Liquidware Labs and FlexVirtual Support Hanze UAS' Windows Migration

- Liquidware Labs BENELUX Acceler8 Partner helps customer leverage ProfileUnity to automate the upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7.

CHICAGO, March 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Liquidware Labs announced today that Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, (Hanze UAS) based in the Netherlands, used its ProfileUnity solution to accomplish a successful migration of approximately 4,500 managed desktops that encompassed university administration, faculty and regular, full-time students.  Hanze UAS worked with Liquidware Labs Acceler8 partner, FlexVirtual, to assist with this project.  Read the full Customer Success Story on the Liquidware Labs Customers website page.

"Hanze UAS IT Staff wants to collaborate with their partners rather than just receive services," said Alex Pelster, Director, at FlexVirtual.  "They are interested in deepening their technical knowledge, which has been a consistent attribute of our successful relationship.  Our philosophy at FlexVirtual is to enable our customers.  We want to add to their knowledge and experience, in addition to helping them deploy a solution."

Hanze UAS IT staff knew that applications being used by employees and students required a move to Windows 7, especially in light of Windows XP End-of-Support in April 2014.   So Hanze UAS IT staff planned a Windows XP to Windows 7 migration, keeping users on physical PCs with the agenda of moving users to a virtual platform over time. 

"We saw early on, that no matter how we virtualized our desktops, our most immediate objective was to move users off of Windows XP and on to Windows 7 as quickly as possible," said Henk Weisbeek, who was project manager for Hanze University's desktop transformation project. 

According to Weisbeek, however, planning the migration was one thing.  Accomplishing it in a timely, structured fashion was another.  Before too long, Hanze IT Staff quickly realized that this would be no small task to move thousands of users to Windows 7 without a specialized solution to automate the process.  The main impediment to a smooth move was that Windows XP utilized a "version 1" profile and Windows 7 utilized a "version 2" profile.

"ProfileUnity has already moved us from the limitations of roaming profiles and helped us make the transition to Windows 7, which are critical steps for us to improve our workspace delivery mode and keep Hanze UAS at the forefront of education trends internationally," said Weisbeek.  The University's central mission is to develop students professionally to the highest standards equipping them for careers immediately upon graduation.   The caliber and quality of the IT workspace students learn on is central to ensuring that they can meet the challenges of their professions.

"FlexVirtual embodies the kind of partner that Liquidware Labs seeks out," said Chris Akerberg, president and COO of Liquidware Labs. "They are committed to developing the expertise in desktop virtualization and in our solutions so that they deliver the best outcome for their customers. Desktop transformation projects can be complex and costly without expert guidance.  When a partner like FlexVirtual steps up to help manage this transition with precision and care, it makes all the difference with customers' timelines and budgets, and instills the confidence to move forward."

About FlexVirtual

FlexVirtual is a highly specialized company delivering solutions for complex virtualization and cloud computing environments. Our solid knowledge of the virtualization ecosystem, including partners such as VMware, Dell and Liquidware Labs is delivered to our customers in the large and enterprise business of the Netherlands. Years of experience in large scale architecture combined with an innovative drive to use virtualization and agile infrastructure solutions helps us to deliver both consultancy, project and a complete solution. FlexVirtual is a typical no-nonsense company delivering on the message: "We will help you change Your company's virtual DNA!"  Visit www.flexvirtual.nl for further information.

About Liquidware Labs

Liquidware Labs™ is the leader in desktop transformation solutions for next-generation physical and virtual desktops, including VMware View®, Citrix® XenDesktop, Red Hat® and Microsoft® Windows 7. The company's innovative Stratusphere™ FIT and Stratusphere™ UX products support assessment, design, monitoring and diagnostics (Health Checks) of virtual desktop environments. Liquidware Labs award-winning ProfileUnity™ solution with FlexApp, FlexDisk features supports migration to Windows 7, and user management and application virtualization.  Flex-IO supports IOPS acceleration in virtual desktop environments.  Liquidware Labs products are VMware-certified and Citrix Ready, and are available through a global network of partners. Visit www.liquidwarelabs.com for further information.

USA Contact: Grace Krokidas, grace.krokidas@liquidwarelabs.com 224-836-1541, ext. 104

BENELux Contact: Alex Pelster, alex.pelster@flexvirtual.nl +31 88 244 2440