Community Roundtable

COMMUNITY ROUNDTABLE

Members discuss all things Citrix and CUGC, as well as other emerging technologies and topics relevant to the community.

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What a Fantastic Synergy 2019 (and Match.Geek)!

By Rasmus Raun-Nielsen posted 9 days ago
Besides a lot of great information on the vision, strategy and technical improvements from Citrix, this Synergy brought some more personal experiences for yours truly. Not only did I get to meet a lot of the CUGC community members, but I also got the chance to meet the people behind CUGC and thank them for their great work (and I got to host my first Match.Geek-session! YAAAY!) As you may have read in my previous blog here , I have had the pleasure of attending the Match.Geek-sessions at previous Synergy conferences - This year, however, was going to be a bit different for me…   On the day of the session, the actual amount of attendees was between ...

Citrix Synergy 2019 Revisited - Extended Edition

By Chris Jeucken posted 12 days ago
Citrix Synergy 2019 May 19 th through May 23 rd Recap Most people reading this probably will not need an introduction to Citrix Synergy. When it comes to one of our favorite vendors, this is their biggest event of the year. With lots of interesting sessions, labs, sponsors and the ability to try out new features at the Citrix booth, it is a fantastic way to stay current in the End User Computing-market.  There are a lot of post-event blog posts about Citrix Synergy 2019, and none of them can be definitive, simply because there is so much to see, hear, learn, experience, etc. that nobody is able to do that by themselves. So therefore, here is my recap ...

My Citrix Synergy as a Citrix Technology Professional and Sponsor

By Samuel LEGRAND posted 14 days ago
My Citrix Synergy as a Citrix Technology Professional and Sponsor I’m sure you are aware that Citrix Synergy was held a few weeks ago in Atlanta, Georgia. This event is important for everyone in the Citrix ecosystem, and I’ve been going for a few years now. And for the third time, I came as a “VIP”! Indeed, the Citrix Technology Professional program ( https://www.citrix.com/community/ctp/ ) has some privileges when talking about Synergy: A free pass for the event 3 nights of hotel The CTPs are spread all over the globe, so this is one the few occasions where we all have the opportunity of meeting each other. Since the last program’s change (split ...

Synergy 2019: An Amazing Gathering of Community

By Benjamin Crill posted 15 days ago
Synergy 2019: An Amazing Gathering of Community It's been nearly two weeks since Citrix Synergy has ended. By now most will have started reviewing the videos posted of the keynotes and breakouts (they are all on the Citrix YouTube channel if you are wondering). Keep watching and reviewing and learning, please. There is always more to learn, and the content is incredible. However, there was something even more incredible at Citrix Synergy this year than just the content. Unfortunately for those that did not attend Synergy (by the way, Synergy is in Orlando May 19-21 next year, so get to planning), there is one part of the week that can't be adequately experienced ...

Synergy 2019 Recap

By Richard Faulkner posted 19 days ago
Synergy 2019 Recap Another Citrix Synergy has come and gone. It is always a great time to see and hear what is new in technology and where we are headed for the future. It started with the keynote speeches from David Henshall, PJ Hough, and Calvin Hsu. They talked about employee disengagement and how Citrix Workspace could help keep your employees engaged. We heard from Microsoft CEO Natya Nadella. We saw how Citrix cooperates and works with so many partners allowing you to interoperate with many partners in many areas. We learned how Citrix Intelligent Traffic Management allowed CBS to stream the Super Bowl to the largest audience ever. And we saw the ...

SwissCUGC Meetup @ Synergy

By Sacha Thomet posted 27 days ago
Citrix User Group Community was kicked off officially at Citrix Synergy in 2015 in Orlando, and this was also the first Citrix Synergy I attended. For me personally, it was a blast! This conference changed so much in my life for my Citrix Community contributions. There are two reasons for this. First, I won the Citrix GeekOvation award and was connected to a lot of Community People and Citrix CTPs. The second reason was the founding of myCUGC, the Citrix User Group Community.  When I was back in Switzerland, a former co-worker and colleague, Stefan Beckmann, sent me a message and asked if I'm interested in creating a local CUGC with him. Already in September ...

