In a day and age when we speak a lot about Server virtualization and consolidation, we need to take a step back and think about the client side of virtualization. One of the challenges all us IT Admins face from time to time is keeping the many applications that exist on a single machine running without any “one” application breaking.
Altiris Software Virtualization Solution Professional provides a great solution for doing just that, by virtualizing applications and deploying them to work on the user’s desktop. I remember having an application for a Not- for Profit division of my old company. This app drove me crazy because we needed to keep the old versions for accounting purposes. Yet every time we installed the new version on a machine it overwrote, the necessary DLL’s to run the older version of the software.
As a result, the data files would be updated to the current year. Now since these were tax files and the laws are updated constantly, that means the data was being shifted to include the new regulations. Problem is what was ok in say 2001 is now different in 2006, so if we need to generate reports and to balance a General Ledger it would be impossible in the newer version.
The result was to establish a series of older machines to hold the old software. Later we experimented with creating Virtual Machines that would require the user to have Virtual PC installed. However, licensing becomes an issue with these applications, not to mention the Operating System. Citrix can be a solution but it requires a dedicated server, configuration time and again licensing for every user that is going to use the software.
Altiris Software Virtualization Solution Professional installs these applications in their own managed packages. Simply activate, deactivate or if you run into an issue with a desktop application, you can simply reset the applications.
No need to run a recovery from yesterday on Windows Vista/XP systems, No more broken applications and hours of frustration to configure two applications to play nicely together. The idea of customizing applications and deploying them to users knowing they will not wreak havoc on the machine is an answered prayer to the IT person.
Virtualization of applications is just one more way to make your world, A Better Windows World!
Get more information on Software Virtualization Solution Professional from Altiris ...now Symantec. Get a free trial and test it for yourself.
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Ron Barrett is president of RARE-TECH, an IT Training and consulting company. He has been a technology professional for over a decade, working for several major financial firms and dotcoms. Barrett is a specialist in network infrastructure, security and IT management.
He is a co-author of The Administrator's Guide to Microsoft Office 2007 Servers, How to Cheat at Administering Office Communications Server 2007, and the Real MCTS/MCITP Exam 620 Preparation Kit and has been a contributor to Windows 2000 Enterprise Storage Solutions and Exam Cram 70-244-Supporting & Maintaining NT Server 4.
He has also contributed to several industry magazines and was featured in the book Tricks of the Windows Vista Masters. He has worked for Microsoft writing research and analysis documents for Windows Server 2008, Windows HPC, and PerformancePoint Server 2007. He has also created screencasts on Windows Server 2008 Administration for Linux Admins.
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The opinions expressed in this Weblog are those of the writer and may not represent the opinions of Network World.
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