As a distribution mechanism, the advantages to the vThere.net approach are obvious. For starters, it takes much of the complexity out of protecting and securing virtualized images. They simply won’t run without authenticating against vThere.net and can be remotely disabled with a few mouse clicks. Virtual machines can also be configured to time out when working offline, effectively preventing the kind of “VM theft” scenario that gives IT personnel heartburn.

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In addition to hosted distribution, vThere virtual machines can be delivered as encrypted ISO images or burned to a CD or DVD for manual propagation, all while still leveraging vThere.net for authentication. But although this pervasive validation mechanism makes vThere attractive from an IT security context, it also creates a single point of failure outside of an IT organization’s control, a situation that some firms may find disconcerting. As with any hosted solution, IT shops would do well to carefully review the vThere.net SLA to make sure it meets their standards.

I tested vThere 2.0 under Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate. Installation of the vThere Image Creator utility was straightforward and included a customized version of the Parallels Workstation for Windows environment, which installed seamlessly with the rest of the vThere suite. Creating a new image took just minutes and I was able to save it to an encrypted ISO image suitable for burning to CD or DVD (you can also upload the image to vThere.net for Web-based distribution via the company's Amazon.com-backed storage network). Overall, the product’s interface was easy to navigate, although I was annoyed by the need to log in to vThere.net before working with the Image Creator tool.

One area where vThere shines is in its support for VPNs. The vThere GINA (Graphical Identification and Authentication) client, which installs as a log-on service within the virtualized Windows image, greatly simplifies end-user authentication by managing disparate VPN and Windows Active Directory credentials. For example, GINA is smart enough to detect when the user is operating on the corporate LAN and prompts for only the local network credentials.

Other interesting features include a role-based policy mechanism, which makes it easier to create standardized VM images, and support for third-party credential processing via RSA SecureID. On the whole, vThere is a well-rounded solution that addresses most of the major issues associated with VM-based application deployment. The vThere.net hosting component, in particular, is a compelling feature if for no other reason than it eliminates the need for any back-end server infrastructure. The challenge for Sentillion will be in convincing customers that the solution is truly secure – I’m convinced that it is – and that vThere.net is reliable enough to deliver the kind of around-the-clock uptime that demanding enterprises require.

Be there or vThere?
Both Kidaro Managed Workspace and Sentillion vThere offer excellent, base-level management functionality that matches or beats VMware's ACE offering. Considering Kidaro’s seamless host integration and Trim Transfer technology and Sentillion’s strong VPN support and robust hosting benefits, these solutions more than justify the modest price premium over the generic VMware solution. A preference for Kidaro or Sentillion will depend on how your organization’s specific needs match up to their respective value-added propositions.

If you’re mostly concerned with usability and you need to keep the solution entirely in-house, then Kidaro Managed Workspace is a great choice. On the other hand, if you’re managing a far-flung enterprise and don’t object to a hosted model, Sentillion’s vThere can take much of the stress out of managing a large virtualized user base, and it's a bit less expensive. In the end, both products are winners, so you really can’t go wrong.