Devolutions year in review: Part 2

…aaaannnnd we’re back! Yesterday, we began our annual look back at some of the biggest announcements, developments, happenings, and events here at Devolutions over the last 12 months. We covered January to June. If you missed it, then click here to catch up.

Now, please relax, mute your endless stream of notifications, play some festive music (may we suggest going old school with the classic Charlie Brown Christmas), and join us as we recap July to December.

July

We kicked off July with a great new video from our Product Marketing Manager, Yann, in which he explored the latest additions and enhancements across our product line-up (per update 2024.2). But he wasn’t done! Yann also took a detailed look at a major update to the Remote Desktop Manager mobile app for iOS and Android, which introduced enhanced session tools, search capabilities, and navigation/status indicators.

Also in July, we revealed 20 shocking cybercrime statistics: 2024 edition. The numbers tell a chilling tale. Here are some of the highlights (or perhaps we should call them lowlights): the average cost of a data breach has surged to an all-time high of $4.45M USD per incident, 69% of SMBs have experienced at least one cyberattack in the last year, and from 2023 to 2024 the number of reported ransomware victims worldwide increased by 20%.

Thankfully, there are smart ways to reduce the risk, and in July two members of the Devolutions team shared some essential information and advice.

First, our Product Marketing Manager, France, provided an overview and tutorial about what’s new in Devolutions Send, which is our free, easy, and secure service for sharing private and sensitive information with colleagues, friends, and family members. All messages are secured by an encrypted link, which can be conveyed through a preferred communication method. Devolutions Send is available as a standalone solution, and it is also integrated into Remote Desktop Manager, Devolutions Server, Devolutions Hub, and Devolutions Workspace. To learn more, click here.

Next, our Subject Matter Expert, Adam, explored sealed entries in Devolutions Server and Remote Desktop Manager. In order to access sealed entries, users must choose to unseal them (by clicking an icon), at which time all administrators are notified. In this way, authorized users can access the entries they need without hassle or delay, while administrators immediately know who is doing what — and if necessary, they can shut down access and investigate.

July is also when the biggest IT outage in history erupted at cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. A faulty update to CrowdStrike’s endpoint detection and response platform caused a global crisis, affecting 8.5 million devices and critical services. Within a few days of the outage, we published an article discussing what happened and why. We also shared some critical lessons learned, including the importance of robust disaster recovery, comprehensive update management, anomaly monitoring, and enhanced infrastructure resilience planning.

Experts say that the CrowdStrike catastrophe cost Fortune 500 companies more than $5 billion USD in direct losses. Well, as we discussed in July, the top-paying IT certifications in 2024 don’t QUITE pay this much salary per year. But the compensation is still attractive, and the opportunities for growth and ongoing learning are immense.

We wrapped up the month by publishing a master list of all default keyboard shortcuts in Remote Desktop Manager, and providing tutorials for customizing individual shortcuts and creating shortcut macros.

And don’t worry Sysadminotaur fans: We would sooner ask Boss for a new PC than fail to mention our community’s favorite comic strip! July’s edition #144 “Marketing Tank” was every experienced IT pro’s worst nightmare (and every experienced marketing pro’s worst nightmare, for that matter).

August

We rolled into August with a use case about how organizations can safely share confidential information with Devolutions Send (which we discussed a moment ago).

We also published multiple overviews and tutorials about the new Microsoft Entra ID dashboard in Remote Desktop Manager, the native application login session entry in Remote Desktop Manager, and web-based RDP, ARD, SSH in Devolutions Server and Devolutions Hub. In addition, we investigated the core concepts of privileged access management, and highlighted the flexibility of Devolutions PAM as an ideal solution for SMBs that need security, flexibility, easy-of-use, and affordability.

Our Product Marketing Manager, Yann, was also busy in his home away from home – a.k.a. Devolutions' production studio – creating two great videos about Remote Desktop Manager Mobile (one video for iOS, and one video for Android).

Towards the end of August we had a big announcement: Devolutions achieved ISO/IEC 27701:2019 certification, reinforcing our commitment to data privacy and security, and aligning with global privacy standards to better protect customer and partner data.

