The desktop virtualization market has a new solution in the mix from California based startup MokaFive. On Tuesday, the company launched its MokaFive Virtual Desktop Solution (formerly LivePC). The product has been in development in one form or another for almost three years, and has had more than 80,000 downloads already, and has been deployed in 50 different pilots. "The arrival of virtualization on the deskto The desktop virtualization market has a new solution in the mix from California based startup MokaFive. On Tuesday, the company launched its MokaFive Virtual Desktop Solution (formerly LivePC). The product has been in development in one form or another for almost three years, and has had more than 80,000 downloads already, and has been deployed in 50 different pilots.“The arrival of virtualization on the desktop will change the way desktops have been managed and promises greater flexibility for the user,” said Bill Demas, president and CEO, MokaFive. “We believe our MokaFive Virtual Desktop Solution is the first to bridge the chasm between what IT administrators need—centralized management—and what users want—freedom in their computing environment. By offering our virtual desktops as a service, MokaFive is making it easier for companies to get up and running quickly.”The company said its “LivePCs” can be executed on any x86-based desktop or laptop equipment, and can even be launched from storage devices like USB sticks. And the solution runs on Windows XP and Vista, Macintosh Leopard and a stripped down version of Linux called BareMetal Linux. MokaFive Virtual Desktop Solution is offered in two versions. MokaFive Professional is for enterprise and workgroup deployments and is sold via an annual subscription. MokaFive Express is a free download and is designed for home users and developers. They describe their feature set as follows: Automated updates: MokaFive’s unique Auto Subscription technology pushes administrator security updates and application patches to users in a process similar to subscribing to RSS feeds. These are pulled down automatically and seamlessly when users connect to the network. Faster launches: MokaFive’s Predictive Fetch technology makes virtual computers start up faster and update quicker—in seconds, not minutes—than other solutions on the market. With MokaFive, users can start using a LivePC before it has finished downloading. Self-healing: LivePCs “self heal” from spyware and malware through MokaFive’s Rejuvenation technology that allows users to recover by simply shutting down and restarting a LivePC. On reboot, the operating system and all applications are automatically restored to their original, clean state and all documents and data remain intact and unaffected. Cross-platform and OS flexibility: LivePCs can be installed on a desktop, laptop or any portable storage device like an encrypted flash drive or even an iPod. To provide even greater computing freedom and flexibility, users can work on a single USB stick for multiple platforms, including Windows and Macintosh. Enhanced security with BareMetal: While the MokaFive solution is designed with security in mind, the company has created BareMetal for those with higher security demands. This customized Linux distribution runs on a bare x86 computer without an underlying operating system, making it optimal for security-critical applications. As an added benefit, businesses save on licensing costs, since BareMetal is Linux-based.MokaFive finds themselves going up against other wrapper type desktop solutions such as Sentillion’s vThere, Microsoft’s Kidaro and VMware’s ACE. And the company will also be going up against industry veteran Citrix XenDesktop and newcomer Qumranet in a growing crowded market. MokaFive said they plan on differentiating with security, scalability and a self-service model.You can download the solution on MokaFive’s Web site. Software Development