Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
vice, additional packages are deployed using a management function
such as the Group Policy found in Microsoft networks or by way
of management utilities in heterogeneous network settings. Because
the base-plus strategy can deploy a particular package to a specific
system, group, or user, this system provides the greatest flexibility in
application selection, at the cost of a slight delay when a new user
accesses the system for the first time and triggers installation of new
packages assigned to that user.
•
Virtualized
—Application and desktop virtualization solutions allow
the automatic provisioning of system, service, and application suites
based on system, group, user, or role-based assignment. Because no
hardware preconfiguration is required, this can be the fastest setup
option for highly mobile business units or during disaster recovery
efforts. Once the servers and DNS namespace has been restored to
direct access to a new data center, any commodity hardware sys-
tems supporting the proper remote protocols can be connected and
updated functionality accessed automatically on the virtualization
host. Updates applied to the desktop virtualization host or updated
packages replaced in an application virtualization service will be
automatically available upon the next user access without requiring
update to the end-user device, though this can present a risk for data
compromise if not properly secured and maintained properly.
Note:
Due to the rapid growth of virtualized and cloud computing
environments, software and hardware refresh cycles should be considered
as related but fundamentally independent functions.
Update
Once a system is installed, configured, and deployed to its operational
venue, the maintenance cycle has only just begun. Threats and exploits
are continually evolving and presenting new challenges to enterprise
security, while new application functionalities and system updates play
a continual role in enterprise technology maintenance. A general state-
ment to encompass this evolution comes from the extension of Moore's
and Kryder's laws, and is evidenced in the major-release cycle of many
commercial software vendors: “A new generation of technology is released
