Notes

Softricity's SMS Announcement instructions What does this really mean regarding the Application Virtualization Market
For recent several weeks I? ve already been organizing my thoughts about Softricity? t February 6, 06 announcement how that they will be working with the Microsof company Manageability Team to be able to offer application virtualization and streaming within Microsoft Systems Supervision Server (SMS). Precisely what did the announcement really say? What does this mean for Microsoft? What does this mean for Citrix? s i9000 Project Tarpon plus Altiris? s Software program Virtualization Solution? Most of all, what does this kind of mean for you?

What Is This Announcement almost all about?

First of all, let me explain the basics of this very important announcement. To summarize, Softricity features partnered with Ms to offer a product that works with Softricity SoftGrid : including application virtualization, on-demand streaming and even self-provisioning? right into Ms Systems Management Machine (SMS). This means that any SMS customer could now virtualize their very own applications and make use of them throughout their present SMS application application. They can force out virtualized programs using SMS? delivery push methods, supply them on-demand using Softricity? s move methods, and they will can use TEXT MESSAGE? s metering in addition to asset management equipment to discover plus track both MSIs and virtualized apps.

Softricity is offering two version involving the product. SoftGrid for SMS Simple allows you to be able to do everything an individual can do with SoftGrid (virtualization and streaming) from in SMS. SoftGrid intended for SMS VX (virtual extensions) just let us you virtualize? and even uses the TXT push delivery to obtain the virtualized applications to end-users.

With this solution, there is definitely no longer a purpose for a SoftGrid Management Console and even, using their VX variation (virtualization only, zero streaming), the SoftGrid Server. The sole requirement is perfect for software to be virtualized through Softricity? t Sequencer. This procedure is incredibly similar to most traditional presentation tools, so generally it means that will if you may have the SMS deployment, an individual don? t have got to change very much in your process to obtain the benefits of virtualization and streaming.

What does this specific mean for Softricity?

This is large for Softricity! The actual announcement amounts to is a communication for the market that Microsoft has picked out its partner intended for virtualization and streaming. Beyond the technical positive aspects of this statement, it is essential to understand that Microsoft company is working together with Softricity to sell this specific solution to their own SMS user foundation. The reason regarding it is that that benefits each party as well as typically the end-user. Softricity benefits by being chosen as the go-to player for virtualization and streaming? and even the capability to enter in a market wherever Microsoft currently keeps 40% of the particular enterprise and 30% of SMB program seats. Microsoft gains since they can now say they solve many of the underling issues that will have caused problems and organized TXT deployments. During my humble opinion, this headline is ground breaking since you are now in a position to manage your application deployment, updates, removal, licensing conformity, and asset inventory needs with one solution.

What can we learn from this with regard to Microsoft?

Most of the complaining about SMS, whether or not by users or maybe the press, can become essentially to 1 thing: the issue regarding application conflicts. For more information upon this issue with TEXT and other EDS solutions, please read my To Install or Not paper.

Nowadays with SoftGrid for Microsoft SMS, generally there is the opportunity for SMS to be able to eliminate many associated with the issues that features held up it is adoption. Most involving the cons outlined in my? To setup or Not? document (conflicts, testing, and so forth. ) are negated by deploying all those applications through software virtualization via SoftGrid. In other words, this means Microsoft has tackled SMS? s short-comings, enabling as the most complete solution for application deployment available today.

What does this particular mean for Citrix?

Since Microsoft has now partnered with Softricity, the question next becomes where this particular leaves Citrix? s i9000 Project Tarpon and even Altiris? s Software program Virtualization Solution? Let? s talk concerning Citrix Project Tarpon first.

Citrix? s Project Tarpon was first announced with Citrix iForum june 2006. Citrix describes it as a? streaming? solution. It is fundamentally Citrix? s entry in to the software submission and systems management market, designed to be able to distribute applications in order to a desktop plus address application conflicts by utilizing their? Application Isolation Environment? technology found inside their flagship item, Presentation Server some. 0 (which, in the event that you read our? To Install or perhaps Not? paper, We believe is not necessarily true application virtualization). As Project Tarpon continues to be in alpha, without official beta and/or technical termes conseillés have been made accessible to us/me, We are not able in order to go into exactly how Citrix products comes anywhere close and competes along with Microsoft SMS other than what is currently detailed in my To Install or Not paper.

