Rethinking application delivery for the hybrid world

Why bake apps into your OS when you can deliver them as a side dish?

Sponsored feature The modern workplace has evolved into a hybrid infrastructure with workers everywhere, using a constellation of devices. And since every workforce runs on applications, they need secure access to the latest versions of those apps.

Traditionally, a company deployed and updated applications by creating master images or using task sequences through tools like Microsoft Configuration Manager (formerly SCCM) that bake apps directly into the operating system. That's less efficient in this hybrid world.

Individual applications often require updates on their own schedule, making it difficult to co-ordinate them all. When an update fails, it can cause delays and other setbacks. Companies are turning to a more modern approach to application delivery called application layering.

What is application layering?

Application layering software such as Liquidware's FlexApp delivers applications as a virtual layer that's separate from the OS layer. The two layers attach at run time and interact during the user work session. This approach helps IT staff deliver, update, and manage the application stack independently from how they manage the OS.

"What it comes down to is how we deliver apps detached from the underlying operating system so that we can compose a workspace on the fly when the user logs in," says Andreas van Wingerden, solutions architect for Liquidware.

The application layering approach (which van Wingerden also calls dynamic application delivery), was born from virtualization. Now, admins can apply it to more than just virtual machines.

"We've taken that basic concept and said, 'Why limit it to just the virtualized space?'" he says. "In this modern day of hybrid working with all these new ways of delivering the desktop to the user, why not give them all the benefits of this dynamic layered approach to building up a workspace?"

A win-win for users and admins

Users might not notice that their applications are delivered in this new way under the hood, but they'll definitely notice the benefits when they use their devices. Application layering gives them the latest version of the app with all hot fixes applied.

IT staff also benefit from this approach to application lifecycle management because it automates many of the manual steps typically associated with application packaging and delivery.

Some apps don't even have installers and require manual installation. Now, admins can compile all these manual actions into one automated package.

"We have flexible automation and can just tie in to the backend repository," van Wingerden says.

Automating manual steps also helps eliminate errors and oversights. "We all know what the weakest link is at the end of the day," he quips.

Dynamic application delivery also simplifies rollouts and updates. "IT thinks they've rolled out an update, but it's completely missed the mark," he explains. "With FlexApp, you only package once and that's the same version everyone is using. The other version will get taken away and replaced with a newer one."

If something goes wrong or a user complains there's something in the new version they don't like, admins can flip a switch and roll back to the old version because the app is no longer baked into the user's device.

Application layering also offers security benefits that should come as good news for security staff and executives alike. Beyond ensuring that the latest hotfixes are applied (and rolling them back if there's an issue with them), they can also support conditional access to legacy Windows apps. That access can be added and revoked at will.

Getting started with FlexApp

Moving to dynamic application delivery with FlexApp does not require a significant overhaul of the application stack. Neither must you worry about where an app may or may not be able to run.

Admins only package an app once, and can then choose their desktop delivery method based on IT policies and user needs. With FlexApp, admins package an app once and can deliver it across physical or virtual Windows platforms, including Azure Virtual Desktop, Citrix Web Studio, and VMware Horizon, while choosing the desktop delivery method based on IT policies and user needs.

Application compatibility is also top-of-mind for Liquidware. Admins rarely think about the likes of Notepad and 7-ZIP because those are relatively easy to install. Installing and managing line-of-business apps is where things can get challenging for enterprise administrators.

FlexApp should be able to accommodate just about any application, including the standard Windows and specialized line-of-business applications that every organization has.

"We have 96 percent app compatibility, which if you look at the landscape of Windows apps is quite substantial," says van Wingerden.

Understand your application portfolio

Application layering can streamline app delivery but there are some steps IT should take to ensure it's heading in the right direction. It's important to understand the applications that you're about to include in this new virtually separated infrastructure.

One thing van Wingerden sees too often is companies using dynamic application delivery as a substitute for their own technical knowledge.

"If you go back to when Microsoft first introduced App-V in the Vista era, all of sudden it became a way for the business to no longer care about app lifecycle management because App-V would fix it," he says.

That's dangerous. Companies must understand the inconsistencies, multiple outdated versions, and vulnerabilities that exist inside their application portfolio.

Updating your application delivery method offers a chance to examine and overhaul your application stack. It's an opportunity to get your house in order, and that includes consolidating your application portfolio.

"You will always find 10 different versions of a browser, 10 different versions of Acrobat Reader, failed updates; all these things swarming about that the user never noticed because the app still works," he adds.

Part of this understanding also involves understanding where an application should run. Despite some industry rhetoric, the answer isn't always in the cloud.

"If an app relies on back-end systems that would cost an arm and a leg to move to the cloud, why make that move in the first place? If we have a hybrid workforce, why not also have hybrid IT?" he says.

Moving to a new method of application delivery is more than just a technical shift. It also requires rethinking the entire process for both the business leaders and IT.

"We've always installed software onto an OS. That's been the story for the past 40 years," van Wingerden says. "The challenge is for companies to shift their mindsets. I think the CSO will be on board, but a lot of admins are still thinking, 'Joe is part of the finance department, so Joe is entitled to have this app 24/7," says van Wingerden.

Business users might have to rethink what they really want. That doesn't mean Joe can't have his app. With dynamic provisioning of legacy Windows apps, that's something that admins might still want to accommodate, as long as they collaborate with business users to evaluate that app in the context of their wider stack.

Cost and time efficiency

Dynamic application delivery offers security, efficiency, and cost savings, especially when it comes to software updates.

"I've seen companies struggle with updating an app and having to wait on that update for 12 to 18 months. This can typically stall a major project," van Wingerden says.

Dynamic app delivery might also help convince some people that blanket cloud migration isn't always the answer. "We understand now why we have native apps for our phone. There are a lot of user experience benefits," he explains. "The same applies to Windows apps."

As the technology infrastructure that supports modern business operations has evolved, so too must the methods to support that infrastructure, he concludes. "We see more companies want that flexibility of dynamic app delivery as part of their desktop strategy moving forward."

Editor's note: This interview was conducted shortly before the passing of Andreas. We are grateful for his insights and remember him with respect.

Sponsored by Liquidware.