Sojitz Systems Corporation, a member company of the Sojitz Group that is active in software development and application virtualization solutions, created the ThinApp Business Department, a special-purpose organization that will support application virtualization using VMware® ThinApp (“ThinApp”), and will provide full-scale support for migrating applications from Windows® XP, support for which will terminate in April 2014, to Windows® 7 and 8. Sojitz Systems also developed a browser compatible with Windows® Internet Explorer (“IE”), solving at a single stroke problems relating to software developer licensing policies and application revisions that can arise with application virtualization using IE 6 running on Windows XP.

Establishment of the ThinApp Business Department to Specialize in Application Virtualization

Support for Windows XP will end in April 2014, but it is still one of the top operating systems, and it is estimated that more than 14 million business PCs in Japan run Windows XP. Migrating from Windows XP to a new OS requires expenditures for modifying and upgrading the business systems and applications that run on the PCs, and in many cases there are major impediments to shifting resources for confirming system operation, and some migrations will not be complete before Windows XP support ends.

Sojitz Systems has gained extensive experience with solutions that employ application virtualization by ThinApp, replacing conventional techniques such as modifying applications and resulting in substantially lower costs and shortened installation times. With the establishment of a special-purpose application virtualization department, Sojitz Systems will provide full-scale support services for migrating from Windows XP.

Development of IE-Compatible Browser

Business systems and applications link server and client data using IE functions, and in many cases, modifying applications in conjunction with IE upgrades becomes a problem of OS migration. Virtualization of applications using IE 6 running under Windows XP can present problems when migrating to Windows 7/8 since the version of IE installed with Windows 7/8 is different from the version installed with Windows XP, resulting in different versions running under the same operations system, and software developers refuse to issue licenses for the applications.

Sojitz Systems developed an IE-compatible browser known as an IE component browser, solving web browser issues when performing OS migration. By using the compatible browser, users can perform OS migration through virtualization without breaching the license policies of software developers, and since the browser was developed in-house, it can be freely modified according to user environments and applications.

Sojitz Systems will integrate the ThinApp VMware with the compatible browser to provide total support relating to windows XP application migration issues from consulting to virtualization and after-sales support. The targets for the 2013 fiscal year are installations at 30 companies and sales of 500 million yen .

IE Component Browser

An IE component browser is a web browser developed using component programs known as IE components developed for Internet Explorer. Since the same HTML rendering engine that controls data reading, analysis, and display as IE is used, various browsers can be developed with the aim of improving functionality while maintaining the same displays and functions as IE. Google Chrome™ and Mozilla® Firefox® are well-known browsers that use IE components through expansion of functionality.

VMware ThinApp

VMware ThinApp is an application virtualization solution that packages the registry information and system files necessary for application migration in a single executable file with the virtual OS.

Features and Benefits
・ Packaged in a single executable file
→ No installation is needed and distribution can be completed simply by copying on client terminals.
→ Greatly reduces time and cost of new installations, upgrades, and overseas deployments.
→ Significantly cuts maintenance and operating burdens on system administrators.
・ Allows for complete isolation from physical OSs
→ Operation not controlled by client environment including OS or Microsoft Office version, language, and so on.
→ Multiple versions of the same application can be run in parallel.
→ Eliminates conflicts with other applications.
・ Creation of special-purpose systems such as servers is not needed.
→ Greatly reduces investment costs and labor.

 

About Sojitz Systems Corporation

Sojitz Systems is a system integrator that fuses SI solutions with network solution technologies. Under its customer-oriented approach that emphasizes high-quality, low-cost, and rapid service, Sojitz Systems uses its technological capabilities concerning systems, networks, and IT developed over many years as well as the global networks of Sojitz Corporation, a general trading company, to provide competitive products and services.

Sojitz Systems Web site: http://www.sojitz-sys.com/eng/index.html
Virtualization solution site:　http://security.sojitz-sys.com/virtualization/
VMware ThinApp installation examples: http://security.sojitz-sys.com/virtualization/case.html

* Windows XP, Windows 7/8 and Windows Internet Explorer are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.
* VMware ThinApp is a registered trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and other territories.