Oases Desktop Applications Modernization Case Study

Solution: Application Virtualization

Application Virtualization enables users to use applications used by the end-user in a central server environment without having to install them on their computers.

Advantages: 

• No installation required: Application virtualization simplifies software deployment. Software components are kept only on the central server/servers.
• Version distribution is very easy:  Your DevOps pipelines can spread it everywhere just by updating the versions where you virtualize the application. Application virtualization helps reduce the risks of application conflicts.   
• Easy Rollback: After the problem in the new version, you can quickly go back to the old version
• No complex settings are on the user's computer.
• Multiple runtime environments: You can deploy the runtime environment together with the application. This enables you to run different versions of a runtime environment on a desktop. For example, you can run different Java versions simultaneously without messing around with environment variables.
• OS independence on client computers: Once you know that your app works in the virtual environment, you don't have to make sure that it works on all of the different desktop variations in your clients.
• Security: Virtualized apps are isolated from the operating system and each other. This way, malware can't infect other parts of the system easily.
• End-user computers require only minimal privileges.
• There is no need to grant access to any data source from end-user computers.

Disadvantages: 

• Application suitable for virtualization: if your apps were not developed to run in a virtual environment, this might cause unforeseen problems. Whenever problems occur, you will have trouble finding whether the app itself or the virtualized environment is the cause.
• New work area: It's a new technology for your company. Complex virtualization solutions require a lot of preparation in advance; it will mean extra work for you.
• Single point of failure: Launching apps from a server has its advantages, but network outages or server problems increase the risk of system-wide failures.
• Bandwidth requirements
• Costs

Application Virtualization Solutions:

There are multiple products related to application virtualization. The most popular of them are;

• Citrix Virtual Apps 

• VMware ThinApp

• Microsoft App-V

There are some applications also provided by cloud vendors; 

• AWS AppStream 2.0
• Azure Virtual Desktop with MSIX app attach

Our recommendation would be AWS AppStream 2.0

Amazon AppStream 2.0 lets you move your desktop applications to AWS without rewriting them. It's easy to install your applications on AppStream 2.0, set launch configurations, and make them available to users. AppStream 2.0 offers a wide selection of virtual machine options to select the instance type that best matches your application requirements and set the auto-scale parameters so that you can easily meet the needs of your end-users. AppStream 2.0 allows you to launch applications in your network, which means your applications can interact with your existing AWS resources.

• Simple Application Management

• Easy Scalable

• Low maintenance costs

• AWS VPC Support

• Identity Federation 

• Active Directory support

• API Support for programmatic control

• Browser and Client access 

• Persistent storage (S3, Google Drive, MS OneDrive)  

AppStream 2.0 management; 

Customer Manages : 

• Image Management 

• Directory Services & Policies

Appstream 2.0 Manages: 

• VDI Control Plane Install & Manage

• Load Balancers Install & Manage

• Hypervisor Install & Manage

• Server Administration

• Storage Administration

• Physical Security