Citrix Converge 2020, our free, global, developer conference, opened last Monday, November 2, with a full program of keynotes, breakout sessions and virtual coffee breaks. Today, at the halfway point of Converge, I’ll bring you some of the highlights of last week as we look forward to this week’s can’t-miss sessions.

Opening Keynote: Building the Future of Work

Our featured keynote speaker Stephen O’Grady, co-founder of the renowned developer research firm RedMonk, explains the opportunities for developers as the world moves from on-premises products to cloud services. Steve Wilson, executive sponsor of Converge, Sonny Chhen, developer evangelist manager, and I explain why we created Converge and how the event works.

Products-to-Platform: What Does it Mean for Developers?

Citrix Chief Product Officer PJ Hough moderates a panel comprising his product management executives: Mihir Maniar (VP App Delivery and Security), Sridhar Mullapudi (SVP Workspace), and Steve Wilson (VP Developer Ecosystem). PJ leads a lively discussion on the changing face of Citrix, and Mihir, Sridhar, and Steve each recount their background at the sharp end of software development.

Automating Virtual Apps and Desktops with CVAD RESTful APIs

Our speakers did a fantastic job prerecording Converge’s 60 keynote and breakout sessions, and Angelo Saraceno, product manager for the admin console (Citrix Studio) of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, delivered an outstanding session. It’s required viewing for anyone working with Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, and it’s also well worth watching for Angelo’s engaging delivery and professional production.

NITRO APIs For The Win!

The NITRO API allows you to configure and monitor Citrix ADC programmatically, giving you complete control of application delivery. Esther Barthel, Citrix CTP, Microsoft MVP, and solutions architect with cognition IT, recorded this introduction to the NITRO APIs, accessible to novices and seasoned developers alike. Like all Converge speakers, Esther answered questions on her session in the Citrix Converge Slack workspace. If you are not yet a registered attendee at Converge, you can still sign up to access the discussion around Esther’s session and to participate in this week’s program.

A Microapps Customer Story: the Municipality of Hollands Kroon

The municipality of Hollands Kroon, in the northwest part of the Netherlands, is pioneering the future of work with Citrix Workspace microapps. Frank van Hoolwerff, IT advisor for Hollands Kroon, and Citrix Technology Advocate Chris Twiest of RawWorks explain the innovative, flexible working environment at Hollands Kroon and how microapps allowed the municipality to streamline employee access to SaaS, web, legacy, local, and mobile apps.

Virtual Coffee Break with Jeroen van Rotterdam

Not all of Citrix Converge is prerecorded. Live “virtual coffee breaks” allow attendees to chat with Citrix executives. Our first coffee break featured Citrix EVP of Engineering Jeroen van Rotterdam answering questions on every aspect of his role as head of the company’s global engineering organization. Watch the recording for an unscripted discussion of products vs. services and on-premises vs cloud.

ONERECAP: RawWorks X Citrix Converge 2020 – Week 1

Citrix partner RawWorks deserves special recognition for their participation in Converge. Not only did RawWorks staff create no fewer than six of our 55 breakout sessions, they put together this entertaining review of the first week of Converge. Look out for a Citrix developer event in the Netherlands when we restart in-person meetings!

Citrix Converge 2020: Week Two

Where the first week of Converge focused on more introductory and general content, week two steps up a gear, with more advanced sessions. Citrix Optimizer – Templates, Tips and Tricks shows you how to get the most out of one of the most popular Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops tools; Cloud Native Network Inspection with ksniff explains how to capture packets live in a Kubernetes environment; and Augment the Functionality of the Microapp Platform with Middleware presents an approach to integrating the microapps platform with systems of record that do not present a handy RESTful interface.

We’ll also feature more virtual coffee breaks, including a session with PJ Hough, Citrix EVP and Chief Product Officer, and close with a live rap session where Sonny Chhen, developer evangelist manager, and I will canvass you for your feedback on the conference.

All recorded Citrix Converge 2020 content, including keynotes, breakouts and past coffee breaks, is available on-demand at the Citrix Developer YouTube channel, and you can still register to get access to upcoming Q&A sessions in our Slack workspace, plus the second week’s virtual coffee breaks. We look forward to welcoming you!