IGEL & ezeep: A Dream Team for Windows Virtual Desktop

The following blog post is a guest post provided by Henning Volkmer, CEO and president of ThinPrint Inc.

ezeep is excited to present its first IGEL Ready solution: the integration of ezeep Blue and IGEL OS for use with Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD).

With this new integration, WVD users can print directly to any printer connected to an IGEL OS device, like the UD Pocket, via the network or local ports including USB, a feature that is not currently available natively.

Many scenarios rely on the local connection of a user to their printer, for example, the ability to connect a user to their home office printer, a label printer within a healthcare setting, or a receipt printer in retail.

ezeep Blue can enable these scenarios and more by simply adding the printer to the IGEL OS device using IGEL Universal Management Suite (UMS), and enabling the ezeep Blue option in the print settings for the corresponding WVD session, which can also be centrally managed using IGEL UMS.

Further, with ezeep Blue, no manual input is needed as the IGEL WVD implementation automatically logs the user into their ezeep Blue account using the same Azure Active Directory used for WVD. Once logged in the printer connected via the IGEL OS device and ezeep Blue are available anywhere in WVD where printing is supported using the standard File/Print dialog.

ezeep Blue was built leveraging more than 20 years of EUC experience by ThinPrint, and supports advanced printer features like stapling, collating, paper trays, color or black and white, and more. A cost-effective ink-jet printer on a home office WiFi, receives that same support an functionality as an office multi-function printer (MFP) or specialty device, i.e. label printers.

ezeep Blue also moves the entire printing process to the cloud without requiring any local resources. Only the hardware interfaces are used to communicate with the printer. As part of the solution, printer drivers and a printing system are not required on the endpoint device. This also prevents sensitive data from remaining in a local print queue where it is unencrypted and vulnerable to attacks while it is waiting to be sent to the printer.

If printing is required in branch offices, an IGEL OS-powered endpoint with integrated ezeep Blue Edge Printing, in combination with the print appliance ezeep Hub, can take over the role of the local print server.

Now more than ever, providing customers and their employees with reliable, frictionless access to tools, applications, and services is critical for business continuity and growth. The IGEL Ready program ensures that partner applications are validated and shared, and that their customers have access to updated and secure software. This new ecosystem enables customers to consider proven, compatible devices and partner applications across a range of categories in the customer-facing IGEL Ready Showcase. ezeep Blue is available for WVD users directly from Microsoft’s Azure Marketplace.

If you are interested into more details about the integration, take a look at ezeep´s on-demand  webinar How to Plan for Printing in IGEL Projects, that was recorded at IGEL Disrupt Unite, which discusses EUC printing needs in a web session.

To read more details about ThinPrint and the solution, visit the IGEL Ready Showcase.