DataCore Software, a leading provider of storage virtualization, business continuity and disaster recovery software solutions, today announced yet another trailblazing customer – Homecare Homebase (HCHB) – that has met its most mission-critical business objectives through storage virtualization. With co-location sites in both the Dallas as well as Louisville metro areas, the HCHB IT team now uses DataCore to manage eight (8) terabytes at each site. There is an “Active-Active” architecture in place, whereby Dallas and Louisville-based customers run HCHB’s hosted application and also synchronize their data to each site across the Internet everyday. The system that DataCore supports in terms of backend storage currently supports over 15,000 concurrent users.
HCHB empowers the homecare and hospice industry to be more effective in providing healthcare to patients. Currently 4,375 office workers and over 11,000 field agents rely on applications running on HCHB’s IT systems infrastructure. Everything HCHB customers do is mobile and all of the applications HCHB offers these agents in the homecare industry are both mobile and real-time. “The combination of the VMware platform along with the DataCore SAN has really given us a lot of flexibility to more rapidly deploy consistent images of systems – especially in the Citrix farm,” explained Chris Kane, director of technical operations, Homecare Homebase. “In addition, the VMware-DataCore combination has given us much improved VMotion capability – where the SAN enables us to do maintenance on the host in the middle of the day, if we have to.”
Streamlining homecare and hospice efficiency
As part of the healthcare industry in general and supporting homecare and hospice specifically, HCHB’s customers benefit from the company’s hosted applications. They do so through two mechanisms offered by HCHB. One is the Citrix thin client space that HCHB hosts out of its Dallas and Louisville sites. The other is a Windows mobile device application called PointCare. HCHB agents and branch office users use these Citrix-powered applications to do scheduling, billing and reporting. The mobile agents that use those branch offices as their home base enter data in real-time on the mobile device, which is synchronized up to HCHB’s hosted synchronization severs at either site. “We at HCHB help our customers to provide better care for their patients,” said Kane. “Our customers’ caregivers are able to completely document their home health and hospice visits while they are caring for those patients – it is all done in real-time, on-the-spot.”
In terms of storage, before the DataCore SAN was introduced at both HCHB locations (Dallas and Louisville), the company was using a lot of local storage – scattered across many different systems. It had a couple of NAS (network attached storage) units that were in place – specifically Adaptec snap units, which had been working for some time. These were synchronizing data between both locations across a private connection. “We quickly outgrew the storage we had – both in terms of the amount of space presented by those units as well as the performance of those units,” noted Kane.
HCHB is a very big Microsoft SQL Server shop and tended to back-up all of its customer information using these snap units at each site to replicate for disaster recovery purposes. According to Kane, the units were just not able to keep up with the back-up planning and also the synchronization of the data. “The storage we had before DataCore became troublesome,” commented Kane. “We were in desperate need, not only of space, but also of reliable storage.”
DataCore partner The Mirazon Group served as a trusted IT advisor to HCHB in the selection process, helping HCHB review suitable SAN solutions, particularly Compellent and DataCore. On its own, HCHB looked at EqualLogic from Dell, LeftHand from HP, as well as EMC and NetApp. Noted Kane, “The DataCore SAN solution suits our IT administrative style better than the other solutions we saw. The more we looked at traditional SAN solutions – encompassing hardware, software and professional services – for us, these weren’t the type of solutions that we have typically dealt with. We have a lot of skilled technology people in house and we like to be able to get our hands on every piece of technology we bring in. The fact that DataCore is Windows-based gives us a little more control – particularly being able to manage the hardware ourselves. Moreover, DataCore gave us a full, high availability solution. Not to mention that DataCore is very competitive price-wise – so all of this made DataCore the best choice for us.”
A more consistent environment for customers + seamless maintenance for administrators
HCHB has two high-availability (HA) SANmelody™ pairs at both co-location sites. The company has full HA on all of the storage. There is a mixture of direct-attached storage (DAS) on its Supermicro SAN nodes, which connects through a Fibre Channel connection to additional Xiotech storage from an Emprise 5000. The DataCore SAN is fully dedicated for HCHB’s virtual environment. In terms of virtual infrastructure, HCHB is a VMware vSphere shop. All the virtual servers running within the VMware virtual infrastructure are plugged into the SAN. HCHB has also replaced its Citrix application tier and replacing all of its physical, Citrix “pizza boxes” with virtual machines. Future plans include hosting SQL databases on the SAN in 2010.
Virtualizing the Citrix environment with VMware and DataCore running in tandem has provided a real, tangible benefit in terms of system maintenance and administration. Before – with the physical, Citrix environment, the IT team at HCHB was very limited in terms of what they could do with those systems during the working day. “Just the patch management aspect of keeping up with all the physical boxes has been greatly improved in the virtual environment because we can deploy patch templates versus having to constantly update from Microsoft or other vendors,” added Kane.
Real benefit – for customers and for system engineers
With the SAN in place, the virtual environment at HCHB has delivered real benefits to customers and system administrators alike. These benefits are a direct result of the improvements made possible through these new virtualization capabilities. For instance, HCHB as a whole is able to roll out new services more rapidly and consistently. Moreover, the current databases and applications that HCHB uses internally to run its business, such as file servers (documentation that support internal needs) or Microsoft Office Sharepoint (that supports customers), have benefited – either directly or indirectly – from the VMware virtual infrastructure and the DataCore storage virtualization SAN.
In all, HCHB has 75 virtual machines running within the virtual infrastructure in Dallas and all are actively providing services. At the Louisville site, HCHB has 125 VMs online. At both locations, HCHB has duplicated both its storage and its SAN nodes. DataCore runs on Supermicro servers, mirrored to the same hardware at each location. Xiotech Emprise 5000 units have been added for growth and are connected via Fibre Channel to each SAN server at each location.
“It has been very rapid growth for us recently,” summarized Kane. “And I am very, very happy with the performance we are getting both out of VMware and the DataCore SAN at this point. The SAN has made a world of difference to us. There were many choices for a SAN – from a variety of SAN vendors. For us, DataCore was the right fit. DataCore gives us the ability to select and maintain the hardware of our own choice. It gives us the ability to have a fully redundant, highly available SAN – not just at the controller-level, but at the storage-level itself. That, combined with the price point DataCore’s portable SAN software offers – even when having to purchase hardware and licensing – is still much more effective than anything else we found on the market.”
About Homecare Homebase, LP
Homecare Homebase is a privately held software development company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1999 by industry veterans, Homecare Homebase offers a comprehensive integrated web-based software solution to improve the clinical, operational and financial success of homecare and hospice agencies. For more information, visit our web site at http://www.hchb.com or contact us toll free at 1-866-535-HCHB (4242).
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Trend Micro Launches Broad Strategy and New Solutions for Advanced Server Security Spanning Physical, Virtualized and Cloud-Based Servers
Trend Micro is introducing an advanced server security strategy that encompasses protection for the cloud, as well as products and solutions that help corporations address the challenging data protection, security and compliance needs of today's datacenters that stretch across physical, virtualized and cloud-computing environments.
Independent research and industry analyst reports indicate 95 percent of datacenters in 2009 are employing virtualization technology and 60 percent of production virtual machines are less secure than their physical counterparts. In fact, 88 percent of North American companies do not even have a virtualization security strategy. Additionally, datacenters are facing new and sophisticated attacks every day, putting them at a greater risk of security breaches.
Trend Micro™ Deep Security, the flagship product for advanced server security at Trend Micro, introduces a new paradigm for server security where the entire server is protected, including the operating system, network and applications layers for superior and comprehensive security, regardless of computing environment, virtualization platform or storage location. It emphasizes:
Preventing data breaches and disruptions by providing a layer of defense at the server itself, whether physical, virtual or cloud.
Lowering the cost of security management for virtual and cloud computing environments.
Helping to make possible compliance over a wide range of regulations and standards, including PCI, SAS 70, FISMA, HIPAA, and more.
Addressing immediate security concerns plaguing enterprises in physical and virtual worlds such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting attacks perpetrated by sophisticated, for-profit hackers.
"With datacenters becoming more dynamic, traditional security solutions break down due to unique challenges imposed by virtualization and the ever increasing sophistication of for-profit attackers," said Thomas Miller, executive general manager of the enterprise business unit, Trend Micro. "With cloud computing, servers, like laptops before them, are moving outside the security perimeter and can be co-located with unknown and potentially malicious servers. Trend Micro server security solutions enable protection for virtual and cloud-based servers that are susceptible to these unique risks and challenges currently not addressed by existing security solutions."
Trend Micro Deep Security provides advanced protection for servers right from the operating system to resident applications with a modular architecture that includes: A deep packet inspection engine with intrusion detection/prevention (IDS/IPS), Web application protection and network-level application control; firewall, integrity monitoring and log inspection modules. This protection is available for both physical and virtual systems using server-based software agents and, coming soon with Deep Security 7.0, using virtual security appliances specifically designed for VMware VI3 and vSphere 4 environments. Trend Micro Deep Security 7.0, the latest version, is the world's first security software that coordinates VMsafe API-based security applied at the hypervisor with additional protection on virtual machines to protect VMware environments. This version also includes new features designed to improve management and simplify compliance for a lower total cost of ownership such as: Event tagging to enable better workflow of security incident handling, the ability to create a "reference system" or known good state to reduce false positive alerts resulting from normal system updates such as patching. Other enhancements include integrity monitoring, log inspection, and SIEM integration capabilities.
