What Is Application Virtualization?

Application virtualization is the newest member of the growing virtualization family. It is a new way to manage software, breaking the link between applications, operating systems, and the hardware that hosts them. Application virtualization uses virtual software packages to place applications and data without the traditional installation process. Application packages can be activated or deactivated instantly and restored to default settings, reducing the risk of interfering with other applications because they only run in their own computing space. ^[1]

Since the 1960s, various forms of software virtualization concepts have appeared one after another. But in the IT industry, it took decades to realize the potential of application virtualization. This importance is now understood and significant improvements have been made. Now Altiris,

The fundamental purpose of application virtualization is to free applications from the operating system and achieve a self-sufficient running virtual environment. The commonly used method now is to establish a virtual layer between the application and the operating system. This virtual layer is wrapped in the application and can intercept and isolate registry entries,

Application virtualization is installed in a virtual environment, isolated from the operating system, and has all shared resources with the application, which greatly facilitates the deployment, update, and maintenance of the application. Application virtualization and application lifecycle management often work better together.

1. Deployment aspects

(1) No installation is required. Application virtualization application package will be deployed to the client in the form of streaming media, a bit like green software, just copy it and use it.

(2) No residual information. Application virtualization does not generate any files or settings on the machine after removal.

(3) No more system resources are needed. Application virtualization, like applications installed locally, uses local or network drives, CPUs, or memory.

(4) pre-configured applications. The application package of application virtualization itself covers some configurations required by the program.

2. Update aspect

(1) Easy to update. It only needs to be updated once on the application virtualization server.

(2) Seamless client update. Once the update is made on the server side, the client will automatically get the updated version without having to update one by one.

3 Support

(1) Reduce conflicts between applications. Because each virtualized application runs in its own virtual environment, there is no problem with shared component versions, which reduces conflicts between applications.

(2) Reduce the workload of technical support. Application virtualization programs are different from traditionally installed local applications and require package testing before deployment. In addition, users will not be able to run because users accidentally delete certain files. From these perspectives, users can be reduced Demand for technical support.

(3) Increase software compliance. Application virtualization can be configured for the users who need it before it is allowed to use, which facilitates the administrator's management of software authorization.

4 Termination

Completely removing the application will not have any impact on the local computer. The administrator only needs to set permissions on the management interface. The application is stopped on the client. ^[3]

(1) Eliminate application conflicts

The application can guarantee to use the correct version of the files and properties files (registration settings) without any modification to the operating system and will not cause any interference to other applications.

(2) Reduce application import time through rapid provisioning

Administrators can create pre-packaged applications that can be quickly deployed locally or remotely over a network, even with a low-speed network connection. Virtual software applications can even be transferred to the system as needed, without the need for an installation process.

(3) Run multiple versions of the same application

Multiple versions of the application can run on the same operating system instance without any conflicts, which improves the way of upgrading the application, accelerates the testing of new features, and integrates into the operating environment. ^[1]

The immense significance of application virtualization for security is that it addresses two types of issues:

(1) The insecurity of applications, especially the use of malicious software, may lead to the expansion of local system privileges and be controlled by unauthorized users. Application virtualization can effectively control the behavior of the application and zero the application state at any time to prevent this from happening.

Application virtualization, or "sandbox" technology, was a concept proposed by the international anti-virus community. It builds an independent virtual space inside the computer system. When the suspicious behavior of the program is found, the program continues to run, and it is terminated when it is found to be a virus. "Sandbox" technology allows the suspicious behavior of the program to be fully performed in the virtual "sandbox" of the computer, while the "sandbox" will record every action of it. After the virus has fully exposed its virus attributes, the "sandbox" will perform a "rollback" mechanism to erase the traces and actions of the virus and restore the system to a normal state. Because the virus always runs in the virtual space, it will not cause damage to the real computer system.

Application virtualization needs to consider the following points:

1) Security

Application virtualization security is controlled by the administrator. The administrator should consider whether the company's confidential software allows offline use. So what software and related configuration can be used by the user is determined by the administrator. In addition. Because the application runs in a virtual environment, it is avoided to a certain extent by malicious software or viruses.

2) Usability

In application virtualization, related programs and data are centralized and users download through the network. Therefore, the administrator must consider the load balance of the network and the amount of concurrent users.

3) performance considerations

The application virtualization program runs using a local CPU, hard disk, and memory. Its performance depends on the computing power of the local computer in addition to considering network speed. ^[3]