VMblog:  If you were giving a VMware Explore attendee a quick overview of the company, what would you say?  How would you describe the company?

Tom Fenton:  ControlUp builds monitoring and troubleshooting solutions for EUC deployments, including VMware Horizon. Our technology offers real-time insights into critical performance and user experience data. It includes easy-to-use manual and automated remediation tools, solving issues before the helpdesk receives a ticket. 

Additionally, we support monitoring and improving the digital experience for physical desktops by identifying, resolving, and preventing problems that device management software cannot, including with unified communication tools like Microsoft Teams and Zoom. 

VMblog:  As a VMware Explore 2023 sponsor, what does that sponsorship look like?  Will you have a large delegation at this year's event?  Do you have a theme for your booth?  Do you have anything interesting planned at your booth?

Fenton:  We are excited to once again sponsor and participate at VMware Explore this year! Our Platinum Sponsorship offers customers and attendees multiple opportunities to engage directly with ControlUp technologists at our booth (#208), four sessions, two from our VMware EUC vExperts, and THE EUC Party of the week! 

Our booth is conveniently located across from the VMware booth, making it easy to stop by to ask questions, discuss your IT challenges, and participate in interactive demos. And most importantly, we have fantastic swag, raffles, and exciting announcements. 

To monitor all ControlUp activities during VMware Explore, visit our event website. 

VMblog:  What made your company sponsor VMware Explore this year?  Why is this a must sponsor event for your company?

Fenton:  VMware Explore is THE EVENT of the year for us. We look forward to meeting as many attendees as possible and listening to their IT challenges and successes. From this engagement, we always leave with great new ideas for our existing and new solutions. 

In addition, the opportunity to promote the ControlUp Community to attendees leads to an ever-expanding resource of technology experts to help customers and prospects solve complex problems and share industry best practices.  

VMblog:  Is this your company's first time sponsoring this event?  If so, why this year?  If not, what keeps you coming back to this event?

Fenton:  We have sponsored VMware events for many years as our VMware Horizon monitoring solution provides value-add for VMware customers. In addition to VMware Explore, we participate in local and global VMUG community events to further listen to the user community on their needs and challenges. VMware and its associated technology is a crucial platform for ControlUp, and we find events like VMware Explore the premium opportunity to listen and learn.   

VMblog:  Do you have any speaking sessions during the event?  If so, can you give us the details?

Fenton:  We have four speaking events at this year's event: 

• Close Tickets Faster for a Better Virtual Desktop Experience with ControlUp, presented by Trentent Tye, Tech Marketing, ControlUp, and Dianna Marks, Product Marketing Manager, ControlUp, on Tuesday, August 22, from 10:30 am - 11:15 am PDT. (Session ID: EUSB2939LVS)
• Troubleshooting Desktops Just Got Less Expensive, Faster, and Easier! presented by Tom Fenton, Tech Marketing Engineer, ControlUp, and Jeffrey Johnson, Product Marketing, ControlUp, on Wednesday, August 23, from 10:30 am - 11:00 am PDT. (Session ID: EUS2940LVS)
• VMTN Tech Talk: Speed Up Slow Horizon Logons with Trentent Tye, Tech Marketing, ControlUp on Wednesday, August 23, from 4:30 pm - 4:55 pm PDT. (Session ID: VMTN2833LV)
• VMTN Tech Talk: How Fat is Your Thin Client with Tom Fenton, Tech Marketing Engineer, ControlUp, on Tuesday, August 22, from 2:45 pm - 3:00 pm PDT. (Session ID: VMTN2822LV)

VMblog:  Can you give us the high-level rundown of your company's technology offerings?  What kind of message will an attendee hear from you this year?

Fenton:  We deliver solutions for IT organizations that improve the employees' digital experience by reducing the number of IT tickets with scalable automation, reducing the time for resolution, and saving money for support. Expanding our solutions from virtual desktops to physical desktops and devices offers IT a comprehensive automated platform for monitoring and remediation. 

The ControlUp Community provides technologists with an open platform to ask questions, share new ideas, and contribute to monitoring and troubleshooting technology growth. Our community has over 1,400 members, with over 40,000 messages shared in the past few months.  

VMblog:  What specifically does your company offer a VMware shop or a VMware implementation?  What problems do you solve for them?

Fenton:  Our Real-Time DX solution is targeted directly at VMware Horizon customers, providing these benefits:

• Reduce mean time to resolution (MTTR) for VMware Horizon
• Detect and fix home networking issues for VMware Horizon
• Monitor the availability of VMware Horizon critical infrastructure resources
• Detect and fix slow VMware Horizon logons
• Integration with vRealize Operations (vROps)
• Faster fixes with VMware action scripts, including automated error detection and fixing

For more information, visit our VMware Horizon solutions page. 

VMblog:  How does your company work with VMware?  Where do you fit within the VMware ecosystem?

Fenton:  ControlUp has been a VMware Technology Alliance Partner for about five years, focusing on our virtual desktop monitoring and troubleshooting solutions. The joint partnership has benefited both companies in improving helpdesk support for VMware Horizon customers and overcoming the rapid deployment of EUC solutions in recent years. 

Additionally, organizations interested in our products can easily purchase from us or VMware, simplifying their deployment process.   

VMblog:  Are you giving away any prizes at your booth or participating in any prize giveaways?

Fenton:  We offer great swag, a daily raffle at 11:45 a.m. for fantastic giveaways, and you don't want to miss the chance to spin the IT Wheel of Excuses because everyone's a winner.    

VMblog:  Is your company sponsoring any type of party or get together during the event?

Fenton:  We are hosting THE EUC Party on Tuesday, August 22, from 8 pm - 11 pm at Brooklyn Bowl, with several co-sponsors including Microsoft, ServiceNow, XenTegra, 10ZiG, PrinterLogic LG, IGEL, Rimo3, HYCU and CAMEYO.  As space is limited, please visit the ControlUp at VMware Explore website to learn how to register for the best party of the week!