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July 02, 2019

VMworld 2019 Q&A: Liquidware Showcases Its Adaptive Workspace Management Solutions at Booth 563

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Are you attending VMworld 2019 in San Francisco, CA?  If so, I invite you to add Liquidware to your MUST SEE list of vendors. 

With so many vendors exhibiting at VMworld, how do you know which booths to visit and who to get on your busy schedule?  One of the companies on VMblog's list each year is Liquidware.  We've been following them since the beginning, and their technologies have helped to build the EUC market.  With technologies like Stratusphere, ProfileUnity and FlexApp, they help organizations fulfill their VDI and DaaS journey.  Watch this recent video interview we did with Kevin Cooke doing a deep dive into Stratusphere SpotCheck.  

Read this exclusive pre-show interview with Tyler Rohrer, co-founder and head of Strategic Alliances at Liquidware to learn what they have planned for the upcoming VMworld 2019 event.

 

VMblog:  As a VMworld 2019 sponsor, how can people find you this year?  

Tyler Rohrer:  This year is Liquidware's 10th anniversary and we're proud to say we've sponsored every VMworld ever since our inception in 2009! At VMworld 2019 we're a Silver sponsor and you can find us on booth #563 in the Digital Workspace Zone, which is just off the left-hand side of the VMware booth when you've entered the solutions exchange from the main entrance.

VMblog:  Is there anything unique about this year's booth setup?  Do you have a theme?  

Rohrer:  As part of the Digital Workspace Zone, you'll find us among other innovative desktop solutions for the digital workspace. This is the first time VMworld has set aside an area for Workspace solutions so we're looking forward to seeing more attendees focused on the modern workspace.

VMblog:  Talk about what makes Liquidware unique.

Rohrer:  What makes us truly unique is we're the only third-party independent provider for workspace environment management that seamlessly allows users to flow across ALL of your Windows desktops, whether they're physical, virtual, cloud or DaaS-based! Our differentiation is that we provide a comprehensive solution set that enables base-lining, diagnostics, monitoring, user environment management and application delivery - all wrapped up in one industry unique bundle, Liquidware Essentials. 

VMblog:  With so much going on at VMworld, why should an attendee add you to their MUST SEE list?

Rohrer:  With so much interest in moving desktops - or workspaces as they're now more commonly known - into the cloud, any attendee with the remit to deliver any kind of workspace, whether it be physical, virtual, cloud or DaaS, should definitely visit us on booth #563. We provide organizations with a comprehensive software suite that enables visibility, monitoring, diagnostics and user experience with our Stratusphere UX solution, user environment management with ProfileUnity and application layering with FlexApp.  We term our offerings as Adaptive Workspace Management (AWM).  As workspaces continue to be a hybrid mix of platform types, being able to manage them in an adaptive manner is critical to both business success and user experience. Because, as we all know, it is access to applications that people require - when they need them, wherever they need them - to be able to conduct their jobs. Liquidware delivers all this, and more, so take time out to visit with us and maybe pick up a nice piece of swag too. Smile

VMblog:  What should attendees expect to see and hear at your booth?

Rohrer:  We'll be showing off a preview of some innovative features in both FlexApp and ProfileUnity that focus on Microsoft's new MSIX application format. With Stratusphere UX you'll see advanced agents for thin and edge OS solutions like IGEL, Stratodesk, and 10ZiG. These "last mile" agents give helpdesk and admins the data views they need to capture and diagnose complete User Experience metrics.

VMblog:  How does your company and product fit within the VMware ecosystem?

Rohrer:  We've been a Technology Alliance Partner of VMware's for many years. Our entire suite supports customers with VMware Horizon View as well as physical workspaces and desktop platforms from other vendors, including Microsoft WVD, Citrix, Amazon, and Nutanix. 

VMblog:  What are you looking forward to most at VMworld this year? 

Rohrer:  We're looking forward to seeing customers and attendees in the new focused Digital Workspace area of the show floor where you'll find our booth. VMworld had become so large that it was difficult to find vendors focused on the Digital Workspace/desktops, this area is an answer to a longstanding request we've made with show management.

VMblog:  You said you've sponsored VMworld for quite a long time.  What keeps you coming back?

