Enterprises are off and running with Windows 7, App-V, XenApp and optimized desktop projects. The challenge comes in determining what applications to migrate, managing applications, application testing and application compatibility. Next week’s Microsoft World Partner Conference has an amazing track educating Microsoft partners on how to best help enterprises accelerate their move to Windows 7, as well as Internet Explorer 8, App-V and all of the related technologies.

What if Microsoft partners were given the opportunity to partner with App-DNA and, for no cost, access the award winning AppTitude™ application testing and application remediation platform to deliver to Proof of Concepts (POC)? What if it only took three days to assess application remediation issues?

App-DNA has a fantastic program that already exists today, called Launchpad and will provide a crystal clear view of an enterprise’s application estate.  This in turn will help systems integrators and service providers deliver the business case to move more quickly to the optimized desktop.  Partners will find more successful projects by gaining a truer understanding of what the enterprise application estate looks like, and better assessing the level of effort needed to properly give an accurate bid for the project. Customers and partners are more satisfied from a clear view of the project, an accurate price quote and a realistic timeline based on facts rather than “gut feel.”

App-DNA Launchpad is a quick-start application compatibility discovery program that brings together four high-value components:

EstateView™ - provides an instant portfolio readiness report on up to 1000 apps

EffortCalculator™ - details project scope and scale by using real metrics to calculate costs, duration and resource needs

CoreSample™ - assessment reports on 50 apps with full reports on 10 selected MSI apps with a deep ‘drill down’ on over 68,000 data points per app in 11 areas

What it means for Microsoft partner’s customers:

See exactly how ready a customer’s app estate is to migrate

Calculate what the migration proposal will cost and how long it will take

Guide resourcing decisions

Build an informed migration strategy – meet more deadlines

Interested in learning more about App-DNA Launchpad for Microsoft partners?  Drop us a line at info@app-dna.com to set up a time to talk at WPC next week or after the conference.

Great article by Ruben Spruijt on www.brianmadden.com with a step-by-step guide to moving today's apps into tomorrow's world, featuring AppTitude and the role the product plays.

See it here - http://www.brianmadden.com/blogs/rubenspruijt/archive/2010/02/15/think-today-change-tomorrow-your-step-by-step-to-getting-to-the-desktop-of-tomorrow.aspx

Since Microsoft’s acquisition of Softricity in 2006, application virtualization has developed mainstream credibility as a mechanism for delivering applications.  Initially, it was also branded as a solution to application compatibility issues; however, with few exceptions, this has generally not been the case.  Applications, even when virtualized, interact with the operating system.  Therefore, any incompatibilities that exist with the OS will persist after virtualization.  That said, there are many advantages to virtualizing applications in terms of deployment, portability and stability, and a variety of vendors provide solutions in this space.

Given that the migration process to a new OS such as Windows 7 typically involves a touch on all applications, it represents an opportunity to take advantage of a virtualization solution while preparing the applications for the new OS.  Application virtualization requires a number of constraints and the skills to handle applications through the process are relatively scarce, so it’s important to have an understanding of how many applications are suitable for it, and which ones.  Planning for the inclusion of application virtualization is worthwhile, but it should be viewed for what it is: an additional stream of work through the migration process.  Like any incremental effort, the ultimate benefits must be weighed against the investment required to achieve them.