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AWS Adds Enterprise Features to Desktop-App-in-a-Browser Tool
Amazon Web Services Inc. (AWS) has updated its AppStream 2.0 tool for running desktop apps in a browser, adding features for enterprise users, smaller companies and software vendors.
The service lets AWS customers supply desktop apps that can be streamed to users for use in an HTML5 Web browser, taking advantage of AWS cloud resources and pay-as-you-go pricing.
"With AppStream 2.0, you can provide instant access to desktop applications using a Web browser on any device, by streaming them from AWS," company exec Gene Farrel said when introducing AppStream 2.0 last December. "You don’t need to rewrite your applications for the cloud, and you only need to maintain a single version. Your applications and data remain secure on AWS, and the application stream is encrypted end to end."
Yesterday, AWS spokesperson Jeff Barr announced updates to AppStream 2.0, providing new requested features for enterprises, small and medium-size businesses and independent software vendors.
"These features will allow our customers to more easily deploy, access, manage and track the applications that they make available for use through AppStream," Barr said.
New features include: fleet auto scaling, which allows AppStream users to scale their offerings in response to demand changes as reported by CloudWatch metrics; image builder, for creating AppStream 2.0 images featuring specific applications; SAML 2.0 authentication; fleet management, providing new options to control the instances running applications; and CloudWatch metrics, wherein users can monitor things like running capacity, in use capacity, available capacity and so on.
Barr also pointed to a Try It Now site where any AWS customer can test the end user experience of the service -- with limited functionality -- using applications such as Excel, Firefox, Word and several others.
About the Author
David Ramel is an editor and writer at Converge 360.