App-V 4.6 RTM and MED-V 1.0 SP1 RC are here!!

Just wanted to spread the good word that Karri sent out to the team

As announced on the Windows for your Business blog, Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.6, including App-V for RDS, is now publicly available as part of MDOP 2010!!! In addition, MED-V 1.0 SP1 RC for Windows 7 is now available!

As Windows 7 continues to gain excitement across the industry, enterprises are evaluating their desktop strategy including Office deployment, application compatibility and desktop management. Together, App-V 4.6 and MED-V 1.0 SP1 with Windows 7, Office 2010, Windows Server 2008 R2 and System Center deliver a world class desktop for your enterprise.

Virtualize applications to enable Access from AnywhereAs users continue to need their Windows experience to move with them no matter where they are, it becomes critical for technology to deliver on this ask. By combining App-V 4.6 and Windows Server 2008 R2 access from anywhere is possible for global businesses, meaning:

§ App-V 4.6 is now compatible with 64-bit Windows client and server platforms, enabling IT to take advantage of x64 for client hardware refresh AND also deploy App-V to Windows Server 2008 R2 Terminal Services. The benefits: consolidate terminal server farms, simplify profile management and provide virtual applications via session virtualization for users using App-V with Remote Desktop Web Access and Connections, and Access Gateway.

§ App-V 4.6 enables Windows 7 mobile users to access apps on the road. Virtual applications can be made available offline and can be streamed over the internet and are currently supported in 11 languages, with 13 new languages coming in April to meet global business needs.

“We like to trim our cost basis as much as possible so that we can pass those savings on to customers…. Now that we can manage more applications and support more users with fewer resources, we can achieve greater economies of scale while delivering highly affordable and reliable services.” -- Graham Clarke, Managing Director, Appserv

Improve application delivery & management using virtual applications with Windows 7

Through the App-V Cost Reduction Study and over 80 App-V customer case studies we see that customers are gaining real benefits by using App-V to improve their application delivery. They have saved time, money and simplified their application management.

§ App-V 4.6 and SCCM 2007 R2 SP2 now deliver virtual applications faster to users at logon. Users no longer need to wait for policy

refresh to gain access to their applications.

§ App-V 4.6 saves on SAN storage space by using a cache of virtualized applications that is shared across all your VDI desktops, saving

   Gigs of space, eliminating duplicate applications and files, and enabling faster launch of your virtual applications.

“The combination of Application Virtualization, System Center Configuration Manager, and Windows 7 makes for a complete, high-performing application deployment solution. Everything works great together.” -- Doug Miller, Practice Architect CDW

Accelerate your adoption of Office 2010 with Microsoft Application Virtualization

App-V’s native streaming, no installation and isolation capabilities deliver Office 2010 faster than a traditional install and with less user productivity impact. Users can run multiple versions side by side, easing the learning curve associated with advancements like the ribbon user interface. IT has more time to migrate LOB applications dependent on older Office versions.

Cross product collaboration delivers seamless integration and new advancements in virtual Office 2010 and the Office family of products not previously available, this include:

  • Improved SharePoint integration to Open, Save, Edit files

  • Find your email items quickly with Outlook’s Fast Search

  • Send files from directly inside of Office products such as PowerPoint

“App-V 4.6 provides Office customers with a robust set of features to tackle core challenges including application upgrade, application coexistence, and user readiness. It’s an exciting, powerful new way for IT to deliver Office 2010 quickly without impacting user productivity.”   

-Takeshi Numoto, CVP Microsoft Office

You’ve heard from us regarding great customer success stories, but it’s also important to hear what our MVPs are saying as they work with customers to deploy the product around the globe. See what App-V MVPs are saying about the latest release by visiting Springboard’s App-V 4.6 Q&A post.

Accelerate your migration to Windows 7 with desktop virtualization
In the migration to Windows 7 you may find applications that aren’t compatible, still require Internet Explorer 6, or cannot be fixed by traditional methods. MED-V can help you remove these deployment barriers.

Whether you are working on your Windows 7 migration plans or already ramping up a deployment, you can start building a MED-V environment and evaluate its capabilities. Check out the MED-V Quick Start guide and the MED-V Evaluation Guide and training videos.

“Windows 7 has proven to be very stable and to work well with our virtualized applications. We plan to use Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 and App-V to help us automate our Windows 7 deployment to 10,000 computers beginning in March 2010.”   

                  --   Sebastian Hämpel, IT Manager, Steinbuch Centre for Computing, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

“Without MED-V, we wouldn’t be able to deploy Windows 7 enterprise wide. Now, we don’t have to worry whether an older application is compatible with Windows 7. We just run it with MED-V, and it works. While Windows XP Mode is great for small implementations, it isn’t designed for an enterprise environment because it does not include centralized deployment and management capabilities.”

-- David Feng, IT Director, Sporton International

The final release of MED-V 1.0 SP1 and 13 new localized languages of App-V 4.6 will be available in April 2010.

We always welcome customer feedback so we can continue to improve our products. We encourage you to check out the new App-V Videos and App-V Online Labs. Take the next step, start testing and piloting Windows 7 with virtualization technologies, like App-V and MED-V, to make the migration even simpler and faster. Get out there, give it a try and realize the same benefits that many others are seeing today!

Enjoy!

Karri Alexion-Tiernan
Director of Product Management, App-V