Liquidware Labs, the leader in desktop transformation solutions, announced today that ProfileUnity 5.0 with FlexApp user installed applications (UIA) technology is available. ProfileUnity with FlexApp allows virtual desktop users to seamlessly install their own applications into any non-persistent Windows® environment, including virtual desktop solutions from VMware®, Citrix®, and Red Hat®, without affecting master images or underlying systems. As a result, fewer desktop images can be used to support more workers on virtual desktops.
“Truly inspired thinking and ingenuity went into this software, which delivers a personalized user experience on par with physical desktops,” said Jason Mattox, CTO of Liquidware Labs. “ProfileUnity with FlexApp allows virtual desktops to support a greater number and diversity of workers, which permits more companies to move their hundreds or even thousands of physical PCs to virtual platforms running Windows 7.“
At the same time, the company also announced a “FlexApp This!” Contest to provide users with a fun, rewarding and original way to learn about the large number of applications that FlexApp currently supports as well as to break new UIA ground. Users can enter weekly raffles for an Apple® iPad by providing new application names to test on FlexApp.
“Over our beta process, we’ve had hundreds of customer recommendations that were successfully installed with FlexApp,” said Mattox. “However, we want to encourage the community to challenge us with new suggestions, so that we can build out our collection of proven applications.”
Early next week, Liquidware Labs will also launch the “Dare2Compare” program to allow companies who are currently using user virtualization solutions to compare them with ProfileUnity with FlexApp for FREE. The “Dare2Compare” program provides customers with a set number of free, fully functional ProfileUnity with FlexApp licenses and Support services for a year in order to fully evaluate competing solutions and pick the best for their requirements.
“We’ve had growing interest from companies wanting to test out the latest version of ProfileUnity with FlexApp in their environments and see how it compares to their current option,” said Mattox. “This product launch is the perfect time to extend a risk-free, high value program allowing users to properly evaluate ProfileUnity with FlexApp.”
ProfileUnity with FlexApp offers key benefits to customers, including:
- Simplifies management of non-persistent Windows environments dramatically because fewer master images must be maintained
- Promotes greater desktop virtualization ROI and economies of scale because more workers can use the virtual desktop infrastructure
- Reduces desktop administrator time on maintenance and troubleshooting activities
- Significantly lowers TCO as organizations realize optimal license use and reduce storage requirements
- Virtualizes the installation of an application location, not the application itself, thus appears native to the OS, therefore, applications are instantly usable without any modifications
“ProfileUnity with FlexApp changes the game for managing our users within our Citrix environment,” said Sam Ault, System Administrator for Turner Bros. “In our testing and production environment, our users have been able to ‘FlexApp’ virtually every application we’ve tried. The solution is highly capable of delivering on its promise of separately managing the installation of user applications, while leaving the underlying golden image intact for streamlined management.”
How ProfileUnity with FlexApp Works
ProfileUnity with FlexApp is enabled by the administrator for select users or groups within the ProfileUnity central console. Users are provisioned a VHD (virtual hard disk) to store their applications separately from the OS and local session. Users install applications just as they would normally, and ProfileUnity with FlexApp “hooks” the installation of program, adding specialized “links” both into the local Windows operating system and into the user’s managed ProfileUnity with FlexApp settings.
ProfileUnity with FlexApp perfectly complements thin application technologies, allowing administrators to support both corporate applications and UIA today. The work and development of the May release reflects the “heavy lifting” for the next version of ProfileUnity with FlexApp, scheduled for the fall timeframe 2012, which will deliver departmental installed applications (DIA) in addition to UIA. Combining these three types into the ultimate application-delivery triad permits the most cost-effective virtual desktop environments, reducing the number of master images needed as well as storage.
“Liquidware is looking to bring a management layer to self-installed apps,” said Andrew Wood, Analyst, The Virtualization Practice. “As a solution for managing custom applications in non-persistent VDI, FlexApp is an admirable start and lays the ground for DIA in future. I think DIA is a technology that can open the door to desktop virtualization for many more companies, and we will watch with close interest the impact that Liquidware Labs has on this space.”