BASF proves power of virtualisation for software rollout

BASF IT Services, which has been pioneering implementation of the SoftGrid virtualisation solution from Microsoft, says it works well, enabling manufacturers to roll out new applications and updates much more quickly. The company is among the first to apply the new technology on a large scale, and says that many thousands of users at its clients are now working with applications that have been virtualised. Harald Endres, director of customer and workplace services at BASF IT Services, says that unlike earlier solutions, the new technology means that applications can be transferred to users’ PCs independently of the operating system. Programs are no longer installed on each PC, but delivered dynamically to users’ workstations using a method similar to video streaming. He says the new technology makes software installation as unnecessary as uninstalls – and for that matter testing, validation and certification. Entries in the registry are also a thing of the past, greatly simplifying software provisioning. “However, the end-user remains unaware of all this. The applications that run virtually on the user’s PC look the same and work the same as programs that have been installed. Users thus start their applications locally as usual from their PCs, even though the programs are being provided by a central server,” says Endres. And he adds: “In principle, virtualisation via SoftGrid is possible for almost any application you can think of.” Bastian Braun, product solution manager at Microsoft, says: “Virtualisation is a subject of great importance, especially at the moment, due to the constant pressure of rising costs. Here at Microsoft we are providing the Microsoft Desktop Optimisation Pack (MDOP) product, which forms the basis for a modern, cost-efficient IT infrastructure. Through virtualisation, dependencies are removed that are potential drivers for increased migration and management costs.”