Synergy 2019 Day One

By Richard Faulkner posted 27 days ago
Synergy 2019 – Day One So, the first day is in the books, and despite the venue and catering (don’t get me started) it has been excellent. The keynote kicked off with some great announcements. Satya Nadeja made a guest appearance. Citrix showed off their Workspace app, and once again showed they cooperate or integrate with the largest number of providers. Analytics, Security, everything you could want. My personal favorite though was the explanation how all the features are developed for 1% of the employees. 99% need the basic functions. This picture articulates that very well. After the Keynote and lunch, I attended a session (SYN139) ...

Part One: Getting Things Done with Citrix Cloud Without Opening Studio!

By Wendy Gay posted 05-17-2019
Part One: Getting Things Done with Citrix Cloud Without Opening Studio! Hi folks, my name is Wendy Gay, and I have worked with Citrix technologies for about 20 years (time flies when you’re having fun). During that time, I have worked with Citrix Systems Integrators and Citrix Platinum partners. I wanted to show you how to do some admin tasks in Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop Service without even opening Studio. When you are using Citrix Cloud for CVAD, Citrix Studio is used to manage your Citrix environment which sits in Citrix Cloud. Admins would be forgiven for thinking that you can’t get access to some of the under the hood PowerShell tools when using ...

"What’s In Your Gear Bag?" - Citrix Synergy 2019 Edition

By Brad Hornback posted 05-16-2019
"What’s In Your Gear Bag?" - Citrix Synergy 2019 Edition With Citrix Synergy 2019 just a few days away, I’m sure many of you are starting the process of getting packed and ready to go. As any tech conference veteran knows, one of the most important pieces of attending is making sure you have all of the things you need in your gear bag. That’s right - your gear bag. Most of us need to be able to stay connected while at a conference like Synergy. Whether it be for work, family, or making sure your phone stays charged through all of the parties you’ll be attending, it’s important to have the right things with you along the way. In 2017, I published ...

A Women in Tech Mentorship Program Update

By Esther Barthel posted 05-15-2019
The CUGC Women in Technology mentorship program has traditionally chosen Citrix Synergy these last couple of years as our big finale for our mentorship class. This year will be no exception, as we are closing down another successful mentorship class in Atlanta with a face-to-face meeting with the mentees that are able to make it to Synergy. Of course, attending Synergy is not a requirement, so for those mentees that are not so fortunate, we will organize a nice closing webinar to ensure we can all share our experiences, thoughts and feedback to keep improving the program and support we offer the Women in Tech out in the field!   But let me not get ahead of myself ...

The Synergy that Almost Didn't Happen

By David Gautney posted 05-14-2019
I have been very fortunate to have attended the past six Synergy conferences in a row, so when I asked my management about this year’s conference, I impatiently waited on an answer. Planning was already taking place amongst my friends and colleagues as well as volunteering opportunities within the CUGC, so I was anxious to hear if I would be able to attend. In March, I finally received the word from my employer that I would be unable to attend this year. While disappointed, I understood and was grateful for being able to attend as often as I had. I had signed up for the CUGC the second I heard about it. Soon after, I was honored and humbled to be asked to be ...

What is Match.Geek?!

By Rasmus Raun-Nielsen posted 05-07-2019
At events like Citrix Synergy , so many opportunities and events are available that quite frankly, it gets overwhelming, even for alumni attendees like myself. At my first couple of Synergy events, I was almost solely focused on regular sessions, not leaving much time for other types of learning, networking or contribution. After some years of "just" attending those regular sessions, I noticed the Match.Geek-event: A concept of 30-minute discussions in groups of a maximum of 5 attendees. This “micro session format” makes it possible to have deep technical dialogue in a bit more relaxed – or as we say in Denmark, " hygge "-like atmosphere. The first time ...

Synergy 2019 – A Guide from an Alumni

By Donald Wong posted 05-06-2019
​It's that time of year again to get ready for the last minute logistics preparation for Citrix Synergy , the Citrix annual conference hosted this year in Atlanta, Georgia from May 19–23.  Hopefully, most of you have chosen your breakout sessions by now and have formulated a game plan of what, where, and who to meet and see. Having attended Synergy for a number of years as customer, Expo vendor sponsor, and session speaker​, I have a few suggestions to round out your schedule. At the very least, you should attend the keynotes, stop by Expo vendor booths and self-paced labs, and look up colleagues to establish peer-to-peer networking opportunities so I will ...