And in Sysadminotaur news: Patrick made us laugh not once, not twice, but three times with a trio of hilarious takes in #145 “Marketing Comics”.

September

September is usually a busy month at Devolutions, and this year certainly wasn’t an exception. In fact, it might have been our busiest September ever (but in a good way!).

Our Product Marketing Manager, Yann, got things started with yet another great video looking at Devolutions Workspace Desktop and Mobile.

We also announced that the much-anticipated Devolutions Force 2.0 had arrived and offered an enhanced user experience, faster speed, additional opportunities to participate and have fun, and much more. See what’s new by logging in, or request access.

Speaking of big improvements: In September we released the year’s third major update (2024.3) across our product line-up: Devolutions Hub Business, Remote Desktop Manager, Devolutions Server, and Devolutions Gateway.

In addition, we launched the much-anticipated Devolutions Academy: our new learning hub that helps users master Devolutions' solutions through courses created and led by expert instructors, and tailored for different skill and experience levels from beginner to expert. Devolutions Academy is free, 100% online, available on-demand — check it out and start your learning journey!

While we were extremely busy in September, we also managed to squeeze in some fun stuff. First, we introduced a new contest called “Where’s Maurice?”, which invites community members to scour the Devolutions website to find Sysadminotaur’s Maurice, and report his whereabouts for a chance to win a prize. Each month Maurice moves to a new location on our website (he’s a digital nomad!).

And Patrick tickled our geek bone with Sysadminotaur #146 “Bold Move” (by the way: if you’re looking for your geek bone, then it’s just to the left of the nerd joint and slightly below the techie muscle).

October

In October, we welcomed VMUG Advantage members to the Remote Desktop Manager not-for-resale (NFR) program.

We were also busy in the Devolutions' production studio. First, our Chief Revenue Officer, Max, our Communications Team Leader, Laurence, and our Technical Trainer, Zachary, teamed up to deliver a fun and informative webinar that took a closer look at Devolutions Force 2.0 and Devolutions Academy (click here to watch it on-demand).

Next, our Product Marketing Manager, Yann, took center stage (or center chair since we don’t have a stage in the production studio) and provided a tour of the major new additions and improvements across our products per the 2024.3 release.

Our Subject Matter Expert, Adam, crafted two insightful articles taking a closer look at what’s new in Devolutions Gateway 2024.3 and Devolutions PAM 2024.3.

We also shared the results of one of our most popular poll questions ever, which asked community members to share what they expect in a “simple” interface. The must-have characteristics include: easy, intuitive, consistent, fast, and appealing. Many community members also pointed out that while simplicity is valuable, it must not come at the cost of functionality.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and we marked the occasion by publishing multiple security-focused articles and tutorials. Our Product Marketing Writer and Editor, Coralie, shared nine secrets that organizations should store in Devolutions Server. And our Communications Team Leader, Laurence, suggested seven cybersecurity tips for parents to teach their kids. Laurence also discussed how security and productivity can and should work hand-in-hand, instead of as mutually exclusive objectives

We were also thrilled to feature multiple contributions by guest blogger and 20+ year IT veteran Adam Bertram on AnyIdentity, which is Devolutions’ proprietary solution for simplifying and streamlining identity management. In his 4-part “Inside the AnyIdentity Workflow” series, Adam looked at account discovery, heartbeat, password rotation, and password propagation. Adam also contributed “Decoding AnyIdentity: Customizable identity management for the modern enterprise,” in which he explains how and why AnyIdentity delivers what today’s organizations need from IT identity management: unified management, extensibility, standardized processes, enhanced security, and improved compliance.

Geniet jij mee van de terugblik op 2024? If your brain understands that we want to know if you’re enjoying our review of 2024 (and then immediately follows-up with: “Why am I suddenly reading Deutsch?), then we are sure you were happy – or make that fröhe – when we announced in October the availability of our Deustch-language blog. This new communication and information channel will enhance our connection with our rapidly-growing roster of Deutsch-speaking users and partners in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

October is also the month for Halloween, and so we suggested 10 techno-horror movies to watch. We also shared the results of October’s poll question, which asked community members to share their scariest IT stories. The responses were a mix of frightening and funny, and there were some tales that we’ll never forget (even if we want to…yes, we’re still thinking about those cockroaches…shudder).

