AppSense Releases Free Version of User Managed Applications Technology -- THE Journal

Virtualization

AppSense Releases Free Version of User Managed Applications Technology

By Dian Schaffhauser
10/25/11

AppSense, which develops products to help organizations virtualize user settings, is creating a set of programs to let users install applications without administrative rights even in lockdown situations. The first release in that new suite, named AppSense Strata, will be available free to users. AppSense said it expects to ship the initial offering, which is currently being beta tested, in the first quarter of 2012.

As the company explained in a blog posting, when a user starts an application installation, they're given the option to either install the application natively or into Strata. If they pick Strata, the application will be installed into a Strata Application Store. This application store acts as a kind of sandbox area that looks to the user as if the program has been installed natively. In fact, it's running in an isolated virtualization layer or strata, separate from the operating system or any official image installed by IT.

When an application is installed to the Strata layer, the AppSense Virtualization Engine intercepts all file and registry operations and maintains them in that application store, along with the required Windows services and operating system objects.

Disabling the Strata technology, the company reported, returns the operating system immediately to its underlying state, "with all traces of the Strata User Managed Applications removed."

"AppSense Strata is for organizations wanting to control IT costs while simultaneously giving users the freedom they require to be productive," said Chief Technology Officer Harry Labana. "A true user virtualization platform must provide a solution to manage the user apps layer that gives users flexibility but does not require IT to relinquish any control over the desktop. The majority of users want to install personal applications in addition to the pre-existing ones given to them by their IT department."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

E-Mail this page

Printable Format

Featured

Gaming in K–12 Classrooms Is Powering the Future Tech Workforce

Today's most forward-thinking schools are using gaming as a platform to train students for real-world roles in fields like aviation, robotics, remote operations, and data center management.
CIS Study Finds 82% of K-12 Organizations Experienced Cyber Threat Impacts in the Past 18 Months

A new report from the Center for Internet Security highlights the increasing sophistication, frequency, and impact of cyber attacks against K-12 schools.
Navigating the First Year as a Female Technology Director: A Journey of Leadership and Empowerment

For women in the landscape of technology leadership, the first year is both a proving ground and a powerful platform. It's a year of listening deeply, learning quickly, leading boldly, and paving the way for others.
Register Now for Tech Tactics in Education: Overcoming Roadblocks to Innovation

Tech Tactics in Education will return on Sept. 25 with the conference theme "Overcoming Roadblocks to Innovation." Registration for the fully virtual event is now open.