Introducing the Maintenance Process of Riihicloud Smart Packages
In our earlier posting, we provided an in-depth look at Riihicloud Smart Packages, which are a vital component of our comprehensive device/endpoint management service offering. However, we haven’t explained yet the maintenance process of the Smart Packages. As you might already know, the Riihicloud service is highly automated, but how does it handle updates of the applications and configurations in use? What routines and tasks does the service perform behind the scenes to ensure that its updates are secure and functional before distributing them to Riihicloud’s direct customers and Managed Service Providers (MSP) partners? In this blog, we will dive deeper into the details of the update process to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of how it is managed. With our insights, you can ensure that your Riihicloud Smart packages are well-maintained and up-to-date.
The maintenance process refers to the so-called Riihi factory, which operates on a weekly basis throughout the year. Riihicloud aims to provide a turnkey solution, allowing customers and partners to avoid spending too much time on application and configuration maintenance. The following picture illustrates how the Riihi factory operates on a weekly basis, ensuring a seamless update process for customers.
The Riihi factory follows a specific weekly process for each maintenance cycle, starting on Wednesdays. We utilize MS Power Platform to check automatically for available updates for packaged applications within the tenants managed by our partners on behalf of their end-customers or by our direct customers, which we then package and distribute to our extensive testing environment.
Our test environment is designed to minimize the occurrence of potential incompatibilities and errors that could arise down the line. The test environment includes virtual machines, devices using the most commonly used versions of the Windows operating system, macOS machines, and other essential hardware. Once the updates for the Riihicloud Smart Packages are deployed to the test environment, they go through an extensive testing process to ensure that they function correctly and are free of any errors. This rigorous and detailed testing process is vital to guarantee that updates are safe and will work properly once distributed to our customers and partners.
After the updates have been thoroughly tested in our test environment, and everything is approved, we move on to deploying these updates to Riihi companies’ devices on Thursday. The Riihicloud and Riihisoft employees double-check the updates to ensure that they are functioning correctly and that there are no issues after deployment.
On Monday mornings, we inform our customers and partners of the upcoming package deployment through notifications sent to an agreed-upon destination, which can be private or shared. Additionally, MSPs can customize the message and delivery of this information to their customers. This level of flexibility allows our MSP partners to communicate these updates to their customers in a manner that aligns with their branding and communication strategy. The following image shows some examples of the notification our customers receive every Monday when there are updates ready to be deployed automatically and multitenantly by us.
Then on Monday at 2 PM (GMT +3), we deploy the updated Riihicloud Smart Packages simultaneously for all our customers, regardless of the number of Intune Riihicloud environments they have. This ensures that all end customers are up-to-date with the latest version of our Riihicloud Smart Packages, which primarily include applications but sometimes configurations as well. The deployment of completely new Smart Packages will occur outside the regular weekly maintenance routine, as and when the need arises and the order is received.
In summary, the maintenance process of Riihicloud Smart Packages operates continuously on a weekly basis, guaranteeing the quality of updates with a rigorous testing process and strict guidelines. This process ensures that customers receive reliable and secure updates without the need for extra effort.
Riihicloud’s MSP partners and direct customers are notified of the upcoming package distributions before they occur, allowing them to prepare accordingly. With this process, they do not have to worry about keeping up with different updates, freeing up their time to focus on their core business. By automating the update process, we minimize security exploits in the software and ensure that all our customers are up-to-date with the latest version of the applications and configurations. This approach ensures the highest level of automation, security, and reliability, improving considerably the digital employee experience, providing our customers with peace of mind, and allowing them to focus on driving their businesses forward.
If this piqued your curiosity, we could offer you a demo. Contact us by phone or email, or by clicking the button below.