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Release: Xenocode Virtual Application Studio 2009

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Xenocode today announced the immediate availability of the 2009 edition of Xenocode Virtual Application Studio. The Virtual Application Studio authoring environment allows systems administrators and software developers to easily virtualize existing Windows-based applications for instant deployment using Xenocode.

Xenocode is an advanced application virtualization and delivery technology that completely eliminates software installation and insulates applications against conflicts and compatibility errors. The Xenocode system allows applications to be deployed instantly over the Internet, intranets, USB drives, and existing desktop management infrastructure such as Active Directory.
Virtual Application Studio 2009 includes dozens of feature enhancements and engine upgrades, including:

  • Active Directory deployment and Windows shell integration: Easily deploy virtual applications to Active Directory user groups. A fully scriptable shell integration tool allows virtual application shortcuts and file associations to be registered on user desktops.
  • Enhanced sandbox management: Dynamic management of virtual “bubbles” allows fine-grained control over application linking and communication. Sandbox reset allows changes to application settings to be instantly reverted.
  • One-click import of MSI setups, ThinApp configurations, and Novell AXT packages: Existing MSI setup packages and other configuration formats can be virtualized with a single click, eliminating the need for time-consuming recapture.
  • Dozens of new application templates: Virtual Application Studio’s unique application template wizard allows one-click virtualization of many popular applications, including the latest versions of Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer.

Virtual Application Studio 2009 also incorporates numerous compatibility, reliability, and performance improvements. A detailed description of all updates and patches in the 2009 update is available on the Xenocode web site.

Xenocode-virtualized applications can be deployed over the Internet, intranets, USB devices, and existing desktop management infrastructure, including Active Directory, Microsoft SMS, LANDesk Management Suite, and BMC Configuration Management. Xenocode technology has been licensed by Novell and is available as part of Novell ZENworks Application Virtualization.

The Xenocode Virtual Application Studio authoring environment allows software developers and systems administrators to easily convert existing Windows-based applications into virtualized applications ready for instant deployment using Xenocode.

Xenocode Virtual Application Studio 2009 is available immediately via the web and through authorized Xenocode partners.

NetWrix Aims To Simplify Management of Virtual Machine Environments

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NetWrix Corporation, a provider of identity management, compliance and change management solutions for Active Directory and virtual machine environments, announced that it has broadened its scope in the IT change management solutions by offering two new products that simplify the ability to manage virtual machine environments while supporting both the VMware Infrastructure 3 and Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager platforms. Titled Change Reporter for VMware Infrastructure 3 and Change Reporter for Virtual Machine Manager, the new software products are designed to expand the capacity to audit, manage, monitor, analyze and report any changes made to virtual machine environments. The new products will become a part of the integrated NetWrix Change Management Suite.

NetWrix

“The decision to enter into the virtualization software market allows NetWrix to best meet the needs of its ever-expanding customer base,” said NetWrix President and CEO Michael Fimin. “We understand that change auditing is an important process for controlling the management of growing virtual machine environments and introducing the unified change auditing and change management processes will help to enhance the effectiveness of IT departments. Hundreds of customers already leverage our change management platform for Active Directory and we just applied the same proven technology to VI3 and VMM-based environments.”

Both products are available for free. In addition to the free version, NetWrix also offers a commercial version of these products that further expand the reporting capabilities. The upgraded version allows IT managers to monitor the activities of all personnel within the department and provides them with a detailed summary of all changes on a daily basis. This version records all administrative activity and e-mails daily reports to IT managers, detailing every change in virtual environment configuration, including containers, resource pools, and all other objects. Collected audit data is archived and can be stored for years. The archiving function allows organizations to analyze any policy violations, adhere to security best practices and ensure regulatory compliance.

[Source: press release]