Beth Israel Deaconess Physicians Organization Implements Trend Micro Deep Security
Beth Israel Deaconess Physicians Organization, the physician organization for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston MA, provides medical management services in support of its 1,500 members throughout eastern Massachusetts. In order to promote and improve the quality of care for all patients, it required a secure, flexible computing infrastructure, which is why it implemented a private cloud VMware virtualized environment. To further mitigate risk, BIDPO deployed Trend Micro Deep Security, which helps ensure sensitive patient data and computing applications are safe.
"We created a best practices defense-in-depth security architecture, knowing that we were going to be putting patient data on the Internet," explained Bill Gillis, director of clinical application services and technical director for the BIDMC/BIDPO EHR Joint Venture. "We really rely on the server security strategy that Trend Micro has brought to the table for us. It gives us an environment where we can bring virtualization to the forefront, to the Web, in a secure way so that we don't have to worry so much about security breaches."
Trend Micro Deep Security combines with Trend Micro™ ServerProtect™ and Core Protection™ for Virtual Machines, the company's anti-malware products designed for physical servers and VMware virtual servers respectively. This unique blend delivers layered and comprehensive server security now vital to business continuity. Trend Micro Deep Security, with advanced anti-malware protection, further adds to Trend Micro's ability to broadly deliver layered and comprehensive server security now vital to business continuity.
Pricing and Availability for North America
Trend Micro Deep Security 7 will be available in November 2009 with two pricing models designed to deliver maximum value to organizations. Deep Security is available for traditional physical servers on a per server basis starting at $885 per server. A virtual server license is also available for VMware environments with unlimited agents per host machine starting at $2100 per socket.
Trend Micro advanced server security solutions are part of Trend Micro™ Enterprise Security - a tightly integrated offering of content security products, services and solutions which is powered by the Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network™. Trend Micro Enterprise Security delivers maximum protection from emerging threats while greatly reducing the cost and complexity of security management.
Independent research and industry analyst reports indicate 95 percent of datacenters in 2009 are employing virtualization technology and 60 percent of production virtual machines are less secure than their physical counterparts. In fact, 88 percent of North American companies do not even have a virtualization security strategy. Additionally, datacenters are facing new and sophisticated attacks every day, putting them at a greater risk of security breaches.
Trend Micro™ Deep Security, the flagship product for advanced server security at Trend Micro, introduces a new paradigm for server security where the entire server is protected, including the operating system, network and applications layers for superior and comprehensive security, regardless of computing environment, virtualization platform or storage location. It emphasizes:
Preventing data breaches and disruptions by providing a layer of defense at the server itself, whether physical, virtual or cloud.
Lowering the cost of security management for virtual and cloud computing environments.
Helping to make possible compliance over a wide range of regulations and standards, including PCI, SAS 70, FISMA, HIPAA, and more.
Addressing immediate security concerns plaguing enterprises in physical and virtual worlds such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting attacks perpetrated by sophisticated, for-profit hackers.
"With datacenters becoming more dynamic, traditional security solutions break down due to unique challenges imposed by virtualization and the ever increasing sophistication of for-profit attackers," said Thomas Miller, executive general manager of the enterprise business unit, Trend Micro. "With cloud computing, servers, like laptops before them, are moving outside the security perimeter and can be co-located with unknown and potentially malicious servers. Trend Micro server security solutions enable protection for virtual and cloud-based servers that are susceptible to these unique risks and challenges currently not addressed by existing security solutions."
Trend Micro Deep Security provides advanced protection for servers right from the operating system to resident applications with a modular architecture that includes: A deep packet inspection engine with intrusion detection/prevention (IDS/IPS), Web application protection and network-level application control; firewall, integrity monitoring and log inspection modules. This protection is available for both physical and virtual systems using server-based software agents and, coming soon with Deep Security 7.0, using virtual security appliances specifically designed for VMware VI3 and vSphere 4 environments. Trend Micro Deep Security 7.0, the latest version, is the world's first security software that coordinates VMsafe API-based security applied at the hypervisor with additional protection on virtual machines to protect VMware environments. This version also includes new features designed to improve management and simplify compliance for a lower total cost of ownership such as: Event tagging to enable better workflow of security incident handling, the ability to create a "reference system" or known good state to reduce false positive alerts resulting from normal system updates such as patching. Other enhancements include integrity monitoring, log inspection, and SIEM integration capabilities.
Beth Israel Deaconess Physicians Organization Implements Trend Micro Deep Security
Beth Israel Deaconess Physicians Organization, the physician organization for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston MA, provides medical management services in support of its 1,500 members throughout eastern Massachusetts. In order to promote and improve the quality of care for all patients, it required a secure, flexible computing infrastructure, which is why it implemented a private cloud VMware virtualized environment. To further mitigate risk, BIDPO deployed Trend Micro Deep Security, which helps ensure sensitive patient data and computing applications are safe.
"We created a best practices defense-in-depth security architecture, knowing that we were going to be putting patient data on the Internet," explained Bill Gillis, director of clinical application services and technical director for the BIDMC/BIDPO EHR Joint Venture. "We really rely on the server security strategy that Trend Micro has brought to the table for us. It gives us an environment where we can bring virtualization to the forefront, to the Web, in a secure way so that we don't have to worry so much about security breaches."
Trend Micro Deep Security combines with Trend Micro™ ServerProtect™ and Core Protection™ for Virtual Machines, the company's anti-malware products designed for physical servers and VMware virtual servers respectively. This unique blend delivers layered and comprehensive server security now vital to business continuity. Trend Micro Deep Security, with advanced anti-malware protection, further adds to Trend Micro's ability to broadly deliver layered and comprehensive server security now vital to business continuity.
Pricing and Availability for North America
Trend Micro Deep Security 7 will be available in November 2009 with two pricing models designed to deliver maximum value to organizations. Deep Security is available for traditional physical servers on a per server basis starting at $885 per server. A virtual server license is also available for VMware environments with unlimited agents per host machine starting at $2100 per socket.
Trend Micro advanced server security solutions are part of Trend Micro™ Enterprise Security - a tightly integrated offering of content security products, services and solutions which is powered by the Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network™. Trend Micro Enterprise Security delivers maximum protection from emerging threats while greatly reducing the cost and complexity of security management.
CA Introduces New and Enhanced Solutions to Help Customers Gain Greater Return from Virtualized Environments
CA, Inc. today announced 12 new and updated Enterprise IT Management products that will help enterprises and service providers gain increased business value from virtualized environments. CA’s solutions allow organizations to realize greater cost savings, efficiency and flexibility from virtualized computing environments through comprehensive capabilities for IT management, governance, automation and security.
“CA Enterprise IT Management customers can achieve a balance between control and business agility when managing virtualized resources and systems,” said Ajei Gopal, CA’s executive vice president of products and technology. “CA solutions build on the management capabilities within popular virtualization platforms, but then extend those with enterprise-class, heterogeneous management for improved overall business results.”
Enterprises are increasingly relying on virtualization, with 31 percent of operating system instances virtualized in 2008 and growing to 54 percent in 2010, according to an independent survey of hardware decision makers in North America and Europe, conducted Forrester Research, Inc.* By simplifying and automating the management of virtualized and physical environments, CA helps customers to reduce business risks and deploy virtualization more rapidly and confidently in their heterogeneous production environments. Unlike many other providers, CA has specifically architected its technology for virtualization, including solutions for infrastructure management, service management, application performance management, business-driven automation and security management.
“Enterprise customers building VMware-based virtualized infrastructures can achieve higher levels of cross-infrastructure visibility and automation with CA’s complementary management solutions,” said Shekar Ayyar, vice president, infrastructure alliances, VMware. “CA and VMware’s management solutions present a compelling combination for joint customers to maximize the return on their virtualization investments and enable further expansion of their virtual infrastructure.”
New and Enhanced Products from CA Help Reduce the Business Risks and Increase the Benefits of Virtualization
New and enhanced products announced today for enterprises and service providers include the following solutions for Infrastructure Management and Business-Driven Automation:
NEW: CA Spectrum Service Assurance is designed to offer a single pane of glass to display the impact of the physical and virtual IT infrastructure on the services it supports. This CA innovation improves IT service quality and predictability by pinpointing the root cause of quality problems and risks to quality. It can also help lower IT costs by reducing trouble-shooting and speeding mean-time-to-repair. The product is designed to provide superior visualization of infrastructure in the context of IT services; a fast, flexible and accurate way to build end-to-end service models; automated analytics to help fix quality problems and proactively reduce risk; clear service reports for making good management decisions and for communicating better with business stakeholders; and integration with the most powerful, scalable domain managers to retrieve infrastructure, application performance and root cause information.
