Executive Summary (This is a document excerpt)

A new virtualization specification, the Open Virtualization Format (OVF), was ratified this month, and lays the foundation for a fundamental change in how enterprises deploy and manage software. It allows ISVs to deliver applications that can be installed with a single click, even applications that span multiple separate server installs and have complex configurations. This development has ramifications on how users recover applications, clone golden images, and ensure license compliance. OVF can be a sea change for IT but will require wide adoption by ISVs, toolkits aimed at enterprise administrators (not just ISVs), and a big push by customers. Several ISVs are promoting this appliance delivery methodology, including Oracle and SAP. Will you? And should you?

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