Application Virtualization - Deployment Technologies

Microsoft Application Virtualization, known as App-V, is a set of products that allow enterprises to perform virtualization at an application level rather than a server level. App-V solves application conflict issues with standard software packages and enables centralized management of virtual application packages. By running applications centrally instead of installing them on each user's computer, software update management is simplified, application-to-application conflicts are reduced, and application compatibility regression testing is made easier.

App-V lets you create virtual applications, which are applications that have been packaged so that they can run within a self-contained virtual environment or “sandbox” on client computers. This virtual environment is created by the App-V Client software, which runs on the client computer and enables the end user to interact with virtualized applications after they have been delivered to the client computer. This virtual environment contains all the information needed to be able to run the virtual application on the client computer and runs within the App-V Client software on the client computer. After you have packaged applications and deployed the App-V Client software to client computers, you can deliver these applications to the client computers in various ways that resolve many of the issues associated with the traditional application deployment life cycle.