CommandCTRL is a next-generation SaaS helpdesk solution, built from the ground up for that role, and while it is a separate product designed to complement Stratusphere UX, it will also play much further downmarket to SMBs and MSPs in that space.
Liquidware, which makes digital workspace management solutions, has announced the launch of a beta program around the launch of their first new product since 2011. It will allow the public to experience and provide feedback around CommandCTRL, their new SaaS-based helpdesk remediation solution.
“We have been in this market for a long term with our Stratusphere UX experience monitoring and diagnostics solution,” said Jason Smith, VP Product Marketing and Alliances at Liquidware. “Stratusphere UX customers have been asking us in recent years if we can take action on some of the events that they have logged. This really picked up in the pandemic when the lockdown hit. Customers wanted us to be able to reach out and remediate, especially with multi-layer desktop connections. That’s when we started to work on CommandCTRL, and have been working on it for over two years.”
CommandCTRL is the first new offering that Liquidware has brought to market since 2011. It will be sold as a separate product.
“The CommandCTRL product will complement Stratusphere UX,” Smith said.” It’s very much a help desk remediation solution. It will do real time monitoring and reach out and touch the user’s space. It has real time metrics. You can see what’s happening on the remote system before you take over the desktop, if you need to do that. This includes seeing things like consumption, as well as their wifi access points.”
Smith also highlighted a unique feature, a playback mode which captures 30-days history so admins can see exactly what occurred in the environment at specific dates and times, and can go back and make changes if required.
Jason Smith, VP Product Marketing and Alliances at Liquidware
“This special feature lets you look back, and really comes into play if a problem emerges than seems to disappear before it is resolved,” he said. “We have dubbed this DVD History Playback, It can determine the time and application that locked up, so an admin can put them on the latest version of the app or do other things to fix it. There are no people involved on our end. It’s all SaaS based. You can also get started with it very easily since it is SaaS based.”
Smith said that there is nothing quite like this DVD History Playback feature in the market.
“There are many who use snapshots, but with them you don’t actively go back in time and look at it and remediate it in real time,” Smith added.
He also said they have a technology advantage over other SaaS help desk solutions.
“Any other help desk solutions coming to market now are on-prem ones that have been ported,” he emphasized. “They weren’t built SaaS first. With CommandCTRL, the GUI is a very active active interface, which is why you can see things occurring in real time. Even a novice admin will be able to easily see whats going on from our agent that provides the metrics. We also provide three different types of remote control technology including Microsoft QuickAssist, to fit an organization’s specific security requirements if they exist.”
Liquidware was a sponsor at last week’s VMware Explore event, where CommandCTRL was on display, and Smith said the GUI was what most impressed booth visitors.
“The GUI really made everything pop, and everything was intuitive from the minute you opened it up,” he stated. “EUC people there said that this was a very needed solution. It can be quite daunting to do this traditionally, and that’s where a SaaS method will shine, and provide results within 24 hours.”
Smith also said the market for this is broad.
“We know enterprises will have a need for this but so will SMB and midmarket customers, and MSPs,” he noted. “This solution will cater to SMBs, which Strata really doesn’t. It’s more 1000 PCs and up, with the largest deployment being 100,000.”
The plan is to run the beta throughout the 4th quarter and for the product to go to GA in the first quarter of 2023. They expect anywhere from 50 to 100 participants in the beta.
