Desktop management MokaFive Suite 3.0 adds Windows 7 support

MokaFive is launching version 3.0 of their Moka Suite today. The company is one of a number of competitors that offer products that could really help organizations improve overall reliability of their Windows-based desktop systems while reducing overall costs due to installation, administration and installing software updates. Their technology addresses the needs of Windows and Mac OS X users as well as addressing mobile computing. It also could be a major component of the "bring your own computer" (BYOC) movement in some organizations.

I've spoken with them a number of times in the past and think that they've come up with an innovative approach for organization's IT administrators (see MokaFive Suite 2.0: Granular approach to desktop management and MokaFive's approach to desktop virtualization for more information.)

What MokaFive has to say about MokaFive Suite 3.0

MokaFive™, the virtual desktop management company, today announced the release of MokaFive Suite 3.0, which introduces full support for Windows 7, improved security features and multi-tenant capabilities for managed service providers. MokaFive  Suite 3.0 presents a high performance, secure and cost-effective alternative to VDI.

New Benefits and Key features of MokaFive Suite 3.0 include:

Easy Windows 7 Migration  – Windows 7 virtual desktops are now fully supported, across all MokaFive features such as user-installed applications, VPN integration, and universal printing. By encapsulating Windows 7 into a virtual desktop, customers can now remotely deploy Windows 7 without a deskside visit.  And, if necessary, users can run legacy XP applications on the host environment, avoiding any Windows 7 compatibility issues.

Integrated Security – MokaFive has partnered with security leader AVG® to provide a built-in anti-malware scan to enable use of personal devices for business. With MokaFive Suite 3.0 enterprises can enable secure execution of the virtual desktop even on unprotected personal machines by ensuring that these machines are free of malware.

Service Provider Edition – MokaFive Suite Service Provider Edition enables MSPs to provide desktop management from the cloud by offering managed service providers true multi-tenancy, golden image management tools and consolidated cross-tenant reporting.  Service Providers can now provide managed desktop services with a shared infrastructure that is lightweight and easily scalable.

Snapshot analysis

Organizations are increasingly embracing server virtualization, the use of virtual machine technology to isolate individual server images and allow multiple images to run on a single host machine. Client or desktop virtualization adoption has lagged far behind even though it offers a number of significant benefits including improved security, ease of installation, supporting isolated and secure workloads on staff member's own systems.

MokaFive is one of a number of competitors offering approaches to managing, updating and securing desktop data, personalization, applications and operating system images that could help quite a number of organizations reduce their costs of administration while improving overall reliability and performance of their desktops.

The technology is interesting and yet, the company is not yet a household name. That can be attributed to a long list of competitors that are presenting different approaches to the same problems while using similar language to describe their own products. Can you spell "confusion?" VMware, Citrix, Virtual Computer, Neocleus and a few others are all attacking the very same problems in different ways.

MokaFive offers a simple, easy to use solution to managing and updating desktop systems. While it doesn't offer the management granularity of Virtual Computer's NxTop or have the market recognition of either VMware's or Citrix's technology that addresses the same issues, MokaFive's approach clearly should be evaluated closely.