Client Overview
- Client: State Economic Development Agency
- Services: Endpoint Security, VDI Modernization, Hybrid Work Enablement
The same State economic development agency that partnered with Z7 Solutions in Phase 1. After the on premises Horizon 8 environment was stabilized, the agency turned to Z7 again to help modernize for cloud, hybrid work, and more intelligent operations.
Executive Summary
Once Horizon 8 on premises was stable, the State Entity wanted to move forward, not just maintain the status quo. Leadership needed cloud elasticity, better profile consistency, simpler application delivery, stronger security, and a more unified experience across Wyse terminals, Chromebooks, and laptops.
Z7 led the transition from Horizon 8 on premises to Horizon Cloud on Azure, first with Gen 1 and then with Gen 2. The team designed a hybrid profile architecture using FSLogix and DEM, adopted Turbo containers for key applications, modernized endpoint security by moving from Carbon Black to SentinelOne, and improved experience across all endpoint types. Omnissa Intelligence and HaloPSA were used to make EUC operations data driven instead of reactive.
The result is a cloud ready, container aware, security modernized EUC platform that supports hybrid work and positions the agency for future modernization.
Challenge
With immediate stability problems solved, the State Entity faced a different set of pressures.
The agency needed to:
- Reduce dependence on physical data centers and hardware refresh cycles.
- Gain elasticity for remote and hybrid work surges.
- Fix long standing issues with profiles, PDF defaults, Teams and Zoom, printing, and Chromebooks.
- Reduce gold image bloat and fragile application packaging.
- Replace Carbon Black with endpoint protection that was lighter and more effective in VDI.
- Move from ticket by ticket firefighting to analytics and pattern based decision making.
Z7 Solution
Z7 designed and delivered a multi step modernization program.
Horizon Cloud on Azure, Gen 1 to Gen 2
- Introduced Horizon Cloud on Azure Gen 1 to reduce hardware dependency and add cloud elasticity.
- Identified practical limits of Gen 1, including slower appliance based updates.
- Transitioned to Horizon Cloud on Azure Gen 2, which offers a cloud native control plane, faster brokering, better Azure integration, and improved scalability for remote and hybrid work.
Hybrid Profile Strategy With FSLogix and DEM
- Implemented FSLogix profile containers to replace roaming and local profiles.
- Kept DEM in place for fine grained user and application settings.
- Tuned GPO and FSLogix timing to fix printer persistence, Number Lock, taskbar and icon behavior, and Teams and Zoom performance.
Turbo Application Containers
- Implemented Turbo for application streaming and packaging.
- Rebuilt high impact applications such as Adobe and PDF tools, browsers, productivity apps, CAD, and line of business software as Turbo containers.
- Resolved long standing issues with PDF defaults and Adobe licensing behavior.
- Delivered containers that can be used with Horizon Cloud, Horizon on premises, and AVD.
Endpoint Modernization
- Upgraded Wyse ThinOS firmware and aligned Horizon client versions.
- Fixed Chromebook remote printing and profile persistence issues.
- Continued hardening and optimization of Windows laptops and desktops through managed services.
Security Modernization
- Replaced Carbon Black with SentinelOne in key pools.
- Tuned SentinelOne policies and allow lists to avoid conflicts with FSLogix, Turbo, and Horizon.
- Improved security posture while reducing resource overhead and false positives.
Intelligence Driven Operations
- Used Omnissa Intelligence for device experience scoring, performance telemetry, and anomaly detection.
- Used HaloPSA for ticket classification, trend analysis, and SLA tracking.
- Shifted from isolated incident response to pattern based improvements across profiles, images, applications, endpoints, and security.
Measurable Results
Based on telemetry and ticket trends across pilot and production pools, the agency saw clear improvements.
Improved Login Performance
Average logon times in Horizon Cloud Gen 2 improved by roughly 20 to 30 percent compared to pre cloud Horizon.
Reduced FSLogix-Related Issues
Profile, application, printing, and peripheral issues in FSLogix enabled pools dropped by about 25 to 40 percent.
Stability Gains from Turbo Containers
Turbo containers removed many recurring issues that used to appear after image updates.
Enhanced Endpoint Security Efficiency
SentinelOne improved security coverage and reduced performance impact compared to Carbon Black.
Improved Device Reliability
Wyse and Chromebook reliability improved significantly after firmware and client alignment.
Fewer Recurring Incidents Through Intelligent Operations
Intelligence driven operations reduced recurring incident categories by roughly 30 to 50 percent over a 24 month period.
The State Entity now runs a cloud ready, container enabled, analytics driven EUC platform that is designed for the next decade of digital services and remote work.
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See how Z7 Solutions helped a State Entity move beyond stabilization to cloud readinessreducing incidents, improving performance, and enabling continuous improvement with Horizon Cloud and containerized applications