Some of the assessment features being called out specifically by Quest include the ability to:
- Determine which users and desktops are a best fit for VDI, Terminal Server/RD Session Host, Application Virtualization, and physical PCs
- Comprehensively analyze and create detailed reports of current network, user, and application usage
- Assess the viability of a Windows 7 deployment via desktop virtualization
- Pre-determine desktop, network, data center, and storage needs before the virtualization project begins so that IT departments can build an effective plan and ensure success
Right now, the company is offering its Quest VDI Assessment tool as a free download. Although the tool is listed as freeware, the license key downloaded is only good for 45 days. After that, you must contact someone at Quest in order to continue to use the software once it has expired. According to Quest, an account representative will provide a new key that will preserve the data collected during the initial 45-day time period; however, not much else is known beyond that. One would hope that even beyond the 45-day period, the product would remain free of charge.
We know there is no formal support being provided by the company's technical support staff. All help will be coming from the company's community site, but that's usually expected from a free product. The key here is to make this utility easy to use and understand since there is no formal support and there aren't any services people holding your hand through the process.
Quest isn't the first company to become enamored with Liquidware Labs' VDI assessment capabilities. In August, VMware signed an agreement with Liquidware Labs so that VMware's Professional Services Desktop Virtualization practice could make use of the company's Stratusphere desktop visibility and assessment platform. Much like VMware, Dell Services is also now working with Liquidware Labs to help guide its own clients along the desktop virtualization journey. The server giant signed its agreement with Liquidware Labs one month earlier than VMware, in July.
With Quest Software, VMware, and Dell already signed up to use Liquidware Labs' Stratusphere software, the bigger question might be who isn't planning to use Liquidware Labs' technology to do VDI assessments. What else is out there? At this point, what else is being offered as a free download without requiring a services engagement to babysit the process with you?
Available now for download, the free Quest VDI Assessment utility can be used to start testing your own environment.
This article, "Quest signs OEM agreement with Liquidware Labs for VDI assessment technology," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Follow the latest developments in virtualization and cloud computing at InfoWorld.com.