cool scenario to use Windows applications on multiple devices.
On a Windows 10 Mobile you need to install Remote Desktop client and logon. As easy as that. All applications published can be started within a RDP session.
On iOS (iPad) you need to install Remote Desktop client and logon. As easy as that. All applications published can be started within a RDP session.
Besides of the Azure RemoteApp RDP client and Windows 10 Remote Desktop client, you can use the Windows Azure RemoteApp website as well. That's the third option I found to access published applications.
Hope there will be still some development on ARA policies (you won't want to use "Save as" on the RDS host within applications), publish specific applications to users and/or groups, and ugly logon screen during logon.
Hope you like my posts so far on ARA functionality!
Check earlier blogposts:
Azure RemoteApp Part 1 and Part 2
In an earlier blogpost I explained Azure RemoteApp (ARA) functionality and to setup a virtual machine. Now the story continues with a new ARA collection, build on the virtual machine template created earlier. After that applications are published to make them available.
Steps to take:
Create a new ARA collection. You can choose between:
-Cloud based: Create and manage RemoteApp collections running in Windows Azure.
-Hybrid based: Create a hybrid deployment of RemoteApp that uses VNet to connect to your on-premise infrastructure.
The virtual machine template created earlier must be available now.
Choose the new template created and continue. As you can see it's not that hard to create a new collection. This will take even more time now, so be patience again ;)
When done choose "Configure user access" and "Publish RemoteApp programs" to make them available to end users.
Both native and virtual (App-V) applications will be published now. Just select the ones to publish to end users.
Once the applications have been published and user access has been configured, you can then download the Azure RemoteApp RDP client (or use the Windows 10 Remote Desktop client instead).
After you have been authenticated, you will see your published applications (both native and virtual applications) assigned and published to the user. You can then begin to test virtual application behavior in Azure RemoteApp.
They will be added to the local start menu automatically, which is very cool if you ask me :-) Applications are integrated seamless, where you cannot seen if they are installed locally, or added by ARA. No locally installed App-V client is needed as well.
Check the Roadmap too:
-What's coming in Azure RemoteApp
And remember: with added value like the "Ability to publish individual applications to specific users" it will be even better :-)
For a customer environment it was needed to offer applications to local devices, without using a local infrastructure. Because Microsoft Cloud is the way to go, I was thinking about Azure RemoteApp (ARA). Let's have a look at the solution and how to implement it for offering applications. It is not that hard to setup.
ARA helps employees stay productive anywhere, and on a variety of devices (Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, or Android). Your company’s applications run on Windows Server in the Azure cloud, where they’re easier to scale and update. Employees simply install Remote Desktop clients on their (Internet-connected) PC, Mac, tablet, or phone and then access applications as if they were running locally. Sounds easy isn't it?
Pro's and cons:
-ARA is available in the old Azure portal only (for now). It will be available in the new Azure portal later this year.
-Applications within a single collection can be offered to specific users or groups only. Not possible to divide them to different users or groups. This will be available in the new Azure portal later.
-Deploying virtual (App-V) applications within ARA isn't supported by Microsoft. It is working, but not a recommended option. This will be supported in future in the new Azure portal.
-Deploying virtual (App-V) applications within ARA is supported in hybrid collections only. When using cloud collections this isn't the case. It is working, but not a recommended option.
Steps to take:
-Open the Azure portal, go to virtual machines and create a new "Windows Server Remote Desktop Session Host" from template. Choose the configuration wanted and wait for it to complete.
-The applications needed can be installed native or may be virtual (App-V) as well. Make sure the App-V Client for Remote Desktop Services is installed too, when App-V packages are used.
-To register App-V packages for later usage, use the following command(s): Microsoft TechNet. Don't start them yet, otherwise delete data in the local VFS Folder (%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\AppV\Client\VFS) for sure.
When ready start ValidateRemoteAppImage.ps1 on the desktop. This script will check for errors and start Sysprep afterwards. The virtual machine will be stopped afterwards.
Choose to capture the virtual machine afterwards (Capture button).
Go to RemoteApp now and "Add a new template image". The virtual machine captured before must be available now. This will take some time, so be patience ;)
That's it for now. In a next blogpost I will continue creating a new ARA collection, and publish some applications.
Check weblinks:
-Using App-V apps in Azure RemoteApp
-Create a Azure RemoteApp image based on an Azure virtual machine
-Capture an image of an Azure Windows virtual machine created with the classic deployment model
-App-V: On App-V Applications Hosted in Azure RemoteApp
Update 14-7: Change on virtual (App-V) applications. Thanks to @ArjanVroege and @fberson for comments.
Within the post: Windows 10: A Store That’s Ready for Business, Microsoft is mentioning the following: 'with Windows 10 we will deliver one Windows Store for all Windows devices'. But therefore the new web-based Store portal must be used. They will become visible in the Windows Store at a later time.
