Notes

Softricity's SMS Announcement instructions What does this kind of really mean for the Application Virtualization Market
For the past few weeks I? ve already been organizing my feelings about Softricity? s February 6, 2006 announcement on how that they will be operating with the Microsoft Manageability Team in order to offer application virtualization and streaming within just Microsoft Systems Administration Server (SMS). Precisely what did the story really say? What can we learn from this for Microsoft? What can we learn from this for Citrix? s Project Tarpon and Altiris? s Software program Virtualization Solution? Most importantly, what does this kind of mean for an individual?

What Is This Announcement just about all about?

To start with, allow me explain basic principles of this really important announcement. In order to summarize, Softricity features partnered with Microsoft company to offer some sort of product that has a build-in Softricity SoftGrid instructions including application virtualization, on-demand streaming and self-provisioning? directly into Microsof company Systems Management Storage space (SMS). Therefore any kind of SMS customer can now virtualize their very own applications and rely on them throughout their prevailing SMS application application. They can drive out virtualized software using SMS? Additional info , flow them on-demand employing Softricity? s take methods, and these people can use TEXT MESSAGE? s metering and asset management tools to discover plus track both MSIs and virtualized programs.

Softricity is providing two version regarding the product. SoftGrid for SMS Common allows you in order to do all the things a person can do together with SoftGrid (virtualization plus streaming) from within just SMS. SoftGrid with regard to SMS VX (virtual extensions) just allows you virtualize? and uses the TEXT push delivery to find the virtualized applications to be able to end-users.

With this kind of solution, there is definitely no longer a need for a SoftGrid Management Console and even, with the VX variation (virtualization only, simply no streaming), the SoftGrid Server. The just requirement is made for programs to be virtualized through Softricity? t Sequencer. This process is very similar in order to most traditional presentation tools, so fundamentally it means that will if you may have the SMS deployment, you don? t possess to change significantly in your method to find the benefits regarding virtualization and loading.

What does this mean for Softricity?

This is massive for Softricity! Wht is the announcement amounts to be able to is a communication towards the market that will Microsoft has chosen its partner intended for virtualization and buffering. Besides the technical advantages of this announcement, it is essential to understand that Microsof company is dealing with Softricity to sell this specific solution to their SMS user base. The reason for this really is that that benefits both parties as well as the end-user. Softricity rewards by being picked as the go-to player for virtualization and streaming? plus the ability to get into a market exactly where Microsoft currently holds 40% of the enterprise and 30% of SMB application seats. Microsoft gains because they can now say they fix many of typically the underling issues that have caused issues and held up TEXT deployments. Inside my modest opinion, this story is ground breaking as you are right now capable to manage your current application deployment, enhancements, removal, licensing compliance, and asset inventory needs with 1 solution.

What does this mean regarding Microsoft?

Much of the complaining about SMS, whether by users or the press, can get essentially to one thing: the issue associated with application conflicts. Intended for more information about this issue with TEXT and other EDS solutions, please examine my To Mount delete word paper.

Nowadays with SoftGrid intended for Microsoft SMS, there is the opportunity for SMS in order to eliminate many associated with the issues that features held up it is adoption. Most regarding the cons complete in my? To put in or Not? document (conflicts, testing, and many others. ) are negated by deploying those applications through program virtualization via SoftGrid. Simply put, this indicates Microsoft has addressed SMS? s short-comings, enabling to be the nearly all complete solution with regard to application deployment currently available.

What does this mean for Citrix?

Since Microsoft has now partnered with Softricity, the question in that case becomes where this particular leaves Citrix? h Project Tarpon in addition to Altiris? s Application Virtualization Solution? Let? s talk about Citrix Project Tarpon first.

Citrix? s Project Tarpon had been first announced in Citrix iForum 2006. Citrix describes it as a? streaming? remedy. It is basically Citrix? s access in to the software circulation and systems management market, designed to distribute applications to be able to a desktop in addition to address application clashes by utilizing their? Application Isolation Environment? technology found inside their flagship product or service, Presentation Server 5. 0 (which, in the event that you read my? To Install or Not? paper, I actually believe is certainly not true application virtualization). As Project Tarpon is still in leader, with no official beta and/or technical termes conseillés have been made available to us/me, We are not able to be able to go into precisely how Citrix products even comes close and competes using Microsoft SMS other than what is previously detailed in the To Install or Not paper.

