Softricity Brings Application Virtualization to the Mainstream with SoftGrid 4.0; Virtualize Applications in Minutes, Deploy and Upgrade Instantly, and Easily Integrate into Hosted Desktop Environments.

SAN DIEGO -- Softricity(R), the on-demand application virtualization company, today announced the immediate availability of SoftGrid(R) 4.0, designed to make virtual applications easy to create, deploy, manage and use. With SoftGrid 4.0, enterprises can virtualize any Windows application and make it available to computers worldwide within minutes, while supporting end-users with new remote help features that further reduce application management costs.

The advances in SoftGrid 4.0 are based on thousands of hours of development, combined with feedback from hundreds of customers and partners who have been using Softricity since 2001 to virtualize over 25,000 applications and deploy to hundreds of thousands of end-users.

Cerner Corp., the nation's leading provider of healthcare information technology (NASDAQ: CERN), uses Softricity to help its clients deploy and upgrade its 1.5GB suite of more than 55 applications. According to Cerner's senior technology architect, Jim Coons, "With Softricity's Sequencer enhancements, our clients can accelerate deployments of key Millennium applications and functionality. In fact, they can package the entire suite in just one hour.

"In addition, Active Upgrade will allow packages to be updated without disabling connections, requiring users to log off the system or rebooting to roll out new code."

SoftGrid 4.0 turns locally installed Windows applications into virtual network services that are centrally managed and deployed on-demand--without any recoding--to any desktop, server, laptop or virtual machine. With the new version, Softricity's patented, award-winning application virtualization technology more easily enables applications to run in a protected "sandbox" environment without installation or alteration to the host operating system, and without conflicting with any other applications. This is combined with Softricity's streaming technology, which sends only the minimum code needed (often less than 15%) to run applications on the client machine. The result is the transformation of installed software into on-demand, available-anywhere services that solve a wide range of previously debilitating IT challenges inherent in application deployments, testing, security, help-desk support and business continuity.

"With SoftGrid version 4.0, application virtualization is as easy to deploy as machine virtualization, making it more compelling than ever for enterprises to virtualize their entire application environment," said Bill Corrigan, Vice President of product management, Softricity. "Simply put, Softricity's application virtualization is proven to be the most effective way for IT organizations to dramatically reduce application management costs while adopting transformational computing approaches such as utility computing and software as a service."

Softricity also announced it is a member of Blade.org, an open community dedicated to developing next-generation technologies for blade computing, the world's fastest growing server market segment.

"With Softricity's application virtualization for IBM's BladeCenter products and solutions, such as the Virtualized Hosted Client Infrastructure, customers can better manage the way users receive their applications," said Juhi Jotwani, director of BladeCenter Alliances and Solutions for IBM. "We're excited to see Softricity focusing on customer pain points such as time to application availability, standardization, business continuity and cost management."

SoftGrid 4.0 adds new features that significantly extend the value of customers' virtual application environments:

Rapid Virtualization: SoftGrid 4.0 virtualizes all components of an application--not just redirecting files or the registry--turning them into portable run-time "application images" that can be run on any computer the moment a user needs them. SoftGrid 4.0's Sequencer, the packager that virtualizes applications, has been completely re-designed to turn sequencing into a completely automated process that has been optimized for speed. For example, the latest Microsoft Office suite now takes less than 10 minutes to virtualize. SoftGrid 4.0's virtualization engine is also significantly more comprehensive, including the virtualization of Windows services (used by many complex applications) and user specific preferences (which enables end-users' customizations to follow them to any computer they log into). SoftGrid can now also virtualize administrative mode, enabling applications that require administrative rights to run in the much more secure user mode. In sum, with SoftGrid 4.0 Softricity continues to pioneer new levels of application virtualization that is unmatched by any other vendor

Controlled Streaming: The SoftGrid platform is the only application virtualization product on the market that combines virtualization and on-demand streaming into a single, powerful solution. With SoftGrid 4.0, administrators and end-users have more control over streaming, including the ability to both "pre-cache" applications (stream 100% of the program on demand) and work in a disconnected mode. Cached applications are now locked in memory, preserved even in the case of unexpected computer shutdown. Streaming has also been accelerated, by an average of 40% faster than previous versions.

Scalable Centralized Management: New usability features and functions in 4.0 enable much easier centralized management of both small and large-scale deployments. The most compelling of these features is the ability for administrators to remotely control SoftGrid clients from any other computer, providing help-desk support and terminating unattended sessions without desk-side visits. Another key addition is "Active Upgrade," where updates to virtualized applications on the server are now accomplished without disconnecting connected users, while SoftGrid server configurations can be migrated to other servers simply with a single click of the mouse from the management console. For customers with hundreds or thousands of users and applications, there is a new hierarchical management interface that allows for easy and organized access.

Microsoft Integration: SoftGrid 4.0 has also been designed to integrate directly into Microsoft's Systems Management Server (SMS). SoftGrid for SMS allows users to virtualize applications and stream them from within SMS.

Support for Virtual Machines: Version 4.0 has been certified to work with virtual machines by Microsoft and VMware. This has been completed to assist customers who are employing a hosted virtual desktop infrastructure. This enables Softricity to provide on-demand applications for on-demand virtual desktop solutions.

Cost Savings: Many of SoftGrid 4.0's new features further improve the cost savings captured by the Softricity's Forrester TEI(TM)-Compliant Return on Virtualization(TM) Calculator. These savings stem from increased centralized control, the ability to remotely help end-users, faster sequencings and active application upgrades.

Alamance Regional Medical Center has a staff of 2,000 end-users, including physicians, nurses and administrators, serving the Burlington, N.C. area. Andy Gerringer, senior network administrator, explained: "When we first implemented SoftGrid we had planned on a 30-day trial, but it worked so well and so easily that we were able to confidently go into production right away. Now, with SoftGrid 4.0's ability to virtualize Windows services, we can finally eliminate our few remaining physically installed applications and turn our entire environment into an on-demand, worry-free infrastructure. And with Softricity's new Active Upgrade capabilities, we can update even the most complex package for all our computers in one fell swoop. Applications that took three to four hours to update on terminal servers now take no time at all. Best of all, end-user downtime is only needed for backend database changes."

Availability

Softricity Desktop 4.0 is available immediately through Softricity and its partners.

About Softricity

Softricity is the only virtualization company to deliver software that is never installed, yet securely follows users anywhere, on demand, enabling high productivity while dramatically reducing IT costs. The Softricity Desktop(TM), powered by the SoftGrid(R) Platform & Softricity ZeroTouch(TM), employs the company's patented application virtualization, intelligent on-demand streaming and policy-based management technologies. Global customers include AIG, Blue Cross Blue Shield Kansas City, Northeastern University, Prudential, Raytheon, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH and Suncor Energy. Softricity is a partner with Microsoft (Gold Certified), HP, IBM and VMware. For more information visit www.softricity.com.

Softricity, Softricity Desktop, SoftGrid and ZeroTouch are trademarks or registered trademarks of Softricity, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks or registered trademarks herein are property of their respective owners.