First you need to create a new Business portal on businessstore.microsoft.com and sign in with a work or school account, or Azure account if you prefer. In the Windows store on Windows 10 devices this account is used, next to your Microsoft Live ID. In that case a new tab will be present (next to Home, Apps, Games, Music, Movies & TV). This based on the company name used during creating the Business portal.
When adding apps you can choose between: 'Add to your private store where all people in your organization can find and install it', or 'Assign to people' only. That way they won't be present in the private store, but only for specific people. Last one is 'Distribute later', which isn't a deployment at all, but can be done later.
In this case I added apps to the private store, where all people in your organization can find and install it. Unfortunately the app is not ready for deployment yet, but 'Add in progress' is shown.
When adding apps to the Business portal, it can takes up to 24 hours for the app to get present in the Private store. When looking on Windows store on Windows 10 (full edition) or Windows 10 Mobile the same apps are there.
As mentioned earlier; When signing in with your Azure account (or add it next to your Live ID) a new tab in Windows Store will be present. This is how it looks like on my Surface (5 apps, but 6 deployed).
And this is how it looks like on my Phone (4 apps, where 6 deployed). For it seems LinkedIn and Translator are Phone only, Sway and Buienradar are Windows (full OS) only.
So unfortunately the same story as before (using the Company portal). Where does this fit in the One unified app store across devices, One great experience model, when apps differs between Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile devices? Because Microsoft is saying it's one platform, I hope this will be more clear in future..
Hope things will get more clear this way!
Update: It's possible to use 'My Library' too, and see which apps works and which apps doesn't work on your device.
On Tuesday November 18th I attended Experts Live in Ede (NL). This event based on new Microsoft technology is held once a year. It was full house with almost 800 people listening to around 50 speakers divided over more then 40 sessions. Most of sessions and opening keynote was about Microsoft Azure technology. Let's have a look at my sessions attended and lessons learned!
I did 2 sessions on Microsoft Azure, 2 on Microsoft Intune, 1 one Azure RemoteApp and 1 on Windows 10 for Enterprise. The message was Mobile-first, Cloud-first in keynote and almost all sessions. It's about bringing all systems and applications to the cloud, and manage it from there! On-premises is definitely not hot anymore. Not on Directory Services, not on System Center, not on Exchange, not on SQL, not on management and monitoring. Time to start working from a new perspective, let go what is and move to the cloud ;)
As seen on the Azure footprint, Microsoft Azure is growing rapidly. At the moment there are 19 Azure datacenter regions open for business already. Numbers are changing fast (weekly), but just for overview I include some of them:
-New Azure customers a week: >10.000
-SQL databases in Azure: 1.200.000
-Storage objects: >30 trillion
-Active Directory (AD) users: 350 million
-AD authentications a week: >18 billion
Hyperscale: over 300 services spanning compute, storage and networking supporting a wide spectrum of workloads!
Microsoft Azure is booming business, changing fast with resources scaling up daily. Payment is done on resources used, not on VM's which are turned off. Microsoft released a new Azure portal preview which looks awesome to me. There is Azure Resource Manager to create deployment templates (for example: deploy SQL 2014 Always-On servers with a single template) and Azure Operational Insights for online monitoring. Furthermore there is Windows Azure Pack for managing Private clouds, Azure RemoteApp for global access to business applications, and Enterprise Mobility Suite for mobile management.
Last but not least there is Windows Phone Feature Pack for 8.x devices, which offers a richer policy set (and many more), Microsoft Identity Manager offers self-service identity management for users, and Azure AD Application Proxy offers access to on-premises applications from the cloud. Microsoft is doing a great job here! On both Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Intune you can start a 30-day trial to have a look at functionality. Just start it today and decide what it can do for your business/organization.
Some notes on Azure and RemoteApp:
-At the moment there are 19 Azure datacenter regions open for business this month (growing rapidly).
-Over 300 services spanning Compute, Storage and Networking supporting a wide spectrum of workloads!
-The new Azure portal is ready for role-based access and can be used for admins and view-only access now.
-New Azure G-family (Godzilla) systems are coming, with 32 cores, 448 GB RAM and 6,5 TB local SSD maximum!
-Azure RemoteApp offers applications on both Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, or Android. Applications runs on Windows Server in the Azure cloud, where they are easier to scale and update. Users can access the applications remotely from their Internet-connected device.
-With Windows 10 coming as One product family, One platform and One store, management is or can be done fully from the cloud.
I'm VERY excited about Microsoft’s Mobile-first, Cloud-first vision, and hope to be part of it very soon. Stay tuned for a next blogpost on new Microsoft Intune and Windows 10 features!