But a person do have to question just what will happen whenever they start to compete with SMS. There? s no doubt the best thing planning for Citrix will be their channel. These people have one of the biggest and most loyal resellers in the industry. Just look what they did to you with Citrix Accessibility Gateway. Acquired through Net6, Citrix was able to use their vast channel to consider the SSL VPN market by storm. However , it is definitely going to end up being interesting to enjoy what happens if Project Tarpon lastly ships and that they start competing using Microsoft. Citrix might find that doing well in an industry Microsoft currently dominates may be some sort of little bit tougher than even they could muster. We will certainly need to wait plus see.

To learn more in Citrix Application Streaming (Project Tarpon) remember to visit:
[http://www.citrix.com/English/ps2/technology/feature.asp?contentID=22714]

What does this mean for Altiris?

In contrast to Citrix, Altiris at the moment has a beta version of software virtualization solution upon the market using plans to assimilate it into their broader application application solution. Altiris presently holds 6% involving the enterprise and even 10% of SMB application deployment industry, and has remedies for nearly every aspect of server plus application deployment in addition to management (they will be Microsoft? s amount one competitor in the systems management space). This has constantly given Altiris a new leg up on any new place of application application they want to dive into, but with the Softricity / Microsoft arrangement, Altiris has discovered that their competitor in traditional application deployment, Microsoft, may be marketing in opposition to them. Thus Altiris has become an even more direct competitor to Microsoft SMS. As Microsoft is extremely competitive in the enterprise space plus because SMS is almost given away to Microsoft enterprise consumers, it seems to myself that Softricity has the upper side in gaining actually more business in the application virtualization market.

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

What does this mean for you?

Therefore what does this suggest to you? Without having going in in order to too much detail in relation to the problems we face around implementing and managing software, I will just say that we have always had a problem using application deployments thanks to the mother nature of distributed community computing. Reverery are necessary to perform property inventory and software license metering credited to license negotiating and industry conformity regulations which can be performed using some of the numerous products on the market today. Using the new Microsoft / Softricity alliance there is typically the opportunity to standardize on the industry leader, Microsoft Program Management Sever (SMS), while overcoming software conflicts with the particular Softricity SoftGrid with regard to Microsoft SMS.

Regarding course, this is definitely only one component of the one means to fix the app management and deployment challenge. Microsoft TXT coupled with Softricity SoftGrid for TEXT MESSAGE, Terminal Services and Citrix, and ERS PowerFuse (as mentioned in The Search for Unified Management) guarantees excellent application response as well as functionality for end-users simply by allowing them in order to compute via workstations, laptops and port servers, while the backend system in addition to application administration, license, asset control is definitely controlled through two easy-to-use tools.

Added Resources:

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

Look at the Application Internet streaming for Desktop Programs section of the iForum 2005 General Session Keynote. Offered by: Mark Templeton, Citrix president and CEO.
[http://www.citrixevents.com/English/news/videoset.asp?eventID=104&cID=2155&section=News]

Listen to the Altiris Software Virtualization Remedy Podcast. Presented simply by Steve Morton, Altiris? s VP regarding Product Marketing and Martin Jones, Software Virtualization Solution Product Office manager.
http://news.altiris.com/podcast/Altiris_Podcast_1_SVS.mp3

Concerning the Creator

Douglas Brown works http://www.dabcc.com, a site committed to design in addition to development of strategies, methodologies, authoring, training, training, outsourcing and software products of which add immediate value to server-based computer and on-demand online application computing entire world. Douglas worked with Citrix Systems, Incorporation. as a Senior Systems Engineer coming from 2001 to 2005 in which period he was voted Methods Engineer of the particular Year 2002 by his peers in addition to management at Citrix. He was given the Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) by Microsoft Corporation in 2005 and 2006 for his contributions to the industry. Mr. Brownish has earned around the world recognition for the dedication to supplying server-based computing experts with proven remedies for implementation, system design, time-saving utilities, performance tips in addition to best practices. DABCC. com is a single of the most regularly visited sites around the globe for server-based computing information and marketing opportunities.
Homepage: https://www.reverery.com/