RES PowerFuse 2010 moves users seamlessly to VDI

RES Software's PowerFuse 2010 should ease Windows 7 migration

RES Software has introduced the latest version of its workspace management tool which has been updated to let users take desktop settings with them when migrating to Windows 7.

The system works regardless of whether an organisation moves to new PCs or to a completely new desktop delivery method such as virtual desktop infrastructure.

PowerFuse 2010, available immediately, adds several new features, including a Desktop Sampler that analyses user desktops prior to workspace implementation, and a new zero profile technology for storing and applying settings separately from the user's Windows profile.

These allow an organisation to migrate users to Windows 7 while keeping much of their familiar desktop settings, whether they are getting a new PC or their desktop is being migrated to a virtual machine, RES said.

Many organisations are now considering moving from physical PCs typically running Windows XP, to virtual machines running Windows 7.

However, employees expect to be able to take their personalised desktop with them, according to Grant Tiller, technical account manager at RES Software.

"With PowerFuse 2010, we can help transition users from one device to another, from one operating system to another, or from one access method to a completely different one," he said.

The Desktop Sampler lets an IT department or a RES reseller collect information on the applications users are working with, which printers and drive mappings they have, then look at the workspace model and configure what the user will see after migration.

According to Tiller, the look and feel of the Windows 7 desktop can be customised to let users feel more at home in their new environment, rather than simply moving suddenly in a "big bang" move.

"With Windows 7, things are in a different place from XP, but customers can control the look and feel of the desktop and start menu. It can be customised to their needs," he said.

The zero profile technology takes a user's preferences and stores them in their own Home directory, according to RES, eliminating the profile management issues that firms have had in the past.

"We can now populate the local profile from this when the user logs in," Tiller said.

PowerFuse 2010 also adds support for Microsoft's SQL Azure cloud-based storage service, which enables customers to store user configuration information in the cloud rather than maintain an SQL database for this purpose.

PowerFuse 2010 is licensed per concurrent user, and starts at at £30 per licence. An upgrade is available for existing users.