September 11, 2020

How to Transition to the Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub for Windows 10

Starting with VMware Workspace ONE UEM 20.08, you can retire the Workspace ONE app and transition to the full functionality offered by the Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub and Hub Services. This blog post discusses the options available and walks you through transitioning to the Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub. Doing this provides a consistent user experience across Web, macOS, iPhone and iPad, and Android platforms for all your users.

The VMware Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub version 20.08 is finally here! This release brings together the functionality of the Workspace ONE application, as well as delivering unified notifications, application install statuses, and a complete unified application catalog experience, all within the Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub.   

Starting with VMware Workspace ONE® UEM 20.08, you can retire the Workspace ONE app and transition to the full functionality offered by the Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub and Hub Services. Doing this provides a consistent user experience across Web, macOS, iPhone and iPad, and Android platforms for all your users.

What are my options for the transition?

We've made the transition as seamless as possible. However, there are still a few things to consider. Let's walk through some options and considerations. 

  Option 1: If you require ONLY the Windows 10 native application catalog experience

  • Users can access and install native Windows 10 applications that your organization displays in the catalog. No need for the Intelligent Hub AND the Workspace ONE application to be on the device.  
  • Choosing this option requires integrating VMware Workspace ONE® Access with Workspace ONE UEM, setting the authentication source to UEM, and turning on the catalog via Hub Services. When you set the authentication to UEM and turn on the catalog via Hub Services, this activates the Intelligent Hub application catalog for Windows and removes the Workspace ONE application.  
  • Consider the configuration of additional Hub Services like custom Branding, Home tab, and People search. 

Option 2: Take advantage of the FULL unified application catalog experience for Windows 10 including native applications, virtual, and web applications

  • Users get provided with a fully unified catalog experience. Users can access native Windows 10 applications, web applications, virtual applications, and virtual desktops. Choosing this option creates a single place where users can navigate to find all their corporate applications and services.  
  • You must ensure that Workspace ONE UEM and Workspace ONE Access have been integrated, the authentication is set to Workspace ONE Access, and turn on the catalog via Hub Services. When you set the authentication to Workspace ONE Access and turn on the catalog via Hub Services, this activates the Intelligent Hub application catalog for Windows and removes the Workspace ONE application. 
  • Having the authentication set to Workspace ONE Access requires an authentication method set up inside the Workspace ONE Access admin console.  
  • If you are using Workspace ONE, Horizon, or our mobile single sign-on capabilities, you might have already completed a lot of the groundwork.  
  • Consider the configuration of additional Hub Services like Custom Branding, Home tab, and People Search.

Option 3: Do nothing and don't upgrade

  • If you must plan for these changes to occur, or you are not yet ready to make the transition, that's fine. You can keep everything as is and continue using the Workspace ONE application. Doing so will allow you some time to plan and prepare for these changes.

I need to plan for this transition, how can you help me?

We recommend proactively notifying and training your end-users to use the Intelligent Hub instead of the Workspace ONE app, as you roll out the Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub version 20.08. Transitioning will be a straightforward process if your users are accustomed to the Intelligent Hub experience on other platforms like macOS, iOS, and Android.

The Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub Adoption Kit Assets page contains useful items to make it extremely simple for your company to promote the adoption of Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub to your employees across all platforms. 

The Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub adoption kit includes the following to help ensure a successful transition to a unified experience across all platforms:

When you enable the Intelligent Hub Automatic Updates functionality in the Workspace ONE UEM 20.08 admin console, this automatically upgrades Windows 10 devices to the current version of Intelligent Hub that the Workspace ONE UEM console contains. For example, the Workspace ONE UEM 20.08 console contains the Intelligent Hub 20.08.

You can find the Intelligent Hub Automatic Updates function in Workspace ONE UEM by navigating to Groups & Settings > All Settings > Devices & Users > Windows > Windows Desktop > Intelligent Hub Application and ensuring Intelligent Hub Automatic Updates is selected as shown. 

The Workspace ONE app is automatically uninstalled within 24 hours from the endpoint if the device meets the following conditions: 

  1. The Windows 10 device has the Intelligent Hub version 20.08. 

  1. The administrator has enabled the catalog in Hub Services. 

  1. The Windows 10 endpoint has successfully retrieved and displayed the catalog service in Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub. 

These conditions are built-in to ensure that users can still access and install applications and not generate support tickets to the helpdesk.

So, how can I transition toward the Intelligent Hub catalog and retire the Workspace ONE App?

Expand the drop-down menus to view details for Option 1 and Option 2.

Option 1: If you require ONLY the Windows 10 native application catalog experience

To transition from the Workspace ONE app to the Intelligent Hub service, the Workspace ONE UEM console must be configured appropriately with Workspace ONE Access and Workspace ONE Hub Services. Ensure the following prerequisites are met:

  • Enable Hub Services at the customer organization group in Workspace ONE UEM. 
  • Set Hub Source of Authentication to Workspace ONE UEM.
  • Configure the Catalog option in Hub Services. 

