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Compare top tools for deploying virtualized applications

Last updated:February 2016

Editor's note

Organizations looking to deliver virtualized applications have a lot of tools to pick through, but Citrix, Microsoft and VMware app virtualization, remoting and publishing offerings sit at the top of the market.

With these tools, admins can deploy and manage Windows applications and computing resources from the safety of the data center, and users can access those remote apps and data from multiple endpoints.

ThinApp is one of VMware's top application virtualization tools. An agentless tool available as part of the Horizon Suite or as its own product, ThinApp has been around since 2008, but VMware also added an app layering product, App Volumes, and Remote Desktop Session Host (RDSH) capabilities to the Horizon suite. Microsoft's tool is App-V, with a centralized management console and agent-based installation approach. Finally, Citrix brings XenApp to the table. This virtual app delivery tool notably allows more than one user to independently access a server at the same time.

Find out more about each of these app delivery tools and a few other options before making a decision about how you'll deploy virtualized applications.

1What to expect from Microsoft App-V

Microsoft's App-V app virtualization platform consists of six major components. The Sequencer organizes app files, Windows Installer files and multiple XML files. App-V's Management Server delivers apps to the Desktop Client, which publishes apps on users' endpoints. Admins can deploy applications through the App-V Remote Desktop Services Client to enable shared desktop sessions. App-V's Publishing Server streams apps as part of a virtual app package, and lastly, the Reporting Server delivers reports on what users are doing. Learn even more about what Microsoft App-V can do, how to customize it and when to use it.

2Explore XenApp app publishing

Citrix's XenApp tool for app publishing uses Citrix's HDX remote display technologies to deliver multimedia, enable USB redirection, and more. Employees can access XenApp virtualized applications with a range of devices, using Citrix Receiver client software. Explore new features in the latest version of XenApp, find out how to scale the tool and learn how to troubleshoot an HDX outage.

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