CA Spectrum Automation Manager r11.7 is designed to help customers streamline their IT processes through centralized application configuration management and dynamic resource provisioning across physical, virtual, and cloud environments. This new version includes rapid physical-to-virtual (P2V) and virtual-to-virtual (V2V) server provisioning to help simplify the adoption and expansion of virtualization deployments and enable quicker server recovery. It will also features extended support across VMware vSphere™, Citrix Xen™, IBM LPAR, Sun Solaris™ and other platforms for centralized management of heterogeneous environments—helping to improve cost efficiency, agility, service quality, and mitigating IT and business risk.
CA eHealth Performance Manager r6.2 is designed to proactively monitor the performance of data and voice networks, physical and virtual systems, databases, and client/server applications across physical and virtual environments. This new version is designed to discover VMware and other virtual environments, collect important metrics needed to maintain optimum performance, be alerted when performance approaches thresholds, and view performance of the virtual infrastructure and report on the collected performance metrics to validate expected service levels. The solution is also planned to feature enhanced environmental and energy monitoring as a valuable complement to CA’s virtualization management capabilities.
CA Insight™ Database Performance Manager r11.3 is designed to proactively monitor performance (providing both real-time and historical views) across DB2® for Linux®, UNIX® and Windows®; Oracle; SQL Server® and Sybase databases, whether they reside in physical, virtual or cloud environments. The product is designed to share this information with the other CA domain managers to provide end-to-end visibility into database health across IT. New capabilities in this version include continuous monitoring of databases in VMware environments—even across hot migrations performed using VMware VMotion™—without user interaction, as well as enhanced support for VMware performance through proactive monitoring of the VMware vCenter™ Server repository. Other planned features include integration with CA Spectrum Service Assurance; a new enterprise view for “at-a-glance” problem assessment; improved root-cause analysis of SQL performance and a unified browser-based interface for distributed and mainframe databases.
“Acxiom® is planning to use CA Spectrum Automation Manager in combination with other Acxiom technology assets to manage an internal cloud that increases IT efficiency and drives down cost,” said David Guzmán, vice president and chief information officer of Acxiom. “CA Spectrum Automation Manager will help Acxiom continue to deliver quality services while optimizing existing resources across our pool of servers by automatically provisioning/de-provisioning physical and virtual servers within our internal grid.”
In additional announcements last week and today, CA announced other new and updated products that help improve the management of virtualized environments, including:
Security and Compliance
CA Access Control 12.5 with new features to deliver comprehensive privileged user management and enhanced host access control;
Improved integration of CA Identity Manager 12.5 and CA Role & Compliance Manager 12.5 for more streamlined identity lifecycle management, including innovative Smart Provisioning capabilities;
CA DLP 12.0 with extended discovery, protection, and control of sensitive data, and new integrations to complementary solutions;
CA Records Manager 12.6 with additional features for information governance and content protection, as well as addressing compliance demands; and
CA Governance, Risk & Compliance Manager 2.5 (CA GRC Manager) with new features to further strengthen its role as the primary platform for management of IT risk and compliance information and initiatives.
Governance
CA Clarity Project and Portfolio Management helps IT to make strategic decisions about how resources are deployed and what can and should be virtualized for greater return. New features available in CA Clarity PPM On Demand enhance the ease of use, simplify reporting, leverage industry best practices and allow for quick access to critical portfolio information.
Energy and Sustainability Management
NEW: CA ecoMeter and CA ecoGovernance help enterprises to manage global sustainability initiatives, measure and report on energy and natural resource consumption, and help reduce energy costs across the datacenter and facilities. With these new solutions, customers can reliably monitor and track their energy savings from server virtualization.
Services and Support
CA also announced today new rapid implementation offerings for CA Spectrum Automation Manager and CA Spectrum Assurance. Rapid implementations are pre-packaged, fixed-price services and education that provide the experience, best practices and expertise that can ensure a fast and successful implementation.
CA’s new enhanced support maintenance tiers, CA Business Critical Support Plus and CA Business Critical Support Premier, help customers to increase their productivity with personalized support services and product training, including designated engineers who understand the impact of CA’s virtualization management solutions on their business.
Visit CA to learn more about CA’s EITM products, services, education and support that help customers get greater return from virtualization.
“CA Enterprise IT Management customers can achieve a balance between control and business agility when managing virtualized resources and systems,” said Ajei Gopal, CA’s executive vice president of products and technology. “CA solutions build on the management capabilities within popular virtualization platforms, but then extend those with enterprise-class, heterogeneous management for improved overall business results.”
Enterprises are increasingly relying on virtualization, with 31 percent of operating system instances virtualized in 2008 and growing to 54 percent in 2010, according to an independent survey of hardware decision makers in North America and Europe, conducted Forrester Research, Inc.* By simplifying and automating the management of virtualized and physical environments, CA helps customers to reduce business risks and deploy virtualization more rapidly and confidently in their heterogeneous production environments. Unlike many other providers, CA has specifically architected its technology for virtualization, including solutions for infrastructure management, service management, application performance management, business-driven automation and security management.
“Enterprise customers building VMware-based virtualized infrastructures can achieve higher levels of cross-infrastructure visibility and automation with CA’s complementary management solutions,” said Shekar Ayyar, vice president, infrastructure alliances, VMware. “CA and VMware’s management solutions present a compelling combination for joint customers to maximize the return on their virtualization investments and enable further expansion of their virtual infrastructure.”
New and Enhanced Products from CA Help Reduce the Business Risks and Increase the Benefits of Virtualization
New and enhanced products announced today for enterprises and service providers include the following solutions for Infrastructure Management and Business-Driven Automation:
NEW: CA Spectrum Service Assurance is designed to offer a single pane of glass to display the impact of the physical and virtual IT infrastructure on the services it supports. This CA innovation improves IT service quality and predictability by pinpointing the root cause of quality problems and risks to quality. It can also help lower IT costs by reducing trouble-shooting and speeding mean-time-to-repair. The product is designed to provide superior visualization of infrastructure in the context of IT services; a fast, flexible and accurate way to build end-to-end service models; automated analytics to help fix quality problems and proactively reduce risk; clear service reports for making good management decisions and for communicating better with business stakeholders; and integration with the most powerful, scalable domain managers to retrieve infrastructure, application performance and root cause information.
CA Spectrum Automation Manager r11.7 is designed to help customers streamline their IT processes through centralized application configuration management and dynamic resource provisioning across physical, virtual, and cloud environments. This new version includes rapid physical-to-virtual (P2V) and virtual-to-virtual (V2V) server provisioning to help simplify the adoption and expansion of virtualization deployments and enable quicker server recovery. It will also features extended support across VMware vSphere™, Citrix Xen™, IBM LPAR, Sun Solaris™ and other platforms for centralized management of heterogeneous environments—helping to improve cost efficiency, agility, service quality, and mitigating IT and business risk.
CA eHealth Performance Manager r6.2 is designed to proactively monitor the performance of data and voice networks, physical and virtual systems, databases, and client/server applications across physical and virtual environments. This new version is designed to discover VMware and other virtual environments, collect important metrics needed to maintain optimum performance, be alerted when performance approaches thresholds, and view performance of the virtual infrastructure and report on the collected performance metrics to validate expected service levels. The solution is also planned to feature enhanced environmental and energy monitoring as a valuable complement to CA’s virtualization management capabilities.
CA Insight™ Database Performance Manager r11.3 is designed to proactively monitor performance (providing both real-time and historical views) across DB2® for Linux®, UNIX® and Windows®; Oracle; SQL Server® and Sybase databases, whether they reside in physical, virtual or cloud environments. The product is designed to share this information with the other CA domain managers to provide end-to-end visibility into database health across IT. New capabilities in this version include continuous monitoring of databases in VMware environments—even across hot migrations performed using VMware VMotion™—without user interaction, as well as enhanced support for VMware performance through proactive monitoring of the VMware vCenter™ Server repository. Other planned features include integration with CA Spectrum Service Assurance; a new enterprise view for “at-a-glance” problem assessment; improved root-cause analysis of SQL performance and a unified browser-based interface for distributed and mainframe databases.
“Acxiom® is planning to use CA Spectrum Automation Manager in combination with other Acxiom technology assets to manage an internal cloud that increases IT efficiency and drives down cost,” said David Guzmán, vice president and chief information officer of Acxiom. “CA Spectrum Automation Manager will help Acxiom continue to deliver quality services while optimizing existing resources across our pool of servers by automatically provisioning/de-provisioning physical and virtual servers within our internal grid.”
In additional announcements last week and today, CA announced other new and updated products that help improve the management of virtualized environments, including:
Security and Compliance
CA Access Control 12.5 with new features to deliver comprehensive privileged user management and enhanced host access control;
Improved integration of CA Identity Manager 12.5 and CA Role & Compliance Manager 12.5 for more streamlined identity lifecycle management, including innovative Smart Provisioning capabilities;
CA DLP 12.0 with extended discovery, protection, and control of sensitive data, and new integrations to complementary solutions;
CA Records Manager 12.6 with additional features for information governance and content protection, as well as addressing compliance demands; and
CA Governance, Risk & Compliance Manager 2.5 (CA GRC Manager) with new features to further strengthen its role as the primary platform for management of IT risk and compliance information and initiatives.
