Desktop Virtualization Journal

Question: Why did the server application cross the network? Answer: For the same reason the chicken crossed the road - to get to the other side ... (in this case) of the datacenter and clouds.

Follow up question:  If all a server application ‘wants' to do is get to another server - physical or virtual - why would it drag along an OS?  Answer: Because it didn't know it had a much more agile and faster option - OS-free server application virtualization.

And here we get to the heart of the matter .... Server application virtualization is frequently misunderstood because when they think about virtualization, most people think of:

1. VMs - close cousin to hypervisors; the packaging of server applications with an OS
2. Desktop application virtualization - for desktop applications, not server applications.

In fact, server application virtualization is different in type and kind from these market mates - not better - different.  AppZero does server application virtualization -- well suited for different use cases and requiring a different market lens than the ones formed by either VMs or desktop.

Agility is the benefit that showcases our use case and brings clarity to the discussion.

The basic math of server application virtualization agility over the VM approach is multiplication of results, by subtracting the OS.  When you separate an application from the OS, the resulting image size is 50 - 1,000 times smaller than a VM image, which can easily surpass 30 GB.

So what?

Well, try on this dirty little cloud secret:  If an enterprise uses the Internet to connect to their cloud provider, it will take DAYS to move that 30GB VM image to the cloud.  Yes, days.

By contrast, AppZero virtual application appliance (VAA) images are most often measured in MB, not GB.  AppZero math means that you can provision your server application to a cloud, or multiple clouds, over lunch instead of days.

Lunch is agile.  Days are not.

I'll do a deeper dive on server application virtualization in Cloud and ISV use cases in my next few blogs.  But for now, if you want real enterprise application agility, server application virtualization is probably as close as you'll get to a silver bullet.

I am always looking for a way to communicate better and cut to the heart of any discussion. So, if you have thoughts on this subject drop me a line at GregO {@} Appzero {dot} com or tweet me at http://twitter.com/gregoryjoconnor.

Register to attend: "Installation-free PoCs win business/beach time" Interested in labor-free PoCs & demos? Give us an hour and we'll show you how to strip the labor required to configure and implement your PoCs and demos - whether on site or in the cloud -- reducing the time from hours and days, to minutes. Presenters will walk through the process of virtualizing Windows and Linux applications so that they can be easily moved from server to server (physical and virtual) for instant execution. We'll cover a range of ISV-specific benefits in virtualizing multi-tiered, client-server applications for rapid deployment and instant provisioning. Register>>

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