In our company, we use GPOs to push software updates such as Java updates. We have about 150 users in different offices located in different countries, all using Windows 7. We have a few office-specific applications, and no user has admin rights.
Lately, in some of our offices, there have been occasions when users would require different versions of Java; one application they use would be needing version A of Java, whereas another application would be needing version B. The worst scenario is when different Java versions are needed by the same user, depending on the application (web application or standalone application) being used.
We have had this problem for a couple of users in two offices this month and last month. Until now, we installed the adequate Java version when needed. Obviously that was time consuming. For next month, we are considering having specific virtual machines or computers for older Java versions. But that is not the best of solutions either. What can other solutions be ?
How do companies handle the need for different (and incompatible) Java requirements on the same user ?