RES Software: New Release of RES Workspace Manager Enables Dynamic, Context-Aware Desktops

RES Software, the proven leader in dynamic desktop solutions, today announced key enhancements to its flagship product RES Workspace Manager (formerly known as PowerFuse). By managing desktops, laptops and all types of virtual applications, Workspace Manager simplifies IT as organisations navigate from physical to virtual resources in their desktop environment. The new features maximise the context-aware capabilities of the software and give IT professionals greater security and control over user workspaces while continuing to ease management headaches. 

The solution also now integrates with Service Orchestration technology, part of the latest release of RES Automation Manager, allowing IT to automate the delivery of IT services from a personalised service catalogue directly to a user’s workspace. Newly announced pricing and packaging updates allow organisations to benefit from the dynamic composition and personalisation capabilities of Workspace Manager starting at £20 per named user – creating high value for customers and a fast return on investment. 

Enhancements to Workspace Manager 2011 include:

Dynamic Privileges: Adds greater control over who, when and how computer and device level resources are accessed, and is ideal for organisations looking to better control which users can access particular applications, information or resources. Using dynamic privileges, desktop administrators can elevate users to administrator levels for specific tasks or processes within applications without granting them full administrator rights, allowing for enhanced desktop flexibility for users while reducing security risks for IT. 

Whitelisting/Blacklisting of User-Installed Applications: Delivers enhanced security features and a more efficient approach to managing end user application installations. IT controls which applications are allowed to be installed by designated groups of users, and is also able to centrally validate them before they are installed to ensure their safety—stopping users downloading or installing applications that may corrupt the environment. 

Context-Aware Website Security: A significant advancement in web security and flexibility, Workspace Manager 2011 allows IT to dynamically allow or deny access to various web sites and applications based upon the user’s context (including time of the day, time zone, Active Directory group, etc.) For example, using this functionality, administrators can grant users the ability to access Facebook after work hours from the same laptop that denies this access during the working day. 

Improved Automation Manager Integration: The powerful combination of Workspace Manager and Automation Manager allows IT managers to create reusable “runbooks” which are pre-set business rules that automate the delivery of IT services to a workspace. In a self-service model, users are presented with only those IT services (applications, data, websites, etc.) to which IT has already granted overall permission to them. Users can then initiate a request for the service, triggering a workflow that is completely automated — eliminating most of the bottlenecks associated with provisioning and managing applications on the desktop. 

Workspace Manager 2011 is packaged as three separate modules to make it easy to add capabilities and allow IT the flexibly to add features as their business needs require. RES Workspace Manager Modules include:

• Composition & Personalisation: Provides context-aware and centrally managed workspaces for users that contain all of the right applications, data, printing and personal settings that are essential for their success. IT professionals can process any changes and preview their impact from a single central console before altering a user’s workspace. 

• Advanced Administration: Improves the ability to manage an infrastructure with clear logs of changes, current status reporting, and license usage data from all users. This module also makes it possible to open or restrict the management console for different administrative roles and create real-time configuration reports. Plus, it supports administrators in managing different application delivery techniques.

• Security & Performance: Delivers a personalised desktop according to company business rules and compliance. Building upon the previous modules, enabling security prevents users from unauthorised actions such as executing certain applications and the use of removable disks. IT can add or remove these restrictions based on a user’s location or context.

RES Workspace Manager 2011 can be purchased through authorised resellers.

What the Industry is Saying about Workspace Manager 2011
“Security and access control over certain corporate assets is a critical concern for today’s organisations,” said Rachel Chalmers, The 451 Group. “The entry of new workspace delivery methods, such as tablets and smartphones, make access to organisations much easier for internal as well as external individuals, which only makes IT’s job more difficult. The ability to easily control the access and authorisation to sensitive applications is already critical, but will become increasingly more important as mobile devices, thin clients and virtualisation continue to take hold. Organisations would be wise to select a solution today that helps them prepare for the entry of these, and other new technologies.”

“If you are deploying any form of Virtual Desktop technology, then Workspace Manager 2011 is a critical element of the solution. Even more importantly it then allows a standard workspace across both virtual and traditional desktop deployments irrespective of the Windows Operating System being deployed,” said Nigel Woods, Technical Director at Intercept IT, UK-based RES Software Reseller.

For more information on RES Software and the new Workspace Manager features please visit:

• RES Software Workspace Manager
• RES Software Solutions On the Web
• RES Software On our Blog
• RES Software On Twitter

About RES Software 
RES Software, the proven leader in dynamic desktop solutions, is driving a transformation in the way organisations manage, maintain and reduce the cost of their desktop infrastructure. The RES Software award-winning, patented products enable IT professionals to manage and deliver secure, personalised and compliant desktops independent of the underlying computing infrastructure – thin clients, virtual desktops, physical desktops, or server-based computing environments. The company empowers customers, from small- to medium-sized businesses to global enterprises, to reduce desktop complexity and meet the essential needs of a dynamic workforce that requires on-demand access to their personalised workspaces. For more information, follow updates on Twitter @RESSoftware and visit www.ressoftware.com.

Media contacts:
Mark Kember / Carolann Bara
Goode International
Tel: +44 (0) 1491 873 323
Email: mark.kember@goode.co.uk / carolann.bara@goode.co.uk