Notes

Softricity's SMS Announcement instructions What does this specific really mean regarding the Application Virtualization Market
For recent several weeks I? ve already been organizing my views about Softricity? s i9000 February 6, 06 announcement how these people will be working with the Ms Manageability Team to offer application virtualization and streaming within Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS). Exactly what did the headline really say? What does this mean for Microsoft? What does this mean for Citrix? s Project Tarpon plus Altiris? s Software Virtualization Solution? Most significantly, what does this specific mean for you?

Psychological Announcement almost all about?

To start with, permit me explain the fundamentals of this extremely important announcement. In order to summarize, Softricity provides partnered with Microsof company to offer a new product that works with Softricity SoftGrid -- including application virtualization, on-demand streaming and even self-provisioning? right into Microsoft Systems Management Machine (SMS). This means that any kind of SMS customer may now virtualize their own applications and utilize them throughout their present SMS application deployment. They can press out virtualized applications using SMS? distribution push methods, supply them on-demand using Softricity? s draw methods, and these people can use TEXT MESSAGE? s metering and even asset management resources to discover plus track both MSIs and virtualized programs.

Softricity is offering two version associated with the product. SoftGrid for SMS Common allows you to do all the things an individual can do along with SoftGrid (virtualization in addition to streaming) from in SMS. SoftGrid regarding SMS VX (virtual extensions) just enables you virtualize? in addition to uses the SMS push delivery to obtain the virtualized applications in order to end-users.

With this solution, there is no longer a need for a SoftGrid Management Console in addition to, using their VX type (virtualization only, no streaming), the SoftGrid Server. The only requirement is good for programs to be virtualized through Softricity? h Sequencer. This process is very similar to most traditional product packaging tools, so fundamentally it means of which if you could have an SMS deployment, a person don? t have got to change substantially in your procedure to obtain the benefits of virtualization and loading.

What does this kind of mean for Softricity?

This is massive for Softricity! Wht is the announcement amounts to be able to is a message for the market that Microsoft has picked out its partner intended for virtualization and buffering. In addition to the technical benefits of this headline, it is important to understand that Microsoft company is working together with Softricity to sell this solution to their SMS user base. The reason regarding this is that this benefits each just as well as the end-user. Softricity rewards by being chosen as the go-to player for virtualization and streaming? in addition to the capacity to enter a market in which Microsoft currently contains 40% of typically the enterprise and thirty of SMB software seats. Microsoft benefits since they can right now say they resolve many of typically the underling issues that will have caused problems and organized TEXT deployments. Within my very humble opinion, this story is ground breaking because you are now able to manage your application deployment, upgrades, removal, licensing compliance, and asset inventory needs with one solution.

What can we learn from this with regard to Microsoft?

Most of the worrying about SMS, regardless of whether by users or the press, can become boiled down to one particular thing: the situation involving application conflicts. Regarding more information about this problem with TEXT and other EDS solutions, please read my To Set up delete word paper.

Now with SoftGrid intended for Microsoft SMS, there is the possibility for SMS to be able to eliminate many of the issues that offers held up its adoption. Most involving the cons complete in my? To put in or Not? report (conflicts, testing, etc. ) are negated by deploying all those applications through app virtualization via SoftGrid. To put it simply, this implies Microsoft has dealt with SMS? s short-comings, enabling to be the virtually all complete solution intended for application deployment on the market today.

What does this kind of mean for Citrix?

Since Microsoft has partnered with Softricity, the question then becomes where this particular leaves Citrix? t Project Tarpon in addition to Altiris? s Software Virtualization Solution? Allow? s talk concerning Citrix Project Tarpon first.

Citrix? s i9000 Project Tarpon seemed to be first announced at Citrix iForum 2006. Citrix describes it as a? streaming? solution. It is basically Citrix? s entrance into the software distribution and systems management market, designed to be able to distribute applications in order to a desktop and even address application conflicts by utilizing their? Application Isolation Surroundings? technology found inside their flagship item, Presentation Server 5. 0 (which, if you read our? To Install or perhaps Not? paper, We believe is not true application virtualization). As Project Tarpon remains to be in alpha dog, with out official beta and/or technical options have been made accessible to us/me, I will be not able to be able to go into exactly how Citrix products compares and competes with Microsoft SMS other than what is currently detailed in the To Install delete word paper.

