(Microsoft
APPlication-
Virtualization) Application streaming software from Microsoft that delivers applications to Windows desktops without installing them. Formerly SoftGrid from Softricity, which Microsoft acquired in 2006, App-V can be used stand-alone or with Windows Server Remote Desktop Services (RDS), but unlike the RDS modes, App-V applications are not installed in the server. They are installed once on a reference computer and "published" to the client as a package.
Combines All Necessary Components
An App-V package can include auxiliary software, such as a Java runtime or database engine, which may be required to run the application. Along with the greater control achieved by managing a single instance of an application delivered to multiple users, combining all required components into a single package makes deployment more manageable. See
Remote Desktop Services and
application streaming.