InfoWorld's Randall Kennedy tackles virtual desktops and application virtualization by putting three of today's application virtualization products through the InfoWorld Test Center. Randall takes a look at Symantec's SVS Pro 2.1, Microsoft's SoftGrid 4.2 and Thinstall's Virtualization Suite 3.2 products by looking at a "click 'n' run" concept, where he attempts to serve up virtualized applications via a SaaS me InfoWorld’s Randall Kennedy tackles virtual desktops and application virtualization by putting three of today’s application virtualization products through the InfoWorld Test Center.Randall takes a look at Symantec’s SVS Pro 2.1, Microsoft’s SoftGrid 4.2 and Thinstall’s Virtualization Suite 3.2 products by looking at a “click ‘n’ run” concept, where he attempts to serve up virtualized applications via a SaaS method leveraging these three technologies.To describe the level of difficulty of normally providing such a solution, Randall explains it best when he says “delivering traditional fat client applications over the Internet is a technological hurdle on the scale of enabling pigs to fly. First, you have to package the code in a way that allows it to run without actually installing anything. That’s where virtualization comes in. Then you need to find a way to deliver the bits to the end-user without choking their network connection or leaving them helpless when they no longer have access to the distribution point. Here streaming and caching are the keys.” When describing application virtualization and this whole notion of streaming or SaaS delivery, he says, “What makes application virtualization so compelling is its immunity to the very issues that torpedoed the kiosk solutions. For starters, virtualized applications are modular. Though streamed by default, virtualized applications can be configured for offline use, either through caching or by simply copying the application image to the client. And though isolated from the local system (because the application’s registry access and private file set are virtualized), they can still interact with local resources, seamlessly accessing the PC’s storage and print devices, for instance.” He continues, “But despite having the right general plumbing, none of these first-generation solutions is designed specifically with a subscription-based computing model in mind. Microsoft SoftGrid and Thinstall Virtualization Suite are still aimed at internal enterprise deployment, whereas Symantec SVS Pro — by virtue of its integration with a streaming server component from partner AppStream — is closer to the goal of a true click ‘n’ run format. All Symantec needs to do is work out the optimization kinks.”In this 6 page analysis, all three products undergo a series of tests and benchmarks. So, what’s the bottom line? Which product stands out and why? Read Randall’s full findings, here. Software Development