Methods and systems for executing, by a virtual machine, an application program requested by a client machine

A system for accessing a plurality of files comprising an application program, the system comprising:

• a client machine;
• and
• an execution machine comprising a virtual machine that provides a desktop computing environment, the desktop computing environment including at least one characteristic required for executing a plurality of application files, wherein the client machine
• i) receives a file comprising access information for accessing the plurality of application files;
• ii) retrieves an identification of the plurality of application files and the at least one characteristic required for executing the plurality of application files;
• iii) determines whether the client machine includes the at least one characteristic;
• and
• iv) executes a client responsive to a determination that the client machine lacks the at least one characteristic, wherein the client
• a) transmits to a broker machine a request for access to a desktop computing environment with the at least one characteristic, the broker machine
• i) selecting a virtual machine that can provide the desktop computing environment and an operating system in which to execute the desktop computing environment,
• ii) selecting an execution machine executing a hypervisor providing access to hardware resources required by the virtual machine,
• iii) launching the virtual machine into the execution machine, the virtual machine executing the operating system, and
• iv) launching the desktop computing environment into the executing operating system on the execution machine;
• and
• b) requests execution of the plurality of application files in the desktop computing environment on the execution machine.