When to use: Citrix, Med-V and App-V?

Microsoft and Citrix have introduced Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) which has below benefits for an enterprise- 

1. Integrated Management
2. Enhanced security and compliance
3. Anywhere access from connected devices
4. Increase business continuity

The Microsoft VDI Suites can especially provide tremendous benefits for customers that want to optimize desktop deployments for the following use cases-

• Contractor devices/ third-party devices: provide managed and secured desktops to unmanaged PCs.
• Remote Offices with excellent connectivity: centrally manage and easily deploy desktops to multiple remote and branch offices, thereby reducing IT efforts at those locations.
• Task workers: offer choice of either session-based or virtual desktops to task workers, onsite or offshore.
• Regulatory compliance: VDI desktops are locked behind the datacenter, thereby inherently complying with strict regulations in industries such as financial services, government, and healthcare.

I am just in review phase and can conclude main difference between Citrix XenApp, App-V and Med-V as below-

Citrix XenApp 

1. Specially designed for session virtualization (with remote desktop services)
2. Resolves application incompatibility with Windows upgrades
3. User profiles are created on Citrix servers and user can easily access authorised applications.
4. Applications need to be installed on citrix server. It does not need applications to be installed on user's machine.
5. Users can access applications from anywhere (thru VPN) -- I don't know if it's a benefit or limitation? benefit as it supports mobility and maintains security ; limitation as it's not supported to offline mode.
6. Integrated with AD to manage applications by groups.
7. license cost would be applicable per user
8. supporting limited number of sessions
9. not applicable to desktop/application virtualization
10. No specific reporting to licenses or total application usage by users.
11. It requires less hardware than VDI
12. most cost effective than VDI

Med-V

1. Specially designed for desktop virtualization
2. Resolves application incompatibility with Windows Vista or Windows 7. MED-V delivers applications in a virtual PC that runs a previous version of the operating system (for example: Windows XP).
3. It helps deploy, provision, control, and support the virtual environments.
4. It can be easily integrated with SCCM
5. Reporting limitations as we need to check out logs from Med-V server for each machines (during multicasting OS deployment for large organization; it's difficult to track on)
6. Centrally managed via a MED-V management server
7. It does not work on a virtualized operating system
8. It creates a package with a full instance of Windows
9. It runs two environments on a single PC
10. It provides a mechanism for automating the first-time setup of virtual machines at the endpoint, including assignment of a unique computer name, performing initial network setup, and joining the virtual machine to a corporate domain.
11. It provides central database of client activity and events facilitating monitoring and remote troubleshooting.
12. It provides Web browser redirection of administrator-defined domains (such as the corporate intranet or sites that require an older version of the browser) from the endpoint browser, to a browser within the virtual machine.
13. It offers a unique method for managing an easy to support virtual desktop environment. It takes advantage of hardware independence enabled by virtualization, and maintains the exact same image across multiple endpoints. All user changes to applications or the OS are discarded once the virtual PC session ends, and the virtual machine reverts to the original image, as packaged and delivered by the administrator. This can significantly simplify management, support, and troubleshooting for virtual machines. Updates, patches, new applications, and settings changes are applied to the master virtual image, tested by the administrator, and uploaded as a new version of the virtual image to the MED-V image repository. The new version is delivered to all endpoints using Trim Transfer technology, removing the need to update each endpoint separately. 
14. MED-V provides a first-time customization process for every deployed virtual image, where the administrator can choose to join the virtual machine to an Active Directory domain. This way, administrators can patch, update, deliver applications, and apply policies using existing tools.
15. It supports offline mode (Offline work permissions may be limited by the administrator to a predefined period of time, after which the user must reconnect to the management server and re-authenticate. This ensures users are kept up to date with the most recent policy and permissions, and enforces expiration and de-provisioning settings on end users).
16. It maintains high availability (MED-V client operates independently of MED-V servers. If the management server is malfunctioning or has stopped responding, all clients already running a MED-V workspace may continue working. New attempts to start a MED-V workspace will run in offline mode. Only online authentication, policy changes, and image updates are unavailable, and client events are aggregated at the client side until the server is available again).

Note: there's alot features available in Med-V which are binding me to love it and apply it to production, Thanks to Microsoft for adding values... :-)


 App-V

1. Specially designed for Application virtualization
2. Ability to sequence true 64-bit applications
3. Multiple delivery options including dynamic streaming
4. policy based application management including microsoft group policy
5. It creates a package of single application and isolates from all other applications
6. It resolves conflicts between applications and reduce testing
7. It simplifies application delivery (eliminate install)
8. Interoperable with SCCM
9. Applications do not get installed or alter OS
10. Applications are virtualized per instance (incl system files, registry, fonts, .ini, com/dcom objects, services, namespaces,etc)
11. Multiple versions of same apps can be deployed together without fear of conflict
12. Virtual apps do not permanently occupy HD space if you reset them after use
13. some applications can not be sequenced; i.e Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat Standard/Pro.
14. Some apps should not be sequenced; i.e. CS3 and AutoCAD 
15. All workstations should have App-V clients.

Finally, I can reliable on Med-V until some more additions come to App-V.

Thanks :)