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SAN FRANCISCO—Amazon Web Services on April 9 launched something it’s needed for a while: a marketplace for virtual desktop users to find and purchase desktop applications to be used inside Amazon WorkSpaces.
The Web services giant made the announcement at its one-day AWS Summit 2015 here at the Moscone Center.
As usual, AWS is keeping it all as simple as possible. WorkSpaces’ virtual desktop users can access the AWS Marketplace for Desktop Apps, choose from a selection of more than 100 applications in 11 categories and pay by the month for the applications they use.
In addition, AWS launched a new application management service, WorkSpaces Application Manager (Amazon WAM). This app packages and delivers applications to WorkSpaces so that they run as if they are natively installed, but are centrally controlled by IT administrators for simplified maintenance and auditability.
WorkSpaces, launched last fall at the re:Invent conference in Las Vegas, is a managed desktop computing service in the cloud that gives users access to the documents, applications and resources they require from the device of their choice.
Until now, WorkSpaces customers did not have an easy way to search for and buy applications for their WorkSpaces instances. Users also have only been able to buy desktop software on an annual or perpetual license basis. With Marketplace for Desktop Apps, they can find and purchase monthly subscriptions to desktop apps in categories such as security, productivity and collaboration, business intelligence, and illustration and design—all from within the WorkSpaces console.
Customers only pay for the software they use. There are no additional contracts or invoices, and customers receive all software charges in their monthly AWS bill.
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