Xenocode Releases New Version of Virtual Application Studio

By VSM News Staff
published: Thursday, July 10 2008

Major Update Delivers Auto-Configuration of Microsoft Office 2007, VMware ThinApp Migration Wizard, Communication between Virtual Applications.

SEATTLE, WA - July 9, 2008 - Xenocode, a next-generation virtualization company, today announces the availability of a major update to its flagship product, Xenocode Virtual Application Studio 2008 with Service Pack 1. Virtual Application Studio is a next-generation application virtualization environment that allows Windows, .NET and Java-based desktop applications to be deployed in standalone executables that run instantly and reliably, anywhere. Virtual Application Studio 2008 with SP1 includes numerous feature enhancements and engine upgrades, including:

• Auto-configuration of Microsoft Office 2007 and other popular applications:  An industry first, Virtual Application Studio completely eliminates the need for any snapshotting or sequencing to configure Microsoft Office 2007 and other popular applications.  Studio automatically configures itself for popular applications given appropriate source media and license keys.

• Ability to import external application configurations, including VMware ThinApp configurations:  Customers who have already packaged applications using other technologies, including VMware ThinApp/Thinstall, can now import these configurations into Studio with a single click, without the need for any recapture.

• Communication between virtualized applications:  Virtual environment process controls and jukeboxing allow multiple applications to share virtual resources and "talk" with one another. For instance, users can embed live Excel spreadsheets into Word documents or run multiple applications within a shared virtual environment.

• New site licensing programs:  Educational institutions, government agencies, and ISVs can now license Xenocode technology with no per-device or per-application fees.

"One of the main obstacles to adoption of application virtualization technology is the difficulty packaging applications," said Kenji Obata, Xenocode founder and chief executive officer. "In this release of Virtual Application Studio, we introduce automatic configuration of Microsoft Office and other popular applications, eliminating the need for complex and time-consuming setup capture and sequencing processes, as well as the ability to instantly migrate configurations from third-party virtualization solutions such as VMware ThinApp."

Virtual Application Studio with Service Pack 1 also incorporates numerous compatibility, reliability, and performance improvements based on customer feedback from the initial release of Studio.  A detailed list of updates and patches is available on the Xenocode RSS feed at www.xenocode.com/rss.aspx.

Xenocode Application Virtualization: Frees Applications from the Underlying OS

Xenocode specializes in application virtualization, a sophisticated technology that separates applications from the underlying operating systems on which they execute.  Unlike traditional hardware virtualization solutions that require an entire copy of the host operating system, Xenocode's lightweight application virtualization technology emulates core operating system features required for application execution.  As a result, applications deployed with Xenocode have essentially the same performance characteristics as native executables.  "Xenocoded" applications require no setup, configuration, clients, or device drivers, are isolated from external DLL and dependency conflicts, and run properly on Windows Vista and locked-down desktops.  Xenocode-virtualized applications can be easily deployed on USB devices, corporate intranets, the Internet, or existing desktop management infrastructure software such as Microsoft SMS, LANDesk Management Suite, BMC Configuration Management and Novell ZENworks.

Xenocode Virtual Application Studio is an authoring environment that allows IT professionals to easily convert their existing Windows, .NET, and Java-based applications into virtualized applications ready for instant deployment.  Xenocode-enabled applications are run on the Xenocode Virtual Operating System, a lightweight micro-kernel embedded within each virtualized application executable, allowing virtual applications to be executed without any separate client install, device drivers, or player software.

Xenocode Virtual Application Studio 2008 with Service Pack 1 is available today.  For more information or to download a free evaluation, please visit www.xenocode.com.

About Xenocode 

Xenocode develops next-generation virtualization technologies that make applications available instantly and reliably, anywhere. The Xenocode Virtual Application Studio authoring environment and Xenocode Virtual Operating System allow IT professionals to deploy applications in lightweight, pre-configured virtual executables that run instantly on any Windows desktop via intranets, the Internet, USB keys, or existing desktop management infrastructure. Xenocode was founded in 2002 and consists of a team of veteran Microsoft engineers and academic researchers. Today, its customers include thousands of industry-leading consulting, financial, government, military, and technology companies, and tens of thousands of independent IT professionals. Xenocode is based in Seattle, Washington.