And last but certainly not least, Patrick had us laughing with Sysadminotaur #147 “Custom Costumes” (4D chess move for next year: go to a costume party as the person who forgot to wear a costume to that party).

November

We started November by recommending five YouTube tech channels to check out (and their social media). The list spanned everything from gadget reviews to web dev education. And of course, we mentioned that the Devolutions’ YouTube channel is home to a growing library of great content including product update tours, webinars, tutorials, and more. Pick and choose videos as desired, or launch a playlist and enjoy the ride!

You may recall that last month Adam, Marc, and Coralie contributed some great content about our products, trends, and industry developments. Well, in November the talented trio was back in action:

Marc looked at the security dashboard in Remote Desktop Manager, and also focused on Apple Remote Desktop in Remote Desktop Manager.

Adam explored the automatic privileged account check-in feature in Devolutions PAM, and discussed how it is now possible to run an AnyIdentity provider script on a remote system through a Devolutions Gateway tunnel.

Coralie provided an important overview of the NIS2 directive in Europe and discussed how this new standard impacts IT teams. She also shared six reasons to upgrade from Remote Desktop Manager Free to Remote Desktop Manager Team (centralized team database for the win!).

We also announced some major improvements to the Devolutions blog and forum, including more intuitive navigation, simplified search, direct access to essential resources, and more.

And on the fun front, Patrick delivered with Sysadminotaur #148 “Brainrot” (beware the dreaded TikTok Twilight Zone!).

December

And at last, here we are in the final month of the year! We started things on a festive note with our poll question, which asked: “What’s on your wish list for Remote Desktop Manager and Devolutions PAM in 2025?” If you haven’t yet shared your wishes, then there’s still time – but you’ll have to hurry. Santa Cloud is on his way (we hid an AirTag on his sleigh), and you don’t want to miss your chance to have your wishes come true.

Also this month we looked at what’s new in Devolutions Hub 2024.3 (mid-release), announced that Devolutions is now on Bluesky, and unveiled our new video “Introduction to Devolutions Academy”.

We also shared an interview with a new addition to the Devolutions family: Gerhard Ryznar, who is our Support Team Leader in Europe. What makes Gerhard’s story so interesting and unique is that he was a power user before joining our workforce!

Next, we published the white paper “Examining the Threat Landscape for Password Managers in 2024.” The white paper provides essential information, insight, and advice about who is carrying out different types of attacks on password managers, what assets are being targeted, and how attacks are being carried out.

In addition, we highlighted that versatility and support for integrations has always been at the heart of Remote Desktop Manager, dating all the way back to when it was invented by our CEO David nearly 15 years ago. Today, Remote Desktop Manager integrates with nearly 200 third-party tools including Active Directory, BeyondTrust, CyberArk, Microsoft EntraID, and many more.

Since this is the time of year when millions of people around the world start thinking of the positive changes that they’ll make in the year ahead, we recommended 10 New Year’s Resolutions for IT pros ranging from increasing the frequency of backups, to focus on stress management and self-care.

And a few days ago, we got the ball rolling for our annual year in review by looking at where the Devolutions' Event Team went in 2024. Can you believe that they travelled about 97,000km/60,273 miles this year? That’s a lot of distance (and so many, many flight delays).

Thank you for a great year

It has been an incredibly productive, exciting, and successful year here at Devolutions – and we owe it all to the members of our global community – a.k.a. YOU – who power our purpose and growth, and motivate us to raise the bar and lead the way. Thank you for your support, loyalty, and trust, and for being with us on this amazing journey so far.

We will get even more emotional and sentimental in a few days (sorry, we can’t help it – we REALLY LOVE this community so much!), when we don our ugly Christmas sweaters and publish our annual seasons greeting message. Until then, we hope that you have a joyful and fun time with your colleagues, family, and friends – you deserve it!