Governance
CA Clarity Project and Portfolio Management helps IT to make strategic decisions about how resources are deployed and what can and should be virtualized for greater return. New features available in CA Clarity PPM On Demand enhance the ease of use, simplify reporting, leverage industry best practices and allow for quick access to critical portfolio information.
Energy and Sustainability Management
NEW: CA ecoMeter and CA ecoGovernance help enterprises to manage global sustainability initiatives, measure and report on energy and natural resource consumption, and help reduce energy costs across the datacenter and facilities. With these new solutions, customers can reliably monitor and track their energy savings from server virtualization.
Services and Support
CA also announced today new rapid implementation offerings for CA Spectrum Automation Manager and CA Spectrum Assurance. Rapid implementations are pre-packaged, fixed-price services and education that provide the experience, best practices and expertise that can ensure a fast and successful implementation.
CA’s new enhanced support maintenance tiers, CA Business Critical Support Plus and CA Business Critical Support Premier, help customers to increase their productivity with personalized support services and product training, including designated engineers who understand the impact of CA’s virtualization management solutions on their business.
Visit CA to learn more about CA’s EITM products, services, education and support that help customers get greater return from virtualization.
VMware Announces the Availability of VMware Fusion 3
VMware, Inc., the global leader in virtualization solutions from the desktop through the datacenter and to the cloud, today announced that VMware Fusion® 3 is now available. With more than 50 new features, VMware Fusion 3 makes it easier than ever to run Windows applications with Mac simplicity.
With the new built-in Migration Assistant for Windows, VMware Fusion 3 is more than two times faster than other "Switch to Mac" solutions. Users can move their entire PCs -- including applications, files documents, and settings -- to their Macs with a simple Ethernet cable, a FireWire cable, or even wirelessly.
VMware Fusion 3 includes more than 50 new features and enhancements, delivering a better-than-ever Windows on Mac experience. Key highlights include:
Performance, Finely Tuned. Support for 4-way SMP to maximize performance on the latest iMac and Mac Pro. Lower overhead and up to 2X faster resume time for a suspended virtual machine.
More Mac-Like Than Ever. Banish the start menu and launch Windows apps from the new "always-on" applications menu, even when VMware Fusion isn't running. VMware Fusion provides convenient new ways to experience Windows applications like Mac applications.
Optimized for Snow Leopard. Built from the ground up for the Mac, VMware Fusion 3 leverages Mac OS X Snow Leopard's advanced architecture with a new 64-bit core engine and native support for the 64-bit kernel, delivering even better Windows on Mac performance.
Ultimate Windows 7 Experience. VMware Fusion 3 will be the first to enable the full Windows 7 experience, side-by-side with your Mac, complete with Windows Aero and Flip 3D.
Best-in-Class 3D Graphics. Support for OpenGL 2.1 and DirectX 9.0c Shader Model 3 will enable users to run their favorite 3D Windows games and applications -- all without rebooting.
The release of VMware Fusion 3 has been widely anticipated. With more than 10,000 private beta users who have helped shape the features in the product, the VMware Fusion community is eager to upgrade to VMware Fusion 3.
"VMware Fusion gives us the best of both worlds," said Shandor Simon, director of networking services for Latin School of Chicago. "Our students, faculty and staff get easy access to the Windows-based apps they need with just a few mouse clicks. VMware Fusion proven technology made it easy to migrate our remaining Windows users to the Mac, while providing a safer, more reliable environment for our remaining Windows-based applications."
"With VMware Fusion, I have a rock stable UNIX base with the ability to run any operating system I may need, allowing me to take my complete test environment on the road," said Wil van Antwerpen, owner of Antwise Solutions, a software development company. "Now I can reproduce customer issues on alternative OSes, even when I don't have a direct internet connection to my lab. VMware Fusion 3 improves on this further by bringing Aero support for Windows onto your Mac with amazing hardware accelerated performance."
"I am a Mac devotee, but most of my clients are Windows users," said Donald Malm, who runs a consulting service. "The ease in switching between my files and my client's files when I am in Unity mode in VMware Fusion is exceptional. It allows me to stay dedicated to the Mac experience, but meet my customers' needs along the way."
"I am not a virtualization guru, in fact, I know very little about how it all works, but as an early VMware Fusion 3 user, I don't need to -- it just works," said Dale Puckett, director of operations, Brainworks Software. "At work I use a Dell laptop running 64-bit Windows 7. At night and on the weekends, VMware Fusion 3 makes it possible for me to continue my development using my iMac running Windows 7 side-by-side with Snow Leopard. And as a Microsoft developer, support for features like Windows Aero makes all the difference in the world. "
Availability and Pricing
VMware Fusion 3 is now available at the VMware online store and at authorized United States retailers for a suggested retail price of $79.99 and will be available at authorized worldwide retail locations beginning November 4.
Upgrades from previous versions of VMware Fusion to VMware Fusion 3 are now available for $39.99 at vmware.com/go/buyfusion.
With the new built-in Migration Assistant for Windows, VMware Fusion 3 is more than two times faster than other "Switch to Mac" solutions. Users can move their entire PCs -- including applications, files documents, and settings -- to their Macs with a simple Ethernet cable, a FireWire cable, or even wirelessly.
VMware Fusion 3 includes more than 50 new features and enhancements, delivering a better-than-ever Windows on Mac experience. Key highlights include:
Performance, Finely Tuned. Support for 4-way SMP to maximize performance on the latest iMac and Mac Pro. Lower overhead and up to 2X faster resume time for a suspended virtual machine.
More Mac-Like Than Ever. Banish the start menu and launch Windows apps from the new "always-on" applications menu, even when VMware Fusion isn't running. VMware Fusion provides convenient new ways to experience Windows applications like Mac applications.
Optimized for Snow Leopard. Built from the ground up for the Mac, VMware Fusion 3 leverages Mac OS X Snow Leopard's advanced architecture with a new 64-bit core engine and native support for the 64-bit kernel, delivering even better Windows on Mac performance.
Ultimate Windows 7 Experience. VMware Fusion 3 will be the first to enable the full Windows 7 experience, side-by-side with your Mac, complete with Windows Aero and Flip 3D.
Best-in-Class 3D Graphics. Support for OpenGL 2.1 and DirectX 9.0c Shader Model 3 will enable users to run their favorite 3D Windows games and applications -- all without rebooting.
The release of VMware Fusion 3 has been widely anticipated. With more than 10,000 private beta users who have helped shape the features in the product, the VMware Fusion community is eager to upgrade to VMware Fusion 3.
"VMware Fusion gives us the best of both worlds," said Shandor Simon, director of networking services for Latin School of Chicago. "Our students, faculty and staff get easy access to the Windows-based apps they need with just a few mouse clicks. VMware Fusion proven technology made it easy to migrate our remaining Windows users to the Mac, while providing a safer, more reliable environment for our remaining Windows-based applications."
"With VMware Fusion, I have a rock stable UNIX base with the ability to run any operating system I may need, allowing me to take my complete test environment on the road," said Wil van Antwerpen, owner of Antwise Solutions, a software development company. "Now I can reproduce customer issues on alternative OSes, even when I don't have a direct internet connection to my lab. VMware Fusion 3 improves on this further by bringing Aero support for Windows onto your Mac with amazing hardware accelerated performance."
"I am a Mac devotee, but most of my clients are Windows users," said Donald Malm, who runs a consulting service. "The ease in switching between my files and my client's files when I am in Unity mode in VMware Fusion is exceptional. It allows me to stay dedicated to the Mac experience, but meet my customers' needs along the way."
"I am not a virtualization guru, in fact, I know very little about how it all works, but as an early VMware Fusion 3 user, I don't need to -- it just works," said Dale Puckett, director of operations, Brainworks Software. "At work I use a Dell laptop running 64-bit Windows 7. At night and on the weekends, VMware Fusion 3 makes it possible for me to continue my development using my iMac running Windows 7 side-by-side with Snow Leopard. And as a Microsoft developer, support for features like Windows Aero makes all the difference in the world. "
Availability and Pricing
VMware Fusion 3 is now available at the VMware online store and at authorized United States retailers for a suggested retail price of $79.99 and will be available at authorized worldwide retail locations beginning November 4.
Upgrades from previous versions of VMware Fusion to VMware Fusion 3 are now available for $39.99 at vmware.com/go/buyfusion.
VMware Workstation 7 Now Available
VMware, Inc., the global leader in virtualization solutions from the desktop through the datacenter and to the cloud, today announced the availability of VMware Workstation 7, the gold standard in desktop virtualization. With Windows 7 support, enhanced 3D graphics, and many new and refined features, VMware Workstation 7 continues to transform the way technical professionals develop, test, demo and deploy software. The improvements help developers, QA engineers, sales professionals and IT administrators reduce hardware costs and streamline tasks, saving time and improving productivity.
