by Steve Elgan, CTA, Omaha CUGC Leader and Steering Committee President

The COVID19 pandemic has been one of the most challenging times in modern history for the entire planet.

People all around the globe are being asked to behave in ways contradictory to our nature. We are a social species, and yet we are being asked to stay at home, keep our distance, not gather to enjoy the fellowship of one another, or even shake hands.

However, we are adaptable. We have found new ways to engage socially by using video-based conferencing tools, watching, and posting endless amounts of tik-tok videos. Perhaps many are reconnecting with or deepening the relationships with the people in their homes.

Our CUGC Community is a shining example of our nature to socialize. Our mission exists to foster the behaviors mentioned previously. Our community is adaptable too. Local groups everywhere are now hosting virtual meetings. CUGC staff and local leaders have developed creative ways to engage with members by issuing gift cards for restaurants or having food delivered to homes as part of a local virtual meeting.

CUGC members have been on the front line of business continuity long before this global pandemic began. We, and many others in the broader EUC space, have pioneered the very tools that have kept the world productive during this crisis.

As a customer, I am eternally grateful for this community. My organization and my users are receiving the dividends from the efforts of so many bloggers, presenters, CTPs, CTAs, local leaders, scriptwriters, consultants, and #mycugc Twitter users. I want to thank all of you for having shared your knowledge over the years.

CUGC members and their families remain on the front line of COVID19, and we are dependent on them now more than ever. I had a chance to talk with some of our members. I want to share some examples of how they are serving.

• Scott from Omaha is a Citrix consultant. He has worked endless hours helping his customers scale their remote access needs. His wife, Tami, is an ER nurse at a local hospital and is taking risks just by showing up to help people in need.
• Brandon is a Citrix Engineer in Ohio for one of the largest grocery chains in the U.S. While Brandon is working hard to help keep critical infrastructure operational, his son Cameron is working in one of the stores for that same grocery chain.
• Tim is a Systems Engineering Manager in Michigan. Tim works for a large medical clinic and is holding things together while two of his team members are fighting the COVID19 illness. I pray they have a full recovery.
• Neil in the United Kingdom has been working with customers to help them rapidly scale their work from home capabilities. Meanwhile, his wife Ina, a school counselor and special needs teaching assistant, has been providing remote counseling sessions to students. She is also working “other duties as assigned,” including distributing meals to students in need and providing childcare for other key workers.
• Sarah is a Remote Systems Engineer for a large global law firm based in Florida. She and her team have successfully enabled the entire firm (41 locations / 11 countries) to work from home. They are using a hybrid solution of Citrix (XenApp and Citrix Managed Desktops in Azure) Remote Desktop Access (LogMeIn) and VPN depending on availability and job requirements. Sarah now shares home office space with her three teens doing online school (8th – college), a project manager for Siemens Energy, and two dogs, all who seem to need attention or talk during conference calls.

There are countless other ways in which our community members and their families are working to fight COVID19. I am eternally grateful for everything each of you is doing. Thank you! If there is anything that I can do to help you, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Vaccines, drug therapies, and testing may play a significant role in how we return to “normal;” however, how we treat each other will play the most significant role in how we get through it emotionally. It has been a long couple of months for all of us. We have come a long way in a short period, but the work is not over yet. Keep up the good fight. I wish you all health and happiness.

“Now, this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” –Winston Churchill

If you have a story you’d like to share, please post in the comments section below.

Thank You and God Bless,

Steve Elgan
CUGC Steering Committee President