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Self-Service Software Distribution
Software Distribution Limitations in an On-Demand Access World
Today, supplying a new application to an end user requires a central IT administrator to manually or electronically deliver and install the software — a "push-based" approach to software distribution that is inefficient and costly, and that unfortunately encourages employees to engage in unauthorized software deployment.
However, the Internet has caused today's PC users to expect on-demand access — to information, to web applications, even to commerce. This expectation for on-demand access includes a desire for applications on-demand – an end user wants to be able to access applications on-demand ("pull-based" access), rather than waiting for a "push-based" software distribution approach.
Traditional Software Deployment Limitations to Existing On-Demand Software Solutions Fall Short
Today's only available pull-based access solutions are server based, wherein all applications are installed on a central server and end users access them across the network, with processing taking place on the server, not on a PC. Unfortunately, these solutions:
- Rely on expensive server-side processing
- Offer limited application support
- Do not provide disconnected or offline application access
- Require the use of non-standard packaging
- Force IT to employ and manage multiple strategies for software distribution.
AppStream — Self-Service Software Distribution With On-Demand Access
AppStream is the most flexible, efficient solution on the market for providing access to applications on-demand.
- Like server-based-computing approaches, AppStream provides end users with on-demand access to applications
- Unlike server-based-computing approaches, AppStream installs the application on the end user's machine, where it is available for disconnected use
Administrators identify which applications each end user is authorized to access, and AppStream then creates a custom portal for each end user displaying their personal application menu. End users accessing applications on-demand through AppStream will never know the application wasn't already installed locally.
Benefits to AppStream's Software Deployment Solution
AppStream's on-demand access solution is far more efficient than pre-installing a whole suite of applications on each machine, many of which may never be used. Also, AppStream's central-server-based administration is far simpler and more efficient than a desktop-by-desktop approach, enduring consistent versioning, patching, and updating across the IT environment.
And AppStream is easy to administer. The web-based control and management console and web-based infrastructure lets IT staff perform management tasks from anywhere within the corporate intranet or extranet. The robust provisioning process ensures that on-demand access can be offered to employees without concern that end users will be using applications they shouldn't be. And compatibility with Microsoft's Active Directory and the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) standard ensures that AppStream integrates easily with any existing enterprise entitlement system.
End User Application Portal
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