VMware Workstation 7 is the most powerful, reliable and secure desktop virtualization product with the most comprehensive feature set. Enhancements include:
Best in Class Windows 7 Support. VMware Workstation 7 is optimized for maximum performance when running on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7 PCs and works seamlessly with Flip 3D and Aero Peek to show live virtual machine activity.
The Best 3D Graphics. Run even more 3D applications with support for Windows Aero, DirectX 9.0c Shader Model 3 and OpenGL 2.1 in Windows virtual machines.
Features Designed for Professionals. VMware Workstation 7 streamlines software development and testing with new IDE integrations for the SpringSource Tools Suite and Eclipse IDE for Java & C/C++ along with Record Replay Debugging improvements that make it faster to find non-deterministic bugs.
Most Advanced Virtualization Capabilities. Run 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems with up to four virtual CPUs and 32GB of RAM dedicated to each virtual machine.
"This year marks the 10 year anniversary of VMware Workstation, a powerful product that embodies our passion for innovation and our commitment to raising products to new heights with each release," said Jocelyn Goldfein, general manager, desktop business unit, for VMware. "Workstation 7 continues this tradition with support for Windows Aero graphics, SpringSource Tool Suite integration and much more."
Availability and Pricing
VMware Workstation 7 is now available for download from www.vmware.com/workstation for $189.00. Upgrades from prior versions of VMware Workstation are available for $99.00. VMware Workstation can also be purchased through VMware's network of resellers and distributors.
VMware Workstation 7 is the most powerful, reliable and secure desktop virtualization product with the most comprehensive feature set. Enhancements include:
Best in Class Windows 7 Support. VMware Workstation 7 is optimized for maximum performance when running on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7 PCs and works seamlessly with Flip 3D and Aero Peek to show live virtual machine activity.
The Best 3D Graphics. Run even more 3D applications with support for Windows Aero, DirectX 9.0c Shader Model 3 and OpenGL 2.1 in Windows virtual machines.
Features Designed for Professionals. VMware Workstation 7 streamlines software development and testing with new IDE integrations for the SpringSource Tools Suite and Eclipse IDE for Java & C/C++ along with Record Replay Debugging improvements that make it faster to find non-deterministic bugs.
Most Advanced Virtualization Capabilities. Run 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems with up to four virtual CPUs and 32GB of RAM dedicated to each virtual machine.
"This year marks the 10 year anniversary of VMware Workstation, a powerful product that embodies our passion for innovation and our commitment to raising products to new heights with each release," said Jocelyn Goldfein, general manager, desktop business unit, for VMware. "Workstation 7 continues this tradition with support for Windows Aero graphics, SpringSource Tool Suite integration and much more."
Availability and Pricing
VMware Workstation 7 is now available for download from www.vmware.com/workstation for $189.00. Upgrades from prior versions of VMware Workstation are available for $99.00. VMware Workstation can also be purchased through VMware's network of resellers and distributors.
Citrix Unveils XenDesktop 4 Virtualization Offering
Citrix is looking to tie together the disparate elements of desktop virtualization under XenDesktop 4, an offering that is designed to let businesses deliver any virtual desktop to any user through any model, including VDI and streaming. At the heart of XenDesktop 4 is Citrix’s FlexCast delivery technology, as well as the integration of Citrix’s XenApp application virtualization product.
Citrix is looking to bring together all the elements in the fractured and competitive desktop virtualization space under one umbrella.
That umbrella is XenDesktop 4.
Announced Oct. 6, XenDesktop 4 essentially comes with some 170 new features designed to enable businesses to deliver virtualized desktops to any user on any device through any model, including server-based, VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure) and streaming.
The offering supports not only Citrix’s XenServer virtualization technology, but also Microsoft’s Hyper-V and VMware’s ESX virtualization products, and VMware’s vSphere 4 platform. Company officials also said that integrating Citrix’s XenApp application virtualization technology into XenDesktop 4 will mean that application delivery is a part of the overall management scenario, improving costs.
The new offering, which will be generally available Nov. 16 and licensed on a per-user basis, comes as VMware and Microsoft look to bulk up their desktop virtualization capabilities, and as a host of established and smaller companies—such as Wyse Technology, MokaFive, Pano Logic, Wanova and RingCube—are offering their own desktop virtualization products.
At the same time, OEMs and analysts are anticipating an uptick in spending by enterprises on new PCs toward the end of this year and into 2010, thanks to the need to refresh aging fleets of PCs and the release later this month of Microsoft’s much anticipated Windows 7 operating system.
Citrix President and CEO Mark Templeton is calling 2010 a “watershed year for desktop virtualization.”
“Twenty-five years ago, the personal computer turned the world upside down, radically improving individual productivity and communications,” Templeton said in a statement. “That world is about to change again. People today need to work in entirely new ways, powered by the connectivity of the Internet, an explosion of new devices and the limitless promise of the Web.”
All that needs to be done without being tied down to traditional desktops, and desktop virtualization can do all that, he said.
The key to XenDesktop 4 is what Citrix officials call their FlexCast delivery technology, which gives businesses the ability to deliver any type of virtual desktop to any user on any device.
For example, XenDesktop 4 can offer a server-based virtual desktop for workers who share the same applications, while at the same time giving office workers who need more customization a hosted VDI option.
Blade PCs can deliver virtualized desktops to power users running high-end applications, while XenDesktop 4 can stream desktops to other users.
Citrix also has enhanced its HDX high-definition technology, which gives users of XenDesktop 4 a full desktop experience regardless of the device they’re using. The upgrades are aimed at multimedia content, real-time collaboration, 3D graphics and USB peripherals.
Dell is incorporating XenDesktop 4 into its larger Flexible Computing strategy, and Citrix officials talked about their expanded relationship with Microsoft. The new Citrix offering leverages enhancements in Microsoft’s Windows Servers 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Services and VDI Suites. The two companies also are working to integrate Microsoft’s Application Virtualization technology into XenDesktop, and XenDesktop 4 is aimed to take advantage of features in Windows 7.
Citrix is looking to bring together all the elements in the fractured and competitive desktop virtualization space under one umbrella.
That umbrella is XenDesktop 4.
Announced Oct. 6, XenDesktop 4 essentially comes with some 170 new features designed to enable businesses to deliver virtualized desktops to any user on any device through any model, including server-based, VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure) and streaming.
The offering supports not only Citrix’s XenServer virtualization technology, but also Microsoft’s Hyper-V and VMware’s ESX virtualization products, and VMware’s vSphere 4 platform. Company officials also said that integrating Citrix’s XenApp application virtualization technology into XenDesktop 4 will mean that application delivery is a part of the overall management scenario, improving costs.
The new offering, which will be generally available Nov. 16 and licensed on a per-user basis, comes as VMware and Microsoft look to bulk up their desktop virtualization capabilities, and as a host of established and smaller companies—such as Wyse Technology, MokaFive, Pano Logic, Wanova and RingCube—are offering their own desktop virtualization products.
At the same time, OEMs and analysts are anticipating an uptick in spending by enterprises on new PCs toward the end of this year and into 2010, thanks to the need to refresh aging fleets of PCs and the release later this month of Microsoft’s much anticipated Windows 7 operating system.
Citrix President and CEO Mark Templeton is calling 2010 a “watershed year for desktop virtualization.”
“Twenty-five years ago, the personal computer turned the world upside down, radically improving individual productivity and communications,” Templeton said in a statement. “That world is about to change again. People today need to work in entirely new ways, powered by the connectivity of the Internet, an explosion of new devices and the limitless promise of the Web.”
All that needs to be done without being tied down to traditional desktops, and desktop virtualization can do all that, he said.
The key to XenDesktop 4 is what Citrix officials call their FlexCast delivery technology, which gives businesses the ability to deliver any type of virtual desktop to any user on any device.
For example, XenDesktop 4 can offer a server-based virtual desktop for workers who share the same applications, while at the same time giving office workers who need more customization a hosted VDI option.
Blade PCs can deliver virtualized desktops to power users running high-end applications, while XenDesktop 4 can stream desktops to other users.
Citrix also has enhanced its HDX high-definition technology, which gives users of XenDesktop 4 a full desktop experience regardless of the device they’re using. The upgrades are aimed at multimedia content, real-time collaboration, 3D graphics and USB peripherals.
Dell is incorporating XenDesktop 4 into its larger Flexible Computing strategy, and Citrix officials talked about their expanded relationship with Microsoft. The new Citrix offering leverages enhancements in Microsoft’s Windows Servers 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Services and VDI Suites. The two companies also are working to integrate Microsoft’s Application Virtualization technology into XenDesktop, and XenDesktop 4 is aimed to take advantage of features in Windows 7.
Mware Fusion 3 Offers ‘Snow Leopard,` Windows 7 Support
VMware is planning to release its updated Fusion 3 virtualization software for Apple’s Mac and the Mac OS X. The latest version of VMware Fusion offers support for Apple’s recently released Snow Leopard and supports the upcoming Microsoft Windows 7. Fusion 3 also supports graphics such as OpenGL 2.1 and DirectX 9.0c.
