We have all, at one time or another, sat down in front of our laptop, desktop computer or smart TV with homemade popcorn to enjoy a movie on a streaming site. We chose a movie, and a website let us play it directly from their servers (or after spooling it on our devices). Although we might have not been aware of it, other people in other places might be watching that same movie with us.
Application streaming works along similar lines. In this case, people can access a software on-demand and only the parts of if that are required get installed on their computers. Other parts of the software are only accessed and delivered over a network when it is required. In other words, although the program runs from clients’ devices, the main code of the application is stored in a centralized storage location.
In a typical scenario, a client using a streamed application will start up the software locally on their device. The software contacts the server and downloads only the basic data required to initialize it. As the client continues using the software any parts of the application that are required are continuously being accessed and delivered to the local application transparently and without the users even being aware what is going on in the background.
Basic Principles
The way application streaming works is that the software is packed into a stream of blocks 4 bytes long that are continuously sent to and from the clients’ devices one after the other. The blocks are made of three parts: the starter, predictive and on-demand parts.
When a client starts the application, the predictive blocks are launched and start streaming. As their name suggests, they anticipate what the client is going to do next (and what they might need in order to do it) and set it up beforehand.
If the client decides to use a feature or function that was not predicted, the on-demand block is activated and sent out to the server. To save time and resources, the blocks can be cached on a local server allowing users to continue to use the application without having to be connected to the internet.
While using streamed applications, and if the connectivity between the clients’ devices and servers is excellent, the feel of using them is not that much different than that of using conventional, locally installed ones.
Ownership Issues
One of the first thoughts that pop into people’s minds regarding non-local-residing software is the “loss of control” over their applications. They assume that since the software, even if it’s just part of it, is hosted on a remote server they won’t have full control over it. But that is not true.
Just like with any application a license entitles full ownership to its holders – there is no difference when it comes to its place of installation or hosting. An enterprise that opts for application streaming can either pay for a hosting provider to allow access to its streamed applications, the host guarantees there is no loss or breach of data.
On the other hand the client can buy the application first and then look for a host to provide for the connectivity and hosting services separately. What remains the same is that they enterprise retains ownership of the product.
The Advantages
Using application streaming has the following advantages:
- It is cheaper. The process of implementing the method has a low overhead from start to finish. It is cheaper to buy one application and have it shared among clients than buying a set of it and installing it on their individual devices. It is easier to maintain the software – after all it is installed in just one location – in comparison to having to go from client to client for a simple patching.
- Easy access for everyone. All employees in an enterprise can be granted access to the application from anywhere and at any time – so long as they have a decent internet connection.
- Isolation of applications. Streamed applications run in an environment that is separate, or isolated. Therefore, when it comes to software, whatever may be happening locally on clients’ devices will have no interaction whatsoever with the streamed application.
- Running applications on multiple OS. As streamed applications, for the most part, run on their hosts’ environment clients with various operating systems (OS) can use them. This saves enterprises from having to update their individual systems to accommodate the application.
- Faster running applications. All files that are required by the applications can be cached on clients’ devices so the next time it is run it won’t need to connect to the server. The files are automatically updated – thus ensuring they are always up-to-date.
- They can be used offline too. Just because they are streamed doesn’t mean the applications cannot be run locally. They can be used just as if they were connected so long as an update is not required.
- Easy recovery. So long as the hosting servers are regularly backed-up disaster recovery is a breeze – the application and its data are far from the local machines where the risk is greater.