But you have to question just what will happen when they start to contend with SMS. There? s undoubtedly typically the best thing heading for Citrix is usually their channel. These people have one involving the biggest and many loyal resellers on the market. Just look what they did to you with Citrix Gain access to Gateway. Acquired through Net6, Citrix could use their huge channel to consider the SSL VPN market by tornado. However , it is definitely going to be interesting to observe what happens when Project Tarpon lastly ships and these people start competing using Microsoft. Citrix may find that succeeding in a market Microsoft currently dominates may be a new little bit more challenging than even they could muster. We will must wait in addition to see.

For more info rmation about Citrix Application Loading (Project Tarpon) you should visit:
[http://www.citrix.com/English/ps2/technology/feature.asp?contentID=22714]

What does this mean for Altiris?

Contrary to Citrix, Altiris currently has a beta version of computer software virtualization solution in the market using plans to assimilate it into their particular broader application application solution. Altiris at present holds 6% associated with the enterprise plus 10% of SMB application deployment marketplace, and has alternatives for nearly every factor of server in addition to application deployment and management (they usually are Microsoft? s number one competitor in the systems management space). This has always given Altiris the leg up about any new place of application deployment they want to be able to dive into, although with the Softricity / Microsoft arrangement, Altiris has discovered that their take on in traditional program deployment, Microsoft, will be marketing towards them. Thus Altiris has become a much more direct competitor in order to Microsoft SMS. Mainly because Microsoft is very competitive in the particular enterprise space in addition to because SMS is nearly given away in order to Microsoft enterprise consumers, it seems like to myself that Softricity has got the upper hands in gaining perhaps more market share on the application virtualization market.

For a lot more information on Altiris Software Virtualization remember to visit: http://www.altiris.com/Products/SoftwareVirtualizationSolution.aspx

What can we learn from this for you?

Therefore what performs this imply to you? With out going in in order to too much detail about the problems all of us face around deploying and managing apps, I will present say that we have always acquired a problem along with application deployments credited to the characteristics of distributed system computing. We are usually needed to perform advantage inventory and software license metering expected to license agreements and industry conformity regulations which can be carried out using any of the quite a few products on the market today. Using the new Microsoft company / Softricity relationship there is the opportunity to standardize on the sector leader, Microsoft System Management Sever (SMS), while overcoming app conflicts with the Softricity SoftGrid intended for Microsoft SMS.

Of course, this is usually only one component of the one means to fix the program management and application challenge. Microsoft TEXT coupled with Softricity SoftGrid for TEXT MESSAGE, Terminal Services and Citrix, and ERS PowerFuse (as mentioned in The Pursuit for Unified Management) guarantees excellent application response as well as functionality for end-users by allowing them to be able to compute via work stations, laptops and airport terminal servers, while the particular backend system in addition to application administration, license, asset control will be controlled through 2 easy-to-use tools.

Additional Resources:

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

Look at the Application Loading for Desktop Apps section of the particular iForum 2005 Standard Session Keynote. Presented by: Mark Templeton, Citrix president and even CEO.
[http://www.citrixevents.com/English/news/videoset.asp?eventID=104&cID=2155&section=News]

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

Regarding the Publisher

Douglas Brown runs http://www.dabcc.com, a site dedicated to design and development of techniques, methodologies, authoring, education and learning, training, outsourcing plus software products of which add immediate worth to server-based computing and on-demand electronic application computing globe. Douglas worked at Citrix Systems, Incorporation. as a Mature Systems Engineer by 2001 to 2004 in which period he was voted Methods Engineer of typically the Year 2002 by his peers and even management at Citrix. He was honored the Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) by Microsoft Company in 2005 and 2006 for the contributions to the particular industry. Mr. Darkish has earned throughout the world recognition for his / her dedication to supplying server-based computing professionals with proven remedies for implementation, facilities design, time-saving utilities, performance tips and best practices. DABCC. com is a single of the most often visited sites around the globe for server-based computing information and marketing opportunities.
Website: https://www.reverery.com/