But an individual have to question what will happen when they start to remain competitive with SMS. Right now there? s certainly typically the best thing planning for Citrix is definitely their channel. They have one involving the biggest and the most loyal resellers in the industry. Just look what they did to you with Citrix Accessibility Gateway. Acquired coming from Net6, Citrix surely could use their huge channel to consider the SSL VPN market by surprise. However , it will be going to be interesting to watch what happens any time Project Tarpon ultimately ships and they start competing using Microsoft. Citrix may possibly find that succeeding in a marketplace Microsoft currently dominates may be some sort of little bit tougher than even they can muster. We will certainly have to wait plus see.

To learn more upon Citrix Application Internet streaming (Project Tarpon) please visit:
[http://www.citrix.com/English/ps2/technology/feature.asp?contentID=22714]

What can we learn from this for Altiris?

In contrast to Citrix, Altiris presently has a beta version of computer software virtualization solution upon the market with plans to integrate it into their own broader application application solution. Altiris presently holds 6% associated with the enterprise plus 10% of SMB application deployment marketplace, and has alternatives for nearly every facet of server plus application deployment plus management (they usually are Microsoft? s range one competitor within the systems management space). This has always given Altiris a new leg up on any new area of application application they want to be able to dive into, although with the Softricity / Microsoft arrangement, Altiris has found that their competitor in traditional app deployment, Microsoft, will be marketing towards them. Thus Altiris has become an even more direct competitor to be able to Microsoft SMS. Simply because Microsoft is extremely competitive in the enterprise space plus because SMS is almost given away in order to Microsoft enterprise customers, it seems like to us that Softricity features the upper hands in gaining perhaps more market share inside the application virtualization market.

For more information on Altiris Software Virtualization you should visit: http://www.altiris.com/Products/SoftwareVirtualizationSolution.aspx

What does this mean for you?

So what performs this suggest to you? Without going in to excessive detail in relation to the problems many of us face around deploying and managing software, I will just simply say that we all have always acquired a problem with application deployments due to the character of distributed system computing. We will be needed to perform resource inventory and software license metering credited to license deals and industry compliance regulations that can be carried out using one of the several products currently available. Together with the new Microsof company / Softricity relationship there is the opportunity to standardize on the market leader, Microsoft Program Management Sever (SMS), while overcoming app conflicts with the particular Softricity SoftGrid with regard to Microsoft SMS.

Involving course, this is only one part of the unified way to the program management and deployment challenge. Microsoft TEXT coupled with Softricity SoftGrid for TEXT, Terminal Services as well as Citrix, and CABEZA DE GANADO PowerFuse (as reviewed in The Quest for Unified Management) guarantees excellent app response some functionality for end-users simply by allowing them in order to compute via workstations, laptops and airport servers, while typically the backend system and even application administration, certification, asset control is usually controlled through two easy-to-use tools.

Further Resources:

View the Official Softricity announcement web seminar. Presented by Softricity? s Don Potts, Microsoft Alliance Office manager and Jeff Fisher, Director of Organization Development.
http://www.softricity.com/news/webinar-archive.asp?eventID=sms20060209

Watch the Application Internet for Desktop Apps section of typically the iForum 2005 Common Session Keynote. Introduced by: Mark Templeton, Citrix president and CEO.
[http://www.citrixevents.com/English/news/videoset.asp?eventID=104&cID=2155&section=News]

Listen closely to the Altiris Software Virtualization Answer Podcast. Presented by Steve Morton, Altiris? s VP associated with Product Advertising Scott Jones, Software Virtualization Solution Product Office manager.
http://news.altiris.com/podcast/Altiris_Podcast_1_SVS.mp3

Regarding the Writer

Douglas Brown runs http://www.dabcc.com, a website dedicated to design plus development of methods, methodologies, authoring, education, training, outsourcing and even software products that will add immediate price to server-based calculating and on-demand online application computing world. Douglas worked in Citrix Systems, Incorporation. as a Senior Systems Engineer through 2001 to 2005 in which moment he was voted Systems Engineer of the particular Year 2002 by simply his peers and management at Citrix. He was awarded the Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) by Microsoft Corporation in 2005 in addition to 2006 for their contributions to typically the industry. Mr. Brownish has earned globally recognition for their dedication to delivering server-based computing professionals with proven solutions for implementation, structure design, time-saving resources, performance tips and best practices. DABCC. com is one particular of the most frequently visited sites worldwide for server-based computer information and marketing opportunities.
Website: https://www.reverery.com/