My Trek to Citrix Synergy 2019

By Carl Behrent posted 05-06-2019
Citrix Synergy 2019 is only weeks away now, and I am really looking forward to my 3rd Synergy (previously 2015 and 2017 in Orlando) this time, in Atlanta. Being from the underside of the world down here in New Zealand, to get to attend any event like this can be quite a mission and a very long trek. For me, getting to Atlanta involves three flights: New Plymouth to Auckland (45mins), Auckland to Houston (13.5hrs), and Houston to Atlanta (2hrs), plus airport waiting times and crossing many different times zones. I'm leaving New Zealand at 7:30pm on Friday May 17th and I get into Atlanta at 11pm on Friday May 17th, (if only it did take just a few hours to get ...

Synergy 2019–My First!

By Eltjo van Gulik posted 05-06-2019
This year, I will be attending Citrix Synergy for the first time. And, if that wasn't enough to make this experience extra special, I will be hosting a Synergy session as well. Together with my colleague Ryan Ververs-Bijkerk, I will be presenting ICT-R related content in a session called SYN215   “ Performance and scalability tips and tricks from Citrix experts.”  I have been looking forward to attending for quite a long time. To make matters, extra, extra special, both Ryan and I will be attending Synergy not just as newbies and presenters, but also as freshly awarded 2019 CTAs . Road to Synergy When I first started thinking about attending ...

An Introvert's Guide to Citrix Synergy

By Jon Bucud posted 05-04-2019
An Introvert's Guide to Citrix Synergy Welcome to May, it’s officially Citrix Synergy month! So your organization is sending you to Citrix Synergy, but you’re already dreading being in a large space with an exponential number of unfamiliar faces. You're having visions of paralyzing social-anxiety, awkward interactions with others and everlasting doubt of what to do next? Well, I hope I can help you make it through what could very well be the best week of your Citrix journey. To start, here’s a little background on myself. I’ve been attending Synergy for the better part of a decade, initially as a post-sales engineer for a Citrix Platinum Partner and now ...

Then and Now: Why I am Attending Citrix Synergy 2019 and Why You Should Too

By Richard Faulkner posted 04-29-2019
I attended my first Citrix event in 1999, when it was still called iForum (couldn’t find that badge, so had to go with the 2000 badge, above right) and was always held in Orlando at the Swan and Dolphin resorts. Both Citrix and I have changed a bit since then. I have changed companies and Citrix has added many more products and content. I look forward to each event every year and once it is completed, I can’t wait to see what will be offered next year. This year, Synergy is being held in Atlanta, GA at the Georgia World Congress Center from May 21-23. I have already registered and finalized my plans, and I recommend that you do so as well. The information ...

Great Plains XL 2019 Recap

By Lee West posted 04-26-2019
Recap: Citrix Great Plains XL Great Plains XL 2019 highlights video On April 4 th , 2019, the Kansas City, Central Iowa, and Omaha Citrix user groups came together to host the Great Plains XL Citrix User Group event at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. It was a very informative, day-long conference with a great turnout. The facilities at Arrowhead were nice and food and drinks were tasty. Special thanks go out to the Omaha group, who endured a longer bus ride than normal due to some of the recent flooding. We had several great presentations throughout the day.   Our first presenter was Citrix Senior Architect  Martin ...

CUGC Members Presenting at Citrix Synergy 2019!

By Tobias Kreidl posted 04-19-2019
CUGC Members Presenting at Citrix Synergy 2019! Every year, we at HQ are excited to see so many familiar CUGC names and faces in the Citrix Synergy session catalog. If you're a Synergy first-timer or just haven't picked out your sessions yet, the role-based  Paths to Success  on the main Synergy page are a great place to start. You can always customize from there. However you choose your sessions, we wanted to highlight those featuring our own CUGC members, leaders and frequent content contributors: Breakout Sessions, Meet the Experts Theaters, and Fireside Chats: SYN139: Citrix and Microsoft: a value-add across your workspace  with Matthew Crawford ...

Everything is bigger in Texas - CUGC Texas XL 2019

By Darrell Doty posted 04-05-2019
Everything is Bigger in Texas – CUGC Texas XL 2019   Everything truly is bigger in Texas as CUGC holds its first Texas XL event. People from all over the Lone Star state converged on Austin, TX at the University of Texas Club, home of the Texas Longhorns. This would be the first XL event for them, and the turnout did not disappoint with members coming in from all the major CUGC participating cities in Austin , Dallas-Fort Worth , Houston  and many smaller cities all over the state. With a day of presentations by leading experts in the field and sponsors that were engaged in the conversations, the time was well spent and would not disappoint those in ...