VMware is preparing to release the latest version of its Fusion virtualization software for the Mac, which now includes support for Apple’s recently released Mac OS X 10.6 “Snow Leopard” and Microsoft’s soon-to-be-released Windows 7 operating system.
On Oct. 6, VMware announced it would start selling Fusion 3 on Oct. 27. The virtualization software is already available for pre-order through VMware’s own Website, the Apple Online Store and Amazon.com for $79.99. Those users looking to upgrade from previous versions of Fusion can purchase the software for $39.99.
Right now, there are a handful of companies that offer desktop virtualization software that allows Mac users to run Windows within a separate virtualized partition. In addition to VMware, Parallels sells its own Desktop 4.0 Switch to Mac software. Parallels recently updated its offering in August.
For a look at Apple’s Snow Leopard, please click here.
Apple also sells its own portioning software – Boot Camp – which is available from the Apple Online Store and Apple Website.
VMware is offering more than 50 new features with the release of Fusion 3. The most important is support for Apple’s Snow Leopard. Fusion 3 uses a new, 64-bit core virtualization engine and offers native support for the 64-bit kernel, which VMware claims offers better Windows performance on the Mac.
In addition, VMware Fusion 3 supports Windows 7, which is slated for release on Oct. 22, as well as the Windows Aero user interface and the Flip 3D navigation feature. For gamers and PC enthusiasts, the Fusion 3 software offers support for both OpenGL 2.1 and Microsoft’s DirectX9.0c Shader Model 3 graphics, which allows users to run Windows games and other applications on the Mac.
Finally, VMware Fusion 3 offers a new type of migration tool that can move a snapshot of their PC to a virtual machine within the Mac. The migration tool uses an installer and a four-digit code that allows the migration to happen automatically across the network. The Website Ars Technica has a comprehensive rundown on the how the PC-to-Mac migration technology works.
VMware is preparing to release the latest version of its Fusion virtualization software for the Mac, which now includes support for Apple’s recently released Mac OS X 10.6 “Snow Leopard” and Microsoft’s soon-to-be-released Windows 7 operating system.
On Oct. 6, VMware announced it would start selling Fusion 3 on Oct. 27. The virtualization software is already available for pre-order through VMware’s own Website, the Apple Online Store and Amazon.com for $79.99. Those users looking to upgrade from previous versions of Fusion can purchase the software for $39.99.
Right now, there are a handful of companies that offer desktop virtualization software that allows Mac users to run Windows within a separate virtualized partition. In addition to VMware, Parallels sells its own Desktop 4.0 Switch to Mac software. Parallels recently updated its offering in August.
For a look at Apple’s Snow Leopard, please click here.
Apple also sells its own portioning software – Boot Camp – which is available from the Apple Online Store and Apple Website.
VMware is offering more than 50 new features with the release of Fusion 3. The most important is support for Apple’s Snow Leopard. Fusion 3 uses a new, 64-bit core virtualization engine and offers native support for the 64-bit kernel, which VMware claims offers better Windows performance on the Mac.
In addition, VMware Fusion 3 supports Windows 7, which is slated for release on Oct. 22, as well as the Windows Aero user interface and the Flip 3D navigation feature. For gamers and PC enthusiasts, the Fusion 3 software offers support for both OpenGL 2.1 and Microsoft’s DirectX9.0c Shader Model 3 graphics, which allows users to run Windows games and other applications on the Mac.
Finally, VMware Fusion 3 offers a new type of migration tool that can move a snapshot of their PC to a virtual machine within the Mac. The migration tool uses an installer and a four-digit code that allows the migration to happen automatically across the network. The Website Ars Technica has a comprehensive rundown on the how the PC-to-Mac migration technology works.
Citrix Entices VMware Customers to Choose XenServer, Microsoft Hyper-V
Citrix is announcing Project Open Door in hopes of luring VMware customers to its own XenServer virtualization platform or Microsoft’s Hyper-V technology. The common thread in the migration pitch is the Citrix Essentials management software that integrates with both XenServer and Hyper-V. Citrix officials touted the management software while also arguing that XenServer and Hyper-V are cheaper alternatives to VMware’s vSphere 4 or ESX platforms.
Citrix Systems is kicking off a program designed to lure businesses away from VMware server virtualization technology and to Citrix’s XenServer product or Microsoft’s Hyper-V offering.
Citrix officials unveiled Project Open Door Oct. 14, offering free support, training and migration tools to enterprises that move from using VMware’s ESX or vSphere virtualization platforms to XenServer or Hyper-V managed by the Citrix Essentials management software.
N. Louis Shipley, group vice president and general manager of Citrix’s XenServer Product Group, noted the rise in popularity of the Citrix and Microsoft virtualization offering, and touted the management capabilities and cost of those offerings when compared with VMware.
“With the price of virtualization continuing to rise from other vendors, more and more enterprise customers are switching a portion of their production servers to the Citrix and Microsoft virtualization platforms,” Shipley said in a statement.
The project, which runs through March 2010, is aimed at businesses that decommission five or more VMware vSphere 4 or VI3 servers and replace them with XenServer for Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, in addition to choosing the Citrix Essentials management offering.
Citrix Essentials include storage integration via the software’s StorageLink technology, automated lab and stage management and dynamic workload balancing, according to company officials. The result is easier interoperability for managing virtual machines across heterogeneous environments, they said.
Citrix released Citrix Essentials in February, integrating the software with both XenServer and Hyper-V in a pitch to become the top server virtualization rival to VMware.
Those making the switch will get a free five-incident support pack for every five servers converted, plus a voucher for six hours of online training. In addition, the businesses will receive free migration tools to make the switch from VMware to Citrix or Microsoft.
In support of Project Open Door, Citrix also released statements from eight customers talking about their decisions for choosing Citrix.
Citrix Systems is kicking off a program designed to lure businesses away from VMware server virtualization technology and to Citrix’s XenServer product or Microsoft’s Hyper-V offering.
Citrix officials unveiled Project Open Door Oct. 14, offering free support, training and migration tools to enterprises that move from using VMware’s ESX or vSphere virtualization platforms to XenServer or Hyper-V managed by the Citrix Essentials management software.
N. Louis Shipley, group vice president and general manager of Citrix’s XenServer Product Group, noted the rise in popularity of the Citrix and Microsoft virtualization offering, and touted the management capabilities and cost of those offerings when compared with VMware.
“With the price of virtualization continuing to rise from other vendors, more and more enterprise customers are switching a portion of their production servers to the Citrix and Microsoft virtualization platforms,” Shipley said in a statement.
The project, which runs through March 2010, is aimed at businesses that decommission five or more VMware vSphere 4 or VI3 servers and replace them with XenServer for Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, in addition to choosing the Citrix Essentials management offering.
Citrix Essentials include storage integration via the software’s StorageLink technology, automated lab and stage management and dynamic workload balancing, according to company officials. The result is easier interoperability for managing virtual machines across heterogeneous environments, they said.
Citrix released Citrix Essentials in February, integrating the software with both XenServer and Hyper-V in a pitch to become the top server virtualization rival to VMware.
Those making the switch will get a free five-incident support pack for every five servers converted, plus a voucher for six hours of online training. In addition, the businesses will receive free migration tools to make the switch from VMware to Citrix or Microsoft.
In support of Project Open Door, Citrix also released statements from eight customers talking about their decisions for choosing Citrix.
Server Virtualization Adoption Growing Rapidly, Gartner Says
Currently only about 16 percent of workloads are running on virtual machines, according to Gartner. But that will jump to 50 percent by the end of 2012, and a key driver of the move will be SMBs, which are seeing price points drop far enough to enable them to take advantage of virtualization, analysts say at the annual Gartner Symposium/ITxpo. The Gartner analysts also caution businesses of all sizes to start small, but to keep thinking ahead.
Businesses aren't using server virtualization to the extent that many people might think, but use of the technology is going to grow rapidly, according to Gartner analysts.
At the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo Oct. 21 in Orlando, Fla., analysts said only 16 percent of current IT workloads are running on virtual machines. However, that's expected to increase to 50 percent by the end of 2012, and use of VMs will grow most quickly among small and midsize businesses.
Enterprises jumped on the virtualization bandwagon earlier than SMBs as they sought to consolidate servers, cut power costs and save on data center floor space, according to Gartner analyst Tom Bittman. However, by the end of 2010, there will be greater penetration of VMs among businesses with 100 to 999 employees than among the Global 500 enterprises.
"For years the entry point was simply too high for small enterprises," Bittman said in a statement. "But increased competition by server vendors has enabled smaller firms to embrace virtualization."
He said businesses large and small should take a cautious approach to virtualization, starting small. Doing so reduces risks and offers businesses time for a learning curve, as well as giving them a good foundation on which to grow.
Businesses also need to plan ahead for the changes—to both management and processes—that virtualization brings.
Bittman pointed out that virtualization is a way into cloud computing, but isn't cloud computing itself. It creates the changes required for cloud computing.
