Citrix has announced the release of their latest version of Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 to help enable companies to deliver windows applications with better peformance, security and TCO. Version 4.5 comes with significant, new capabilities such as on-demand application streaming, centralized application provisioning, end-user experience monitoring, enhanced single sign-on, and advanced graphics acceleration. Citrix has announced the release of their latest version of Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 to help enable companies to deliver windows applications with better peformance, security and TCO.Version 4.5 comes with significant, new capabilities such as on-demand application streaming, centralized application provisioning, end-user experience monitoring, enhanced single sign-on, and advanced graphics acceleration. Presentation Server 4.5 provides a new, state-of-the art way of delivering Windows applications, making it dramatically easier and more cost effective to deliver Windows-based applications to any user, on any device, in any location. John Humphreys, an analyst at IDC, said, “This latest release of Presentation Server with both application virtualization and streaming technologies provides even more flexibility for enterprise Windows customers with large application portfolios.”He continued, “The combination of these technologies-in addition to all the other new features that take advantage of Citrix’s array of infrastructure technologies-not only helps their customers virtualize their applications, but also choose how to manage, provision and secure applications for their users.” The much anticipated application streaming technology was first introduced to us at the Citrix annual user conference in Florida last autumn. The technology was formerly code-named Tarpon, and has been talked about a great deal since it was first announced. Some of the new features offered include:On-Demand Application Streaming – Presentation Server has always provided the best way to virtualise the delivery of client-server based Windows applications, enabling them to be centrally installed and managed while providing a great access experience for end users. With its innovative new application streaming technology, Presentation Server 4.5 now extends these same benefits to desktop applications like Microsoft Office 2007, allowing them to be streamed over the network to users as an on-demand service, much like downloaded music or videos. This process is entirely transparent to end users who continue to access desktop applications from their Windows Start menu, just as they have in the past. Because streamed applications operate in a protected isolation environment on each user’s desktop, IT managers can now offer a much wider range of desktop applications to users without worrying about version conflicts and migration headaches. When users are disconnected from the network, streamed applications run normally, just as if they had been installed via traditional means. When connected, any new updates, patches or rollbacks are automatically, and transparently, streamed to each user, ensuring they are always working with the latest version. Centralized Application Provisioning – The new centralized application provisioning capabilities give customers with large Presentation Server farms one central location to stage the latest versions of all Windows, desktop and client-server applications, enabling IT to provision new applications and servers more quickly than ever before. As a result, the delivery and maintenance of Windows applications across mid-to-large enterprises is greatly simplified, allowing many application updates, rollouts or rollbacks to be completed during normal business hours without the need for weekend or late night implementations. Enhanced Application Security – With automated single sign-on powered by Citrix Password Manager, it is now much easier for IT administrators to give users a single password that works across multiple applications, regardless of whether those applications are delivered by Presentation Server or not. The capabilities can even be extended to web and host-based applications from trusted partners using federated identity credentials such as Microsoft’s ADFS (Advanced Directory Federation Services). In addition, the automated single sign-on feature enables IT managers to allow users to reset their own Windows passwords and unlock their accounts through an easy web interface. Advanced Graphics Acceleration – With the new SpeedScreen progressive display technology in Presentation Server 4.5, the performance of graphics displays in Windows-based applications over a network is improved by up to 20 times, making it possible for the first time ever to virtualise the delivery of even the most graphics-intensive applications with no compromise in end user experience. As a result, IT can now take advantage of all the benefits of Presentation Server to deliver applications such as healthcare PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication Systems) and GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping, while providing the speed, data security, and anywhere-access flexibility that users need. Presentation Server 4.5 comes in three editions – Advanced, Enterprise and Platinum. Available in March 2007, a suggested retail price starts at $350 per concurrent user and includes one year of Citrix Subscription Advantage support. More details about the new features found in each edition can be found, here. Software Development