Centrix, has launched the third version of its WorkSpace software, an application aggregator and publishing platform used by many FTS 500 companies.
WorkSpace 3 enables enterprise IT departments to pull together all their applications, regardless of the platform they are stored on and presents them in one user-friendly, browser-based interface.
Lisa Hammond, chief executive of Centrix explained to IT PRO that in an enterprise, the existence of a mixture of legacy, web and virtualised applications, each published in a different manner and behaving in different ways, was creating confusion for users.
"Fragmentation at the back end is causing a fragmented user experience, which is slowing down user adoption. If there's a clunky experience at the front-end, users make it clear that they don't like it, which puts pressure on IT to stop virtualising," said Hammond.
WorkSpace uses an abstraction layer that decouples how the data is stored at the back end, converts it using adaptors' and then presents it via a browser-based interface.
"As a user I don't really need to know where an application is coming from or where it is. Instead I can create a catalogue of all the services I need and drag them onto the desktop if I want," explained Hammond.
The latest version of WorkSpace adds an open API, enabling third parties to create their own adaptors, it also improves the interconnect platform and adds a much more visual look and feel, including the ability to drag and drop. Companies can also skin' the application to match their corporate colours.
Centrix also announced that Japan's eighth largest bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) has adopted Workspace 3.
"Centrix WorkSpace will transform how our corporate IT services are delivered and viewed," said Adam Mengham, global head of distributed systems at SMBC. "We have invested in a best-of-breed virtualised IT infrastructure and have created a highly efficient centralised IT environment. We looked for a solution that would allow us to have a rich desktop experience whist retaining the value of our thin computing strategy".
