Application virtualization is a term used to describe software technologies which improve compatibility, manageability and portability of various applications by covering/ shielding them from an underlying operating system where the program is being executed. In this case, a fully virtualized system is not installed though it is executed as if it exists, thereby making the application believe that it is directly interfacing with original operating system and all resources are managed, when in reality it is not. Examples of application virtualization tools are Microsoft Windows and Linux. In windows operating system, there is introduction of INI File Mappings to virtualize into the registries. This tries to save user details in system location that was writable in older versions which of now are only writable by highly privileged system software which can work without the obligation of a program having higher level security privileges. The application layer replaces part of run-time environment that’s normally provided by the operating systems. The application never knows that it is interfacing with a virtual resource instead of physical one.

Benefits of Application Virtualization

• One of the benefits of application virtualization is that it allows applications to run in other environments that do not suit them. Example is Wine application that allows windows based program to run on Linux platform
• Resources used are fewer than on a separate virtual machine
• Protects operating systems from buggy code
• Allows running of applications which are incorrectly written a good example is, read only files
• Allows applications to be copied flash disks or other portable media and then imported to client computers without being installing them there
• Enterprises will have ease of tracking license usage. The history will be vital as it cuts on cost
• There is accelerated deployment of applications. For example, through on demand application streaming
• There is improved security – when you isolate applications from the operating system

Cons of application Virtualization

• Not all applications can be virtualized- applications that need to run on shared memory space and most 16 bit applications cannot be virtualized.
• Registry level compatibility issues may hinder applications from running in newer operating systems like Windows Vista. If the application virtualizes in this Vista, compatibility fixing would still be required.
• Some antivirus programs are difficult to undergo virtualization.

How BlueShield implements application virtualization?

Remember there is no a single solution for the end user computing. The following are the models in place:

Remote- It is also called server hosted desktop virtualization. Here, the operating environment is hosted on a server which is located in the data center and accessed by the end users across the whole network.

Local- client hosted application- In this application the operating environment is running locally on an end users machine and involves multiple client side virtualizations platform to protect execution of end user system.

Application virtualization– This method involves providing an application to the end user who is already in the virtualization platform even though the application is not installed at the user’s machine physically. You may have an application installed and executed locally within a container that controls how interaction with other systems will take place. At times the application can be isolated in its own virtualized box to prevent interactions with any other component. You can also have other applications streamed across a network.