Rohrer:  This is our ELEVENTH VMworld! And we keep returning year on year as a sponsor because enterprise VMware EUC customers need an enterprise management solution that is designed from the ground up for any type of workspace. Over 50% of our deployments are on VMware and while there are basic management tools included within the VMware platform, Liquidware provides a truly adaptive workspace management that is unique in the industry. Attending VMworld helps us to ‘spread the word' to organizations that have a desire to get more out of their environment and we help them achieve that. For any sponsoring vendor, we're there to get leads, but we're also there to provide advice. I myself am ex-VMware - having joined through the acquisition of my company Foedus way back in 2008 - and I've lived and breathed end user computing for a very long time. I'm a firm believer in the community and ‘giving back' where possible. So many of my discussions with visitors to VMworld invariably are just about the concerns and challenges they have in their EUC environments on a daily basis. This is what I enjoy about the VMworld community, it's great to just ‘chew the fat' at times! 

VMblog:  Do you remember your first VMworld event?  What can you tell us about it?  What memories stand out?

Rohrer:  Reflecting on our tenth anniversary of being in business and our 11th VMworld, I can remember the great reception from the audience when we pitched our booth in 2009 in the innovators pavilion and demonstrated what was the predecessor to Stratusphere UX and showing off our newly introduced User Environment Management solution. At the time, industry analysts were calling us the "on ramp to VDI."

VMblog:  What would you say to prospective attendees who are thinking about attending VMworld but aren't sure if it's worth it or not?

Rohrer:  Although the sessions are great - you can view them post-VMworld. What you can replicate is the community vibe at VMworld. The chance to interact with your peers and learn from each other is an immeasurable opportunity. One of the best places to be is in the Hangout area, VMworld organizers really make this a fun place to be, and this is also where you'll find the bloggers - many of whom we all follow on Twitter and read their blogs, so it's a great opportunity to meet these influencers face-to-face. Plus, if you don't attend, you won't be able to interface with the many eco-system vendors in the solutions exchange, like Liquidware!

VMblog:  What do you think we need to do collectively as an ecosystem to strengthen the industry?

Rohrer:  This is a broad sweeping question, but my view is that, from an EUC perspective, we need to enable customers choice. What I mean by choice is not just the platform, but also the ability to be adaptive - and this is our now our raison d'être with our Adaptive Workspace Management solutions.

VMblog:  What do you hope to come away with from exhibiting at VMworld?

Rohrer:  By listening to customers visiting our booth, we always learn more about their issues and challenges, but also what they like about our solutions - and this just makes me so proud to think that we're helping VMware admins to have a better day in their job! Obviously, marketing will say "leads" and yes, of course, we need to get a return on our investment for sponsoring the show. But for me, it's about the community and being able to learn from each other. I do also look forward to hearing the keynotes from the VMware executives to understand their priorities and vision for the coming years.

VMblog:  Do you have any tips for first time attendees of VMworld that you'd like to share?

Rohrer:  Figure out what you want to see and do in advance. If you are not focused, the week with fly by before you know it and you will not have had the chance to see what you came for. 

VMblog:  Is your company throwing or involved with any type of party during the week of the event?  If open to the public, can you share the details? 

Rohrer:  We're the creator and inaugural sponsor of "Inside Track," a community for EUC influencers for a couple of years now. This group is open to bloggers, media, and well-known community leaders. As with previous shows, we're hosting a private event for this group and members will be notified in the coming weeks. We'll also be hosting dinners and events for our customers. To get an invitation be sure to touch base with us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

David Marshall

David Marshall has been involved in the technology industry for over 19 years, and he's been working with virtualization software since 1999. He was able to become an industry expert in virtualization by becoming a pioneer in that field - one of the few people in the industry allowed to work with Alpha stage server virtualization software from industry leaders: VMware (ESX Server), Connectix and Microsoft (Virtual Server).

Through the years, he has invented, marketed and helped launch a number of successful virtualization software companies and products. David holds a BS degree in Finance, an Information Technology Certification, and a number of vendor certifications from Microsoft, CompTia and others. He's also co-authored two published books: "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center" and "Advanced Server Virtualization: VMware and Microsoft Platforms in the Virtual Data Center" and acted as technical editor for two popular Virtualization "For Dummies" books. With his remaining spare time, David founded and operates one of the oldest independent virtualization news blogs, VMblog.com. And co-founded CloudCow.com, a publication dedicated to Cloud Computing. Starting in 2009 and continuing all the way to 2016, David has been honored with the vExpert distinction by VMware for his virtualization evangelism.