by CUGC HQ

Matt Bodholdt
Bellevue, NE, USA

What Citrix technologies are most important to your work?

The Citrix technology that stands out most to me, is NetScaler. XenDesktop is the obvious core of the VDI space, and I will say I’m a PVS fan too. It seems to me that building a successful Citrix ecosystem involves leveraging multiple solutions in conjunction with one another to create the best experiences and enable people to do whatever it is that they do from wherever they choose to be (which in turn helps me stay gainfully employed). NetScaler specifically stands out because it is key in enabling those technologies to function optimally in the most secure ways possible while also providing high availability.

What current tech trends are you most interested in?

Recently, I’ve been interested in personal applications for VPN technologies. This topic seems to be working back into the public mind because of the prevalence of identity theft, hacking, and snooping incidents in the news. The reason that I find this topic interesting is because of how easy it is to snoop on someone with poor security habits. Even someone with good security habits should put some thought into who is managing the WiFi network, even if it is secured. Along those same lines and VPN, I’ve been interested in web encryption and the implementation of newer generation cryptography that enables forward secrecy, etc. I’m really not sure why, but I’ve enjoyed that type of work for a while now.

Is there a gadget or app you that you can’t live without, and why?

The device that I would rather not live without is my iPhone. That’s not a very exciting answer, but I like not being tied to my desk all day while still being productive and responsive. Having XenMobile Enterprise and XenDesktop helps for that productivity bit, plus these new iPhones are pretty sweet… As far as an app goes, PowerShell for sure! There are so many things that engineers have to do (generally at scale) that just can’t be accomplished in an effective, timely manner without developing automation in one way or another. Fully embracing PowerShell a few years ago was likely the most productive thing I’ve ever done career-wise and has definitely made my life easier. “Hey, there’s a script for that.” – Me

What innovation are you hoping to see in 2017?

From a Citrix perspective, I really hope to see expanded HDX capability on mobile devices. Some of the limitations that exist today (like iOS receiver displaying at 1024×768 on my 7 plus) make HDX access on a mobile device less useful than it could be. Don’t get me wrong, things are pretty good these days when it comes to mobility and there have been a lot of new feature sets added. Should only get better from here!

What do you enjoy most about being in the Omaha CUGC local group?

I think the biggest benefit of attending CUGC events is hearing the experiences and challenges that others have faced in person. One thing I’ve always found interesting about the IT community in general is that we all face similar problems which we’ve solved in various ways. Not so often is there time spent knowledge sharing once the initial problem is solved, usually on to the next one, right? The user groups are a great platform to draw from, and share experience with others.

What else do you do when you’re not knee-deep in work?

I have two younger kids at home so they keep me pretty busy. My youngest often insists on building Legos, which is something that I have enjoyed doing since I was his age, so we often spend time doing that. Otherwise, I am a metal-head and enjoy keeping up with that community and hitting up shows when I can. A few of my favorite bands are Unearth, Allegaeon, Korn, Exmortus, and Gojira. I also enjoy playing the bass guitar at times when I really need to push thoughts of work out of my head.