Key Insights: How to Master Image Updates & Validation

December 20, 2023

Managing Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) images is a tough task for teams dealing with end-user computers. Keeping these images up-to-date isn’t just a routine job; it’s a constant worry for EUC teams. There are often concerns that updating or patching might disrupt critical workflows and create problems in the complex IT system.

In this challenging situation, professionals must find a balance between ensuring everything works smoothly and being ready for the frequent changes in modern IT setups. It’s not just about the technical side of updating VDI images; it’s also about planning for the future and adapting to the ever-changing IT environment. Dealing with software, applications, and security updates makes the already challenging job of maintaining a good user experience even more complicated.

EUC teams must carefully plan and execute updates daily to keep up with the ever-changing IT world. They aim to maintain high-quality VDI images while avoiding disruptions to how users work. As the constant worry of unintended issues like things not working together or performance problems linger, EUC professionals must ensure updates meet security standards, work well with existing systems, and don’t cause problems for users.

In this situation, there’s a lot of pressure to balance stability (ensuring everything works well) and agility (being able to change and adapt). The professionals know VDI images are crucial for a good user experience. At the same time, they understand that adapting to change is essential in the fast-paced IT world.

So, the challenge is to find smart ways to update and check these images efficiently, causing as little trouble as possible and keeping everything running smoothly.

Top Tips for Efficiently Updating and Validating Images

This scenario prompted our recent webinar on mastering image updates and app validation. This engaging event aimed to provide our EUC community with practical insights into overcoming image testing and application validation challenges. Here are some key takeaways from the conversation:

Automation is a Game-Changer

One of the key takeaways from the webinar was the emphasis on automation as a game-changer in handling image updates. One essential item that was stressed is the importance of automating tasks related to User Acceptance Testing (UAT), which is often time-consuming and error-prone in the update process.

By automating validation and performance checks, organizations can streamline the entire process, identify potential issues early on, and significantly reduce the time it takes to complete these critical tasks.

Speed to Innocence

Another highlighted concept was the “speed to innocence,” pointing out that automation allows for the quick identification and resolution of issues before they escalate. This not only ensures a smoother update process but also enhances the overall efficiency of the EUC team, allowing them to focus on more strategic initiatives rather than troubleshooting avoidable problems.

Performance Tracking

Another crucial insight shared during the webinar revolved around tracking performance changes over time. It was explained that monitoring how updates impact performance provides essential data for justifying additional resources or budget requests. This continuous tracking of performance metrics can be automated, making it a more manageable task for EUC professionals and providing concrete data to support their recommendations.

Involving Your End-Users

Involving end-users in the image validation process emerged as another noteworthy takeaway. Use automating validation by incorporating user input, thereby ensuring that critical business functions are not only validated but also aligned with user expectations. This user-centric approach enhances the efficiency and reliability of the validation process, ensuring that the updated images meet the practical needs of end-users.

Here’s a Summary of What the EUC Community Shared:

• Around 76% of participants mentioned they handle and maintain between 10 and 20 master/gold images.
• Nearly 20% of those surveyed reported that it takes about a week for them to manage updates for their images.
• A significant 83% stated that the responsibility for building images lies with the EUC team.
• One-third of respondents are still manually validating these images.
• More than 50% update their images at least once a month, if not more frequently.

A Wrap-Up on Image Testing and Application Validation

Common challenges EUC professionals face during the image updating process include framework conflicts, security issues, missing dependencies, and gradual performance degradation over time. To address these challenges, it is important to establish a repeatable process for updates and validation, accompanied by evidence of success in closing change control systems effectively.

By focusing on automation, continuous performance tracking, and user involvement, EUC teams can navigate these challenges more effectively, ensuring a seamless and efficient update and validation process. Check out the full webinar for actionable tips and insights for mastering the complexities of image updates in VDI environments.