"What many organizations fail to recognize about virtualization is that the most important changes aren't technological, they are cultural," Bittman said. "Virtualization forces users to let go of the physical implementations of their services, and deal with their provider in terms of service levels and results. When a provider becomes a cloud computing provider, users need to do a more complete job of describing their requirements in service terms."
Businesses aren't using server virtualization to the extent that many people might think, but use of the technology is going to grow rapidly, according to Gartner analysts.
At the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo Oct. 21 in Orlando, Fla., analysts said only 16 percent of current IT workloads are running on virtual machines. However, that's expected to increase to 50 percent by the end of 2012, and use of VMs will grow most quickly among small and midsize businesses.
Enterprises jumped on the virtualization bandwagon earlier than SMBs as they sought to consolidate servers, cut power costs and save on data center floor space, according to Gartner analyst Tom Bittman. However, by the end of 2010, there will be greater penetration of VMs among businesses with 100 to 999 employees than among the Global 500 enterprises.
"For years the entry point was simply too high for small enterprises," Bittman said in a statement. "But increased competition by server vendors has enabled smaller firms to embrace virtualization."
He said businesses large and small should take a cautious approach to virtualization, starting small. Doing so reduces risks and offers businesses time for a learning curve, as well as giving them a good foundation on which to grow.
Businesses also need to plan ahead for the changes—to both management and processes—that virtualization brings.
Bittman pointed out that virtualization is a way into cloud computing, but isn't cloud computing itself. It creates the changes required for cloud computing.
"What many organizations fail to recognize about virtualization is that the most important changes aren't technological, they are cultural," Bittman said. "Virtualization forces users to let go of the physical implementations of their services, and deal with their provider in terms of service levels and results. When a provider becomes a cloud computing provider, users need to do a more complete job of describing their requirements in service terms."
VMware Revenues Up but Profits Drop 54%
Hypervisor maker VMware reports fiscal third-quarter revenues of $490 million with a profit of $38 million, or 9 cents per share of common stock. This compares with a profit of $83 million or 21 cents per share on $472 million in sales in the same period a year ago, an abrupt 54 percent year-over-year drop in earnings.
Enterprise virtualization market leader VMware, like just about everybody else in IT, is still feeling the pinch of a slow-recovering world economy, but it appears to be holding its own in the face of a nagging buying slowdown.
The hypervisor maker, majority owned by storage giant EMC, reported on Oct. 21 fiscal third-quarter revenues of $490 million with a profit of $38 million, or 9 cents per share of common stock. This is compared with a profit of $83 million, or 21 cents a share, on $472 million in sales in the same period a year ago—an abrupt 54 percent year-over-year drop in earnings.
VMware beat some Wall Street forecasts in overall revenue but not in profit. Analysts surveyed by FactSet Research Systems, as reported by MarketWatch, had predicted VMware earnings of 20 cents per share on $473 million in revenue.
VMware shares improved slightly to $45.45 per share in after-hours trading on Oct. 21. Investors are obviously bullish on the company; a year ago, the stock was selling for $18.73.
Last quarter, VMware spent $362 million to acquire Java development tool maker SpringSource, which will help optimize development of enterprise data center middleware for cloud computing.
Company executives projected fourth-quarter revenue to jump substantially to between $540 million and $560 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, the Wall Street Journal reported, expect $523 million.
Looking further out, VMware said in its guidance that the first quarter 2010 would be "down sequentially," but did not provide specifics.
Enterprise virtualization market leader VMware, like just about everybody else in IT, is still feeling the pinch of a slow-recovering world economy, but it appears to be holding its own in the face of a nagging buying slowdown.
The hypervisor maker, majority owned by storage giant EMC, reported on Oct. 21 fiscal third-quarter revenues of $490 million with a profit of $38 million, or 9 cents per share of common stock. This is compared with a profit of $83 million, or 21 cents a share, on $472 million in sales in the same period a year ago—an abrupt 54 percent year-over-year drop in earnings.
VMware beat some Wall Street forecasts in overall revenue but not in profit. Analysts surveyed by FactSet Research Systems, as reported by MarketWatch, had predicted VMware earnings of 20 cents per share on $473 million in revenue.
VMware shares improved slightly to $45.45 per share in after-hours trading on Oct. 21. Investors are obviously bullish on the company; a year ago, the stock was selling for $18.73.
Last quarter, VMware spent $362 million to acquire Java development tool maker SpringSource, which will help optimize development of enterprise data center middleware for cloud computing.
Company executives projected fourth-quarter revenue to jump substantially to between $540 million and $560 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, the Wall Street Journal reported, expect $523 million.
Looking further out, VMware said in its guidance that the first quarter 2010 would be "down sequentially," but did not provide specifics.
CA Bulks Up Virtualization Offerings
CA is rolling out new and enhanced management software for virtualized environments. The new capabilities are designed to make it easier to deploy and manage these virtualized environments, and come as enterprises continue to expand their use of virtualization technology.
CA is ramping up its virtualization management offerings with new and enhanced products aimed at easing the tasks of implementing and securing virtualized environments.
The new offerings, announced Oct. 26, touch on everything from management and compliance to automation and energy efficiency.
“There’s a tremendous amount of focus around how do you manage a virtualized architecture and how do you take along the physical [systems],” Stephen Elliot, vice president of strategy for CA’s Infrastructure Management and Automation business unit.
Adding to the discussion is the growing interest in the cloud computing model, of which virtualization is a foundation technology, Elliot said. For many enterprises, that means private clouds that can be deployed within their own
“Virtualization will grow, but you won’t virtualize everything,” he said. “A lot of people are asking, ‘How do I deploy a private cloud?’”
Analysts are continuing to predict a healthy future for virtualization in the data center. Forrester Research said in a reporter in February that 31 percent of operating systems currently are virtualized, and that number will jump to 59 percent in 2011. In addition, Gartner analysts at their Symposium/ITxpo event Oct. 21 that while currently, only 16 percent of IT workloads currently are running on virtual machines, that will grow to 50 percent by the end of 2012.
All that’s being drive by the need for greater energy efficiency and flexibility, and the desire to drive down capital and operating expenses. It also is increasing the management headaches as virtualized environments grow in size and complexity.
CA’s management software is designed to ease those headaches, Elliot said.
Among CA’s new offerings is Spectrum Service Assurance, which is designed to give IT administrators greater visibility into their virtualized environments, and how their virtualized and physical environments impact the services those systems support.
In addition, CA is expanding the capabilities of its eHealth Performance Manager r6.2 to cover virtualized environments from VMware and other vendors, Elliot said. It also includes enhanced environmental and energy monitoring.
In that same vein, CA’s new ecoMeter and ecoGovernance tools gives IT administrators the ability to track the energy savings derived from server virtualization.
Enhancements to Spectrum Automation Manager r11.7 includes faster physical-to-virtual and virtual-to-virtual provisioning, expanded support for such virtualization platforms as VMware’s vSphere 4, Citrix Systems’ Xen, IBM’s LPAR and the virtualization technology in Sun Microsystems’ Solaris OS.
Insight Database Performance Manager r11.3 lets administrators monitor the performance of their databases—including IBM’s DB2, Oracle, Microsoft’s SQL Server and Sybase—in physical, virtual and cloud environments. Administrators get automated views of these databases in VMware environments.
On the security side, CA is offering upgraded capabilities in its Access Control 12.5, Identity Manager 12.5, Role and Compliance Manager 12.5, Records Manager 12.6, and Governance, Risk and Compliance manager 2.5.
CA is ramping up its virtualization management offerings with new and enhanced products aimed at easing the tasks of implementing and securing virtualized environments.
The new offerings, announced Oct. 26, touch on everything from management and compliance to automation and energy efficiency.
“There’s a tremendous amount of focus around how do you manage a virtualized architecture and how do you take along the physical [systems],” Stephen Elliot, vice president of strategy for CA’s Infrastructure Management and Automation business unit.
Adding to the discussion is the growing interest in the cloud computing model, of which virtualization is a foundation technology, Elliot said. For many enterprises, that means private clouds that can be deployed within their own
“Virtualization will grow, but you won’t virtualize everything,” he said. “A lot of people are asking, ‘How do I deploy a private cloud?’”
Analysts are continuing to predict a healthy future for virtualization in the data center. Forrester Research said in a reporter in February that 31 percent of operating systems currently are virtualized, and that number will jump to 59 percent in 2011. In addition, Gartner analysts at their Symposium/ITxpo event Oct. 21 that while currently, only 16 percent of IT workloads currently are running on virtual machines, that will grow to 50 percent by the end of 2012.
All that’s being drive by the need for greater energy efficiency and flexibility, and the desire to drive down capital and operating expenses. It also is increasing the management headaches as virtualized environments grow in size and complexity.
CA’s management software is designed to ease those headaches, Elliot said.
Among CA’s new offerings is Spectrum Service Assurance, which is designed to give IT administrators greater visibility into their virtualized environments, and how their virtualized and physical environments impact the services those systems support.
In addition, CA is expanding the capabilities of its eHealth Performance Manager r6.2 to cover virtualized environments from VMware and other vendors, Elliot said. It also includes enhanced environmental and energy monitoring.