To enable only the Windows 10 native application catalog experience, follow these steps.

  1. Navigate to Groups and Settings. 
  2. Select Configurations.  
  3. Enter Intelligent Hub in the search text box and select Intelligent Hub.
     

  1. Confirm that your Workspace ONE Access tenant has been configured in Workspace ONE UEM. 
  2. Confirm that Source of Authentication is set to UEM (AirWatch). 
    You can also open this configuration setting as follows: 
    • Navigate to Groups and Settings > Devices & Users > General > Enrollment > Authentication > Source of Authentication for Intelligent Hub. 
    • Select Configure at the top right of the Source of Authentication section. 
  3. Confirm that Hub Catalog (Windows) is Enabled. 
    • For versions prior to 20.08, find this option under Groups and Settings > All Settings > Apps > Workspace ONE > AirWatch Catalog > General > Publishing. 
  4. Click Launch to open Hub Services and change the catalog settings.
     

After Hub Services has launched: 

  1. Select App Catalog. 
  2. Confirm that App Catalog for Windows is Enabled and save the settings. 

Important: The Workspace ONE app will be removed from the device within 24 hours after the user views the catalog service in Intelligent Hub.

 

 

Congratulations!  

You have now configured and enabled the Windows 10 native application catalog experience for your end-users to enjoy! You can transition to the FULL unified application catalog experience for Windows 10, including native applications, virtual and web applications, by following the steps in Option 2.

Option 2: If you require the FULL unified application catalog experience for Windows 10 including native applications, virtual and web applications 

To transition from Workspace ONE app to the Intelligent Hub app, Workspace ONE UEM console must be configured appropriately with Workspace ONE Access and Workspace ONE Hub Services. Ensure the following prerequisites are met:

  • Enable Hub Services at the customer organization group. 
  • Configure Workspace ONE Access as an identity provider.
  • Set the Hub Source of Authentication to Workspace ONE Access.
  • Follow the steps listed in Option 1 before you continue. 

  1. Navigate to Groups and Settings.
  2. Select Configurations.
  3. Enter Intelligent Hub in the search text box and select Intelligent Hub.

 

  1. Ensure that you have completed the steps in Option 1. 
  2. Confirm that the Source of Authentication is set to Workspace ONE Access. 
    You can also open this configuration setting in as follows: 
    • Navigate to Groups and Settings > Devices & Users > General > Enrollment > Authentication > Source of Authentication for Intelligent Hub. 
    • Select Configure at the top right of the Source of Authentication section. 

Important: 

  • Ensure that you have also configured the authentication policy in Workspace ONE Access. 
  • The Workspace ONE app will be removed from the device within 24 hours after the user views the catalog service in Intelligent Hub.

 

Congratulations! 

You have now configured and enabled the Windows 10 Unified application catalog experience for your end-users to enjoy! 

After you have enabled the authentication to Workspace ONE Access, the Intelligent Hub will display web applications, virtual applications, and virtual desktops in addition to native Win32 applications. 

Pro Tips! - Get the Most out of the Intelligent Hub and Hub Services!

Enable Access to Workspace ONE People Search 

When Hub Services is fully integrated with Workspace ONE Access, you can enable access to the People service to let users search for their colleagues and view user details and organization charts directly from the Intelligent Hub app. 

For configuration settings, see Enabling Access to Workspace ONE People Search in VMware Docs.

Customize Branding for Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub 

From the Hub Services console, you can customize the logo, text color, and background color that appears in the Intelligent Hub app on devices and the user web browser view. 

The following screenshot shows my personal Windows 10 Intelligent Hub that I use daily. Notice the corporate branding and that I can access all my applications in one place.

I have an Ubuntu virtual desktop, access all my web applications with single sign-on capabilities, and can install native Windows 10 applications. 

What does the Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub look like for your users?

Additional Resources

For more information, see the following:

Workspace ONE Release Notes 

Workspace ONE Documentation 

Authors

This blog post was co-authored by:

  • Aaron Black, Windows Management Product Manager, End-User Computing, VMware 

  • Darren Weatherly, Senior Technical Marketing Architect, End-User Computing, VMware 

Filter Tags

Workspace ONE Workspace ONE Access Workspace ONE UEM Blog Announcement Intermediate Win10 and Windows Desktop Deploy Manage

Darren Weatherly

Read More from the Author

Senior Technical Marketing Architect, End-User Computing, VMware. Darren is a Senior Technical Marketing Architect at VMware, specializing in Microsoft, Windows, and the Workspace ONE solution. He is based in Melbourne, Australia, and has been with VMware for 10 years. He has a wealth of experience in the IT industry, spanning over 14 years in various roles and domains.