Joseph Hinkle at MyITForum.com

As I mentioned earlier, I'm evaluating different software virtualization options for my company. I know I'll be looking at several, but I decided Altiris SVS would be a good starting place. My company has been using Wise products since InstallBuilder 8, so virtualization using tools we already have and use is very appealing.

It really is interesting to see all of the different approaches that are used for virtualizing software. Some companies use an agent, some don't. Some allow virtualized applications to interact with one another, some don't. SVS uses an agent to manage the virtualization packages, called "layers" in their product. They also allow the applications running in different layers to see one another.

This presents an interesting opportunity. So far, the tools I've seen don't allow this kind of interaction, causing some angst in virtualizing Office due to the number of plug-ins and other hooks from third-party applications. SVS allows Office to be virtualized in one layer, plug-ins to be in other, separate layers, or even installed natively in Windows. This flexibility is very comforting to me.

The product comes in two flavors: standard and professional. Standard provides virtualization and an agent license. Professional adds streaming and license management capabilities. There is an unsupported SMS connector that allows layers to be deployed and activated with normal software distribution packages. I'm not sure that this approach will give me the flexibility that I want, since I'd rather have the set-it-and-forget-it functionality that the streaming server provides.

The license management capabilities of the streaming server were quite nice. There are a few features that really stood out to me. There is a license pool, which allows licenses to be allocated automatically and access denied - or not - if there is no license available. The product also allows licenses to be automatically deactivated after a specified time period of inactivity, like traditional metering capabilities. One interesting thought was a "single-use" license. Essentially, a license could be allocated for a single use, providing true concurrent usage.

Obviously, I am fairly impressed by the product. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to like it this much. I really liked SoftGrid when I saw it initially, but SVS adds some really intriguing flexibility.