Update 3.7: Introducing the Workspace 365 App Launcher, permissions on local Office and interaction on announcements

Get ready, because it’s the last update of 2019! And it’s a good one. This update, we’re introducing a new Workspace 365 feature, making working with local applications a lot easier. Also related to working with local applications: we now enable you to help people use the correct Office editor for them for file server documents. Additionally, we added more intranet features to stimulate interaction in the adaptive workspace. And that’s not all. Curious? Keep reading!

Workspace 365 proudly presents: the local App Launcher (Beta)

Workspace 365 is all about simplifying work, which includes your information and applications. Not just web and remote applications, but your local applications as well. Therefore, we developed and now proudly present the Workspace 365 App Launcher. This App Launcher simplifies access to local applications. But that’s not all it can do.

Simplify opening local applications

Before, to open local applications, the ability to do this had to be programmed on each individual device. Now, with the Workspace 365 App Launcher, you simply install an agent on the device in question, and you can easily set up the launching of local applications from the workspace. This simplifies and streamlines the process of adding and opening local applications to and from the workspace.

Easily open your Windows Virtual Desktop applications

The Workspace 365 App Launcher also allows you to easily open specific applications on your Windows Virtual Desktop. For most people, a virtual desktop as their entire workspace is too much. However, some applications are simply not available as web applications yet and will not be ready for a while. For people who need those applications, Windows Virtual Desktop is a great solution, as it simplifies remote desktop licensing and cuts costs on their remote desktop environment. To understand why you would use WVD, read this article.

Though we said that the Workspace 365 App Launcher is mostly meant for simplifying opening local applications, such as video editing programs, softphone or apps like your Calculator and even Paint, it coincidentally also allows you to open your remote applications with the Windows Virtual Desktop.

Set arguments on opening apps

In addition to easily opening local applications from the workspace, the Workspace 365 App Launcher also allows you to add arguments to each open action. This means that you can determine exactly how you want an application to open. This allows you to for instance set that whenever you open Outlook, it also instantly opens the email composer, so you can immediately start typing a new email. Or when you open the File Explorer, you can determine which folder you want to see when it opens. There are many, many possibilities.

The next steps for the Workspace 365 App Launcher

The Workspace 365 App Launcher is about more than just easily opening local applications and an easy set-up of this action. It’s about allowing you to open applications the way you want them to, instantly. This update, we’re releasing a beta version. We will keep developing and improving the App Launcher. Please give us feedback on this beta version to help us improve it.

Interaction and information on announcements

In update 3.5, we brought another piece of social intranet to your adaptive workspace with the Announcement live tile. This update, we’re taking this tile to the next level. To allow more interaction in your workspace, we’ve created the possibility to ‘like’ announcements. This way, people can easily show their appreciation for an announcement with one click. Our next step will be to add a comment option, that allows people to respond to announcements.

To give people who are involved with internal communications, such as HR, Marketing and Communications employees and management, more insight in the effectiveness of announcements and the usage of the Announcement live tile, we’ve also introduced the option to see the amount of views on a post. This enables them to keep track of the reach of their announcements, measure effectiveness and get more information on the adoption of the Announcement live tile.

New how-to videos

The adoption of the workspace is essential for your organisation. Therefore, we continue to develop features that help to increase the adoption of the workspace. One of those features is the How-to live tile that automatically shows instruction videos based on their role and permissions.

This update, we’ve added new how-to videos on the To-Do tile, the How-to live tile, Yammer and several App Store functionalities. These videos will help people to understand and use the workspace and its functionalities in an easy and accessible way.

Set permissions on local Office editors for the file server

This update, we created the option to set permissions on opening file server files. This enables you to determine whether a person or group can open their file server files in a local Office editor, for instance a dynamic security group that you’re syncing to the workspace. You can, for instance, base these group’s permissions on their Office 365 license, to help people use the right editors for specific kinds of files. Or on the fact that they don’t have a local editor installed. This way, the file will automatically open the correct way.

What else is new?

The features above are the highlights of this update. But there’s more, such as:

• You can now change the default font in the Email App for the entire environment
• Cancel the process of copying or moving documents
• Set the default visibility for images in incoming emails
• Only view file servers to which you have access
• Shared spaces are now included in the import/export workspace setup

Are you curious about all new features, fixes and improvements of this update? Check out the announcements.

Open the announcements

View these new features in your Workspace 365 environment. Don’t have your own Workspace 365 environment or didn’t receive the update yet? Then try our free demo. Do you want to receive release notifications? Go to the Support Portal to set this up.

Ps. Don’t see the update yet? Then you’ll receive it shortly from your IT service provider.