LANDesk's Application Virtualization product was the least intrusive off all the solutions GCN tested as well as the most flexible.  There is notable differences with LANDesk Thinstall's integrated solution vs. Symantec's Altiris SVS.

While SVS uses a client application and installs a filter driver on the local machine, Thinstall builds an executable image, including a cut-down version of the Windows operating system (VOS) adding about 400K to the size of the virtualized application. When you launch a Thinstall virtual app, the program first loads the VOS, which in turn loads the application into an isolated environment. All access to the underlying operating system and file system is controlled by a configuration file created at the time you build the virtual application.

It’s important to point out that all LANDesk virtual applications run exclusively in user mode.

The LANDesk/Thinstall combination offers a solid solution for organizations without any existing products from those vendors. Building completely self-sufficient applications requiring no additional components to run will appeal to many IT managers. Add to that the flexible configuration options and user-mode execution and you’ve got a great way to deploy applications on Vista that might not have run otherwise.

For more information or pricing on LANDesk's Application Virtualization Suite please give us a call at 877-624-8311.

Have a wonderful week!

-Susie