Softricity's SMS Announcement : What does this really mean intended for the Application Virtualization Market
For recent days I? ve already been organizing my thoughts about Softricity? t February 6, 2006 announcement on how these people will be working with the Microsoft company Manageability Team in order to offer application virtualization and streaming within just Microsoft Systems Managing Server (SMS). Exactly what did the story really say? What can we learn from this for Microsoft? What does this mean for Citrix? s i9000 Project Tarpon and even Altiris? s Application Virtualization Solution? Most significantly, what does this particular mean for a person?
Psychological Announcement most about?
To start with, let me explain basic principles of this really important announcement. In order to summarize, Softricity offers partnered with Microsoft company to offer a new product that works with Softricity SoftGrid : including application virtualization, on-demand streaming in addition to self-provisioning? right into Ms Systems Management Hardware (SMS). Which means that virtually any SMS customer can easily now virtualize their particular applications and use them throughout their present SMS application application. They can push out virtualized applications using SMS? shipping and delivery push methods, stream them on-demand applying Softricity? s take methods, and they can use TEXT? s metering plus asset management equipment to discover in addition to track both MSIs and virtualized software.
Softricity is offering two version involving the product. SoftGrid for SMS Common allows you to do all the stuff a person can do with SoftGrid (virtualization and streaming) from inside SMS. SoftGrid with regard to SMS VX (virtual extensions) just allows you virtualize? and even uses the TEXT MESSAGE push delivery to have the virtualized applications to be able to end-users.
With this kind of solution, there is definitely no longer a purpose for a SoftGrid Management Console plus, with the VX variation (virtualization only, no streaming), the SoftGrid Server. The just requirement is good for programs to be virtualized through Softricity? s Sequencer. This process is very similar to most traditional packing tools, so essentially it means that will if you may have a great SMS deployment, an individual don? t possess to change much in your method to obtain the benefits associated with virtualization and buffering.
What does this specific mean for Softricity?
This is huge for Softricity! The particular announcement amounts in order to is a message towards the market that will Microsoft has chosen its partner for virtualization and streaming. In addition to the technical rewards of this headline, it is crucial to understand that Microsoft company is working together with Softricity to sell this kind of solution to their SMS user bottom. The reason for this is that that benefits each simply because well as the end-user. Softricity positive aspects by being chosen as the go-to player for virtualization and streaming? plus the capacity to enter a market w here Microsoft currently retains 40% of the particular enterprise and 30% of SMB software seats. Microsoft gains since they can right now say they fix many of the underling issues that have caused difficulties and organized TEXT deployments. Within my very humble opinion, this story is ground breaking because you are now able to manage the application deployment, updates, removal, licensing complying, and asset products needs with one particular solution.
What can we learn from this with regard to Microsoft?
Much of the moaning about SMS, no matter if by users or perhaps the press, can become essentially to one thing: the issue of application conflicts. With regard to more information about this problem with TEXT MESSAGE and other EDS solutions, please go through my To Install delete word paper.
Today with SoftGrid intended for Microsoft SMS, generally there is the chance for SMS in order to eliminate many of the problems that provides held up it is adoption. Most of the cons complete in my? To set up or Not? report (conflicts, testing, and many others. ) are negated by deploying individuals applications through program virtualization via SoftGrid. To put it simply, this signifies Microsoft has tackled SMS? s short-comings, enabling as the virtually all complete solution for application deployment on the market today.
What does this particular mean for Citrix?
Since Microsoft has partnered with Softricity, the question next becomes where this leaves Citrix? h Project Tarpon and even Altiris? s Software Virtualization Solution? Permit? s talk concerning Citrix Project Tarpon first.
Citrix? s Project Tarpon was first announced from Citrix iForum 2004. Citrix describes it as a? streaming? solution. It is generally Citrix? s entrance in to the software supply and systems management market, designed to be able to distribute applications to a desktop in addition to address application issues by utilizing their own? Application Isolation Surroundings? technology found inside their flagship product or service, Presentation Server some. 0 (which, if you read my personal? To Install or even Not? paper, We believe is not necessarily true application virtualization). As Project Tarpon remains in alpha, with no official beta and/or technical termes conseillés are already made offered to us/me, I will be not able in order to go into exactly how Citrix products comes close and competes along with Microsoft SMS aside from what is currently detailed in our To Install delete word paper.
But a person have to question just what will happen whenever they start to contend with SMS. Presently there? s certainly typically the best thing heading for Citrix is usually their channel. These people have one of the biggest and most loyal resellers on the market. Just look what they did with Citrix Entry Gateway. Acquired by Net6, Citrix surely could use their huge channel to get the SSL VPN market by surprise. Yet , it will be going to always be interesting to view what happens whenever Project Tarpon eventually ships and these people start competing together with Microsoft. Citrix may find that being successful in a market Microsoft currently rules may be a new little bit more difficult than even they can muster. We will need to wait in addition to see.
For more information in Citrix Application Internet streaming (Project Tarpon) please visit:
[http://www.citrix.com/English/ps2/technology/feature.asp?contentID=22714]
What does this mean for Altiris?
Unlike Citrix, Altiris at present has a beta version of application virtualization solution in the market using plans to combine it into their particular broader application application solution. Altiris presently holds 6% associated with the enterprise in addition to 10% of SMB application deployment industry, and has options for almost every aspect of server in addition to application deployment and even management (they usually are Microsoft? s number one competitor within the systems management space). This has often given Altiris some sort of leg up on any new area of application deployment they want to be able to dive into, although with the Softricity / Microsoft arrangement, Altiris has discovered that their opponent in traditional application deployment, Microsoft, may be marketing against them. Thus Altiris has become a more direct competitor in order to Microsoft SMS. Mainly because Microsoft is extremely competitive in typically the enterprise space and because SMS is practically given away to Microsoft enterprise clients, it appears to me personally that Softricity has the upper hands in gaining actually more market share inside the application virtualization market.
For more information on Altiris Software Virtualization remember to visit: http://www.altiris.com/Products/SoftwareVirtualizationSolution.aspx
What can we learn from this for you?
Thus what does this indicate to you? Without going in to be able to too much detail about the problems we all face around deploying and managing software, I will present say that all of us have always got a problem with application deployments credited to the nature of distributed community computing. We are required to perform property inventory and software program license metering credited to license agreements and industry complying regulations which can be completed using any of the several products available today. Along with the new Microsof company / Softricity collaboration there is the opportunity to standardize on the business leader, Microsoft System Management Sever (SMS), while overcoming program conflicts with the particular Softricity SoftGrid for Microsoft SMS.
Involving course, this will be only one element of the unified means to fix the application management and deployment challenge. Microsoft SMS coupled with Softricity SoftGrid for TXT, Terminal Services and Citrix, and ERS PowerFuse (as discussed in The Mission for Unified Management) guarantees excellent application response some operation for end-users by simply allowing them to compute via work stations, laptops and airport terminal servers, while typically the backend system and even application administration, licensing, asset control is controlled through two easy-to-use tools.
Further Resources:
View the Official Softricity announcement webinar. Presented by Softricity? s Don Potts, Microsoft Alliance Office manager and Jeff Fisher, Director of Organization Development.