Softricity's SoftGrid Virtualization Helps Microsoft Customers Accelerate Windows(R) XP Migrations

New White Paper Details Time, Cost Savings and Real-World Successes

Softricity® revealed today at Gartner ITxpo that many of its joint Microsoft global customers are using Softricity's SoftGrid® application virtualization platform for simplifying, expediting and more cost-effectively deploying and managing applications as part of enterprise-wide Windows XP migrations.

"So many companies are migrating to Windows XP to gain productivity, but the time and costs required to redeploy all their applications are having an impact on IT. Microsoft is committed to making application management as easy and cost-effective as possible for our customers during migration periods as well as during everyday operations," said Brian Neirby, New England General Manager, Small and Midmarket Solutions and Partners for Microsoft Corp. "Softricity helps accomplish this. Its unique virtualization approach enables global enterprises to quickly and safely deploy, upgrade and even terminate applications, with minimal IT resources."

Softricity also announced availability of a white paper, "Simplifying Large-Scale Windows XP Migrations," which shows how a leading energy firm virtualized and deployed over 1,300 applications to its new XP environment in just 3.5 months. The paper details how Microsoft technologies combine with SoftGrid's virtualization, centralization and on-demand capabilities to overcome the time and cost hurdles inherent in migrations, while ensuring business continuity and building the foundation for a flexible, responsive IT environment.

Hundreds of Microsoft customers use SoftGrid to transform application management operations. Companies ranging from the Swedish Medical Center of Seattle to Russell Investment Group, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and the Mayo Clinic in Arizona are realizing significant cost savings and higher-quality IT service with Softricity's virtualization solution.

SoftGrid transforms Windows applications from products that must be installed and managed locally into virtual services that are centrally managed and deployed on-demand -- without any recoding -- to any desktop, server or laptop. SoftGrid's patented application virtualization technology enables applications to run in a protected "sandbox" environment without installation or alteration to the host operating system. This eliminates application conflicts and the need for time-consuming regression testing, and enables just-in-time application, upgrade and patch deployment.

SoftGrid's benefits to Windows enterprise environments include:

--  Faster, less costly XP migrations and application/ upgrade deployment

    By eliminating regression testing and enabling centralized
    deployment to desktops, laptops and servers, companies gain order-of-
    magnitude improvements in time and cost requirements.

--  Accelerating operating system patching

    Since SoftGrid-enabled applications are not OS-dependent, patches
    will not affect any of the applications.  As a result, regression
    testing OS patches is not needed.  Companies can roll out new patches
    enterprise-wide in just one week, compared to the month or more it
    typically takes.

--  Better responsiveness to changing business needs

    Because applications can be rolled out in days instead of months, IT
    can easily accommodate requests for new and updated applications,
    fluctuations in the number of end-users supported, and changes in
    service level agreements.

--  License compliance improvements

    Each time a SoftGrid-virtualized application is used, it is logged
    in central administration. This makes it easy for IT to monitor
    application usage, redeploy licenses and/or adjust licensing agreements
    as needed.

--  Simplifying business continuity efforts

    With SoftGrid, applications can be backed up as though they are data
    files, and automatically replicated from a central location at the same
    time. Whether companies have 100 or 1,000 applications, replication for
    disaster recovery and planned refreshes is extremely fast.
    

"Microsoft's focus on improving enterprise IT management will have far-reaching benefits for customers," said Harry Ruda, CEO, Softricity. "We're pleased to be a core part of the virtualization solution that is helping transform Windows IT infrastructures into highly flexible, responsive and cost-effective environments."

For more information about how SoftGrid, combined with Microsoft technology, can streamline XP migrations, read the white paper "Using SoftGrid for XP Migrations" at http://www.softricity.com/news/collateral-request3.asp.

About Softricity:

Softricity helps enterprises simplify and accelerate software management with SoftGrid, the industry's first application virtualization platform. The award-winning SoftGrid utility computing solution transforms applications from products that must be installed locally into virtual services that are centrally managed and deployed on-demand to any Windows desktop, laptop and Terminal Services/Citrix MetaFrame Presentation server. By eliminating application conflicts and regression testing, and increasing change management responsiveness, SoftGrid expedites deployment, upgrades, patches and terminations. Global 2000 companies such as Mayo Clinic, Prudential, AIG, and Raytheon use SoftGrid to save tremendous time and money, enhance IT service quality, and transform into more dynamic businesses. Softricity has a multiyear Strategic Alliance with Microsoft Corporation and is Gold Certified Partner. Softricity is also a partner of HP and VMware. More information can be found at http://www.softricity.com.

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