By Fredrik Brattstig @virtualbrat
IGEL Disrupt 15 February 2023
IGEL Disrupt 2023 has just started in Munich and I’m super exited to post about the announce the IGEL COSMOS. Well, whats that?
IGEL COSMOS is a platform for a variety of new products from IGEL.
This blog articles focus is to give you a overview of the new products and services announced at IGEL Disrupt 2023. There will be multiple blogs digging deeper in each of the new offerings. Cool, first, a new version of IGEL OS, what?!
IGEL OS 12 the flexible operating system for Fit Clients! IGEL OS is revolutionizing the EUC remoting space by its modern look and feel. But there is so much more. IGEL OS is redesigned from the bottom up. The user interface is modified to be more modern, but in a few months, more user interface changes will be added, stay tuned!
IGEL OS 12 is actually a App, in combination with the Apps that YOU need you will combine IGEL OS 12 with the Apps of choice to build your operating system. That means that you can have a very slim install of IGEL OS and for example Citrix Workspace App. If you are remoting in to Citrix environments that will be all you need. With IGEL OS 12, IGEL are leaving the Firmware concept behind. IGEL OS is now a operating system. This gives you the possibility to reduce the size of the operating system drastically, plus you wont have applications that you do not need. You can of course combine apps as you like. You can now be in control of your versions of Apps that you want to run, you can update IGEL OS 12 separately from your Apps, and vice versa. You are no longer enforced to use a version of a App based in the firmware version installed as you were with IGEL OS 11. IGEL OS 12 will fetch it’s applications assigned by your administrator from the cloud, using IGEL UMS 12, or by your choice of installing the applications form the local device…. Wait a minute. IGEL UMS 12? Whats that?
IGEL UMS 12 is the next generation of the award winning and industry best management platform to administer your IGEL OS estate. IGEL UMS 12 has the focus of being Web-first when it comes to managing your endpoints. In the IGEL UMS 12 Web-App you control all your IGEL OS 12 endpoints, together with your IGEL OS 11 devices that you still have in service.
In the above screen shot we have a look at the Apps section in the IGEL UMS 12 which is where you control what version of the specific App you want to have deployed to your IGEL OS 12 endpoints. Apps are imported to the IGEL UMS 12 from the IGEL App Portal and assigned to your endpoints. You can even assign auto-update to apps that you have added to your UMS, which in turn will automatically update your endpoints version of the apps, which will make you use the latest version available all the time, making sure that you don’t run old applications in your environment. At the same time, of your choice, you can lock in application to your proven version if you like. The endpoint will fetch the App from IGELs global CDN, or so be it from your cached repository for off-line scenarios. IGEL UMS 12 will replace IGEL UMS 6, as IGEL UMS 6 will be end of life announced very soon.
Hmm.. wait a minute, what is the IGEL App Portal?
IGEL App Portal is the source of Applications available for install on your IGEL OS 12 estate. This is a repository for you to use to import new applications, or new versions of your already selected and deployed applications. The IGEL App Portal is a brand new service provided by IGEL.
The IGEL App Portal is the source repository for you to download the Apps that you want to have distributed to your endpoints. They will automatically be deployed to your endpoints, based on your rule-sets, and can easily be deployed to your newly onboarded devices using the new IGEL Onboarding Service. What? IGEL Onboarding Service? whats that?
IGEL Onboarding Service is a new function, allowing you to onboard new devices in the field to your UMS and automatically configure your devices, to have your new users to be productive within minutes. IGEL has made it very easy for your remote users to register their endpoints with your corporate environment. Check the below video of IGEL OS Fast Onboarding for Citrix as example:
Fast Onboarding for Citrix is made in less than two minutes from first boot up after unboxing of a IGEL OS 12 endpoint all the way to productive. The user onboarding the device has a very easy process to follow. First select language and keyboard layout, then set time zone (which can be auto-discovered) and finally onboard the endpoint using the users email address (UPN) and the password to validate identity. When the user are successfully authenticated, the IGEL COSMOS Onboarding Service are used to locate the company UMS 12, adding the required certificates to your endpoint and register with the UMS 12. When the endpoint is registered with the UMS 12, the UMS 12 will push the configuration you have set for onboarded devices. in the scenario above, the endpoint retrieves a root certificate for the Citrix environment, and profile settings for your user to be able to access the Citrix environment. Finally, the IGEL OS 12 endpoint is directed to the IGEL App Portal to retrieve its assigned apps, in this case the Citrix Workspace App. The IGEL Onboarding service is tied to the IGEL Identity Management Connector. Whats the IGEL Identity Management Connector??!
IGEL Identity Management Connector is servicing authentication to your idP integrating initially AzureAD, Okta, Ping to follow as the current plan. It allow you to ex Azure AD authenticate during your Onboarding process, it allows also for access to the IGEL COSMOS App Portal using personal accounts (if so chosen) side by side with the UMS integrated access.
IGEL OS 11 as you already know is a well proven operating system for EUC remoting. It is a well built-out operating system (called a firmware), and includes most needed features that you look for when in need of a so called “thin client” operating system. The IGEL UMS 12 support managing your IGEL OS 11 endpoints going forward.
To know more, follow upcoming blogs at virtualbrat.com and visit www.igel.com/cosmos
Can’t wait for the GA announcement coming soon!
Welcome to IGEL COSMOS!
See you soon
/Fred
VirtualBrat 