Devolutions 2022 Year in Review: Part 1

The last 12 months — actually, make that the last few years — have been dominated by change, change, and still more change.

Sometimes we enjoy changes (like more opportunities to work remotely), and sometimes we don’t (like the surge in ransomware and malware attacks). But love it or hate it, the pace of change has been — and continues to be — unprecedented. It’s kind of like being on a roller coaster that never stops, so you might as well make yourself as comfortable as possible and enjoy the ride (and as always, please keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times!).

HOWEVER…

It is nice to know that, amidst all of this change, there are some traditions we can count on year after year. Around here, a ritual that many of us — and hopefully many of you — look forward to is our annual year in review.

And so, without further delay, please pour yourself a big mug of hot chocolate, sit back, perhaps play some festive music like the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, and join us for a recap of 2022 here at Devolutions (we’ll start with January – June, and then wrap-up with July – December tomorrow).

January

Speaking of time-honored traditions: we kicked off 2022 with another important and popular annual event: our CEO David’s Roadmap! This is an overview of what we have planned for the year across our suite of products and companion tools. We are thrilled to share that, once again, we achieved EVERY milestone in the 2022 Roadmap (and several were done ahead of schedule). And as you would expect, David is already working on the 2023 Roadmap, which will be published very soon. We have some big plans for the year ahead, and can’t wait to share them with you all!

Also in January, we said goodbye to Devolutions Online Database (DODB), looked at the key differences between IT security and cybersecurity, interviewed one of our favorite long-time VIP users John Kenny. Plus, Stephanie explored how organizations that use RDP can improve security, performance, and functionality by switching from RD Gateway to Devolutions Gateway.

We also needed some laughs, because it’s really (and we mean really) cold around here in January. Thankfully, we were rescued from the winter blahs by Sysadminotaur #114: Audit.

February

In February, we looked at Gartner’s 12 Strategic Technology Trends for 2022. We also announced our first webinar of the year: “RDM Roadmap & Deep Dive: Learn How to Manage Roles and Permissions Like a Pro,” and released the year’s first major updates (v2022.1) of Remote Desktop Manager, Devolutions Server, and Password Hub Business.

Also in February, we looked at how our customer Quanta Previdência Cooperativa, based in Brazil, is using Remote Desktop Manager to improve efficiency, productivity, and security. And in our poll question, we asked the community to share what technologies they expect will significantly change their day-to-day work experience in five years (this was one of our most popular polls ever — check out the interesting results!).

Weather-wise, February is when everyone around here who claims to love winter says ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. To warm our spirits, Patrick created another great Sysadminotaur comic in #115: Equipment.

March

March is usually a busy month around here — and 2022 was no exception! We announced the year’s second webinar, which covered the Devolutions Server 2022 Roadmap and explored several new and improved features. We were also delighted to share that Remote Desktop Manager achieved compliance with FIPS 140-2 Annex A Approved Encryption Functions.

We also showcased two popular products that are integrated in Remote Desktop Manager: Psono and The Green Bow. Plus, we took a closer look at Devolutions Workspace: a centralized, cloud-based repository that brings together all of our mobile apps, and provided an overview of Devolutions Server subscription options and additional tools/modules.

For fun, we all had a big laugh at Sysadminotaur #116: Deterrent (we’re sure that some IT Pros out there would LOVE to “deter” hackers this way!).

April

The poet T.S. Eliot said that “April is the cruellest month.” We respectfully disagree, because around here April was a fantastic month. For instance, we started off by taking a closer look at Devolutions Gateway, which provides authorized just-in-time access to resources in segmented networks. We also look at Gateway’s adaptive connection modes.

Then, we focused on identity and access management (IAM), and proudly announced that, as part of our commitment to transparency and quality assurance, we commissioned an in-depth AICPA SOC2 Type II report for both Password Hub Business and Password Hub Personal. This year, we pushed our control list a little further with some key additions.

We also looked at some cool gadgets, shared some things to get excited about in the gaming world for those disappointed by the cancelation of E3, and introduced a new series of YouTube videos on getting started with Devolutions Password Hub.

For laughs, Patrick supplied April’s hilarious Sysadminotaur comic #117: Cache-Out (too bad T.S. Eliot didn’t have Sysadminotaur to cheer him up a little).

May

In May we officially announced that the Devolutions State of IT Security in SMBs in 2022/23 survey was available. We’d like to give a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who participated, and made this the most rigorous and insightful survey ever!

Speaking of insightful: also in May we sat down with our VP of Business Solutions Maurice to learn more about the vision for MSP Expo 2022. We were also thrilled to announce the availability of Remote Desktop Manager for Linux on Flathub, and looked at how organizations can increase productivity by automating Remote Desktop Manager Client Deployment and other administrative tasks.

Plus, May has two sacred days on the Geekian Calendar: May the Fourth, and Geek Pride Day. To celebrate the former, Marc created a complete Star Wars timeline. And to celebrate the latter, we asked the community to select their ideal Harry Potter-inspired spell at work.

On the Sysadminotaur front, Patrick entertained us with #118: Keyboarddddddfff (which could have been inspired by my brush with dreaded “catware”!).

June

June was a great month here at Devolutions! First, we won Cyber Defense Magazine’s Global Infosec Award for “Editor’s Choice — Privileged Access Management.” Then, we learned that Remote Desktop Manager achieved G2’s Leader, High Performer and Leader Europe badges, respectively.

Also in June, Stephanie published two new use cases: how organizations can improve security by integrating Devolutions Server and Devolutions Password Hub with PowerShell Secret Management, and how organizations can use a Linux server database backend with Remote Desktop Manager.

In addition, we explored how to export and regenerate encryption keys in Devolutions Server, and provided some practical, yet persuasive tips to help IT pros convince their boss to invest in strong IT security.

For fun, we highlighted 7 terrible products that never should have existed (such as Colgate frozen meals and Bic disposable underwear… yes, you read that correctly!). And Patrick outdid himself with Sysadminotaur #119: Iterativemental (which looks at a situation that EVERY developer can relate to!).

Next Up: The Second Half of 2022

Phew — we’ve covered a lot of territory so far, and we still have six months to go! In part 2 of the Devolutions 2022 Year in Review, we’ll look at events, happenings, and fun stuff (including some more great Sysadminotaur comics!) from July through December. Stay tuned!