The latest release of Virtual Browser introduces several new features (like every new release — with thanks to Mathieu’s team!). One of these new features in particular adds a whole new dimension to the Virtual Browser solution. Virtual Browser now supports delivery of ICA and RDP remote desktop clients, alongside our already familiar browser support (IE, Firefox, Java, Flash, etc). With this release the end-user now has access not just to web-based applications but to any application which can be virtualised, as well as full-featured virtual desktops.
It’s worth taking a few minutes to understand where we’re going with this. Release 1.3 offers a single, secure, platform-independent client delivering installation-free end-user access to any web-based or virtualised application without the need to worry about (i) the configuration of the end-point device; (ii) the compatibility of end-point browser configuration and the target application/server; or (iii) the appropriate network configuration (VPN, etc) to access the remote application. The objective is to position the Virtual Browser solution as the universal client for access to cloud-based services.
The “Cloud” and “Cloud Computing” are still relatively new terms and there are varying definitions of what they comprise. For us, they cover the full set of web-enabled or virtualised applications, hosted in the enterprise (the private cloud) or by third-party service providers (SaaS). What we’re seeing today is enterprises migrating step-by-step to cloud computing models, with the infrastructure becoming decentralised — some of it moving to virtual environments (Citrix and others), some of it onto the Intranet, and some moving to the Internet, taking advantage of Cloud offerings vendors like Google, Salesforce.com and other SaaS providers.
In positioning Virtual Browser as the universal client for cloud access, we’re facilitating enterprise migration to cloud computing by resolving three key management issues:
- Security: encrypted traffic between the VB client and server, strong authentication, and support for multiple isolated user environments: Internet, Enterprise (internal) applications, on-line (cloud, SaaS) services, on both enterprise (managed) end-points and non-managed end-point devices.
- Single point of management and maintenance — configuration, updates, patching — of the client environment, on a centralised server environment, clustered for redundancy and scalability.
- Platform independence and compatibility: No matter what type of device the end-user is using or where they connect from, the application sees the same browser, eliminating compatibility issues and facilitating application development and support.
Tags: cloud browser, Cloud computing, cloud security, Remote desktop, SaaS client, virtual desktop