In that same vein, CA’s new ecoMeter and ecoGovernance tools gives IT administrators the ability to track the energy savings derived from server virtualization.
Enhancements to Spectrum Automation Manager r11.7 includes faster physical-to-virtual and virtual-to-virtual provisioning, expanded support for such virtualization platforms as VMware’s vSphere 4, Citrix Systems’ Xen, IBM’s LPAR and the virtualization technology in Sun Microsystems’ Solaris OS.
Insight Database Performance Manager r11.3 lets administrators monitor the performance of their databases—including IBM’s DB2, Oracle, Microsoft’s SQL Server and Sybase—in physical, virtual and cloud environments. Administrators get automated views of these databases in VMware environments.
On the security side, CA is offering upgraded capabilities in its Access Control 12.5, Identity Manager 12.5, Role and Compliance Manager 12.5, Records Manager 12.6, and Governance, Risk and Compliance manager 2.5.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Intercept Secures Virtual Solutions Portfolio with CRYPTOCard
CRYPTOCard, a leading developer of two-factor authentication (2FA) technology, today announced that award winning virtualisation and cloud computing specialists, Intercept, is the latest company to adopt its award winning managed authentication service CRYPTO-MAS.
Bundling CRYPTO-MAS into its portfolio of virtual application and network services, Intercept is able to deliver added value and security to its customers’ IT infrastructures.
Gary Collins, CIO of Intercept, a business which has virtualised more than 5,000 servers and over 100,000 desktops across the UK commented; “Adopting CRYPTOCard’s managed authentication service is a natural fit for our business, as we place great importance on offering customers leading edge managed services capabilities with proven security.”
“During the past two years we have seen our revenue grow 83 percent, with managed services being the powerhouse of this trend, increasing by more than 400 percent in the last two years, and now accounting for 30 percent of revenues. This tremendous increase in demand makes the alliance with CRYPTOCard very beneficial as it will strengthen our portfolio and help to offer greater value to our customers,” says Gary.
Intercept will be working closely with CRYPTOCard to educate customers on the benefits of access security when building virtual networks to support flexible working based around Citrix and Microsoft environments.
“This relationship adds weight to our strong belief that virtual or cloud based services are fast coming of age and service providers like Intercept can take advantage of our Passwords-as-a-Service solution to add that essential security element,” says Neil Hollister, CEO of CRYPTOCard.
Hollister adds; “Recent reports by analysts and the media continue to highlight the need for security to sit alongside both private and public cloud networks. We are proud to be able to demonstrate our innovation and thought leadership by deploying CRYPTO-MAS to Intercept customers”.
CRYPTO-MAS is a unique managed service which provides a flexible, affordable solution using two-factor authentication technology to positively identify individuals before giving them access to applications, data and networks. CRYPTO-MAS simply sits in front of a company’s access network – no hardware or software installation is required. High levels of security can be provided in a matter of minutes.
Bundling CRYPTO-MAS into its portfolio of virtual application and network services, Intercept is able to deliver added value and security to its customers’ IT infrastructures.
Gary Collins, CIO of Intercept, a business which has virtualised more than 5,000 servers and over 100,000 desktops across the UK commented; “Adopting CRYPTOCard’s managed authentication service is a natural fit for our business, as we place great importance on offering customers leading edge managed services capabilities with proven security.”
“During the past two years we have seen our revenue grow 83 percent, with managed services being the powerhouse of this trend, increasing by more than 400 percent in the last two years, and now accounting for 30 percent of revenues. This tremendous increase in demand makes the alliance with CRYPTOCard very beneficial as it will strengthen our portfolio and help to offer greater value to our customers,” says Gary.
Intercept will be working closely with CRYPTOCard to educate customers on the benefits of access security when building virtual networks to support flexible working based around Citrix and Microsoft environments.
“This relationship adds weight to our strong belief that virtual or cloud based services are fast coming of age and service providers like Intercept can take advantage of our Passwords-as-a-Service solution to add that essential security element,” says Neil Hollister, CEO of CRYPTOCard.
Hollister adds; “Recent reports by analysts and the media continue to highlight the need for security to sit alongside both private and public cloud networks. We are proud to be able to demonstrate our innovation and thought leadership by deploying CRYPTO-MAS to Intercept customers”.
CRYPTO-MAS is a unique managed service which provides a flexible, affordable solution using two-factor authentication technology to positively identify individuals before giving them access to applications, data and networks. CRYPTO-MAS simply sits in front of a company’s access network – no hardware or software installation is required. High levels of security can be provided in a matter of minutes.
StorageCraft Partners with Doyenz
StorageCraft Technology Corporation and Doyenz, Inc. today announced at SMB Nation a partnership to provide small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) easy, secure and affordable backup, disaster recovery and migration services from near line to the cloud.
This partnership will allow SMBs to replicate point-in-time backup images created using StorageCraft ShadowProtect™, and transfer them to the cloud with the Doyenz ShadowCloud™ platform. ShadowProtect, the award-winning line of disk-based backup, disaster recovery and migration technology, creates these backup images which are securely stored and made available offsite in the Doyenz ShadowCloud – either for file and folder recovery or to be restored and run as a virtual machine in the event of a production failure.
Doyenz delivers a virtualization and cloud-based managed service platform that provides Active Disaster Recovery, Failover in the Cloud and Migrations in the Cloud for the SMB market. Its partnership with StorageCraft will make it easy for SMBs to leverage both technologies to secure their valuable systems and data. StorageCraft is a provider of innovative disaster recovery, system migration, data protection and security solutions for servers, desktops and laptops.
“We are very pleased to be offering such flexibility in our support for both physical and virtual environments through our partnership with StorageCraft,” said Ashutosh Tiwary, CEO, Doyenz. “By combining the two solutions, clients recover rapidly both onsite and in the cloud, while the trusted business advisor derives a significantly better ROI by leveraging their cloud storage dollars with additional cloud services.”
“This partnership is a complementary fit because it will allow SMBs to quickly, easily and affordably backup their servers to the cloud,” said Curt James, vice president of marketing and business development at StorageCraft. “Doyenz ShadowCloud allows IT administrators to automatically save their StorageCraft ShadowProtect images in an offsite location, where they can be automatically restored as virtual machines and used for failover in the cloud, or to perform migrations, testing or upgrades. In the event of a disaster, you can failover to the cloud in a matter of minutes.”
Managing Daily Backups
StorageCraft ShadowProtect can create backup image files of a server at 15 minute intervals throughout the day, and then consolidate these incremental files with ShadowProtect Image Manager. The consolidated images are then transferred to the Doyenz ShadowCloud platform where the machine is replicated and available for disaster recovery and testing.
IT administrators can access and restore production system backups as virtual machines in a secure lab for testing and migration, or in a full failover mode for disaster recovery.
The Doyenz ShadowCloud platform provides another level of protection for IT service providers by replicating StorageCraft ShadowProtect backup images from a near line disk location – such as USB, NAS or SAN – to the cloud. By using a near line to offsite method for disaster recovery and business continuity planning, the Doyenz ShadowCloud platform and StorageCraft ShadowProtect together ensure systems and critical data are protected in all disaster scenarios.
Pricing and Availability
StorageCraft ShadowProtect Server Edition™ and ShadowProtect Small Business Server Edition™ are available from the StorageCraft Web site, through Lifeboat Distribution and through additional authorized StorageCraft distributors, managed service providers (MSPs) and value-added resellers (VARs). Volume discounts are available.
The Doyenz ShadowCloud is an affordable SaaS subscription offering currently available through its MSPs and VARs.
About StorageCraft Technology Corporation
StorageCraft Technology Corporation provides innovative disk-based backup, disaster recovery, system migration, data protection and security solutions for servers, desktops and laptops. StorageCraft delivers software products that reduce downtime, improve security and stability for systems and data and lower the total cost of ownership for servers, desktops and laptops.
www.storagecraft.com
This partnership will allow SMBs to replicate point-in-time backup images created using StorageCraft ShadowProtect™, and transfer them to the cloud with the Doyenz ShadowCloud™ platform. ShadowProtect, the award-winning line of disk-based backup, disaster recovery and migration technology, creates these backup images which are securely stored and made available offsite in the Doyenz ShadowCloud – either for file and folder recovery or to be restored and run as a virtual machine in the event of a production failure.
Doyenz delivers a virtualization and cloud-based managed service platform that provides Active Disaster Recovery, Failover in the Cloud and Migrations in the Cloud for the SMB market. Its partnership with StorageCraft will make it easy for SMBs to leverage both technologies to secure their valuable systems and data. StorageCraft is a provider of innovative disaster recovery, system migration, data protection and security solutions for servers, desktops and laptops.
“We are very pleased to be offering such flexibility in our support for both physical and virtual environments through our partnership with StorageCraft,” said Ashutosh Tiwary, CEO, Doyenz. “By combining the two solutions, clients recover rapidly both onsite and in the cloud, while the trusted business advisor derives a significantly better ROI by leveraging their cloud storage dollars with additional cloud services.”
“This partnership is a complementary fit because it will allow SMBs to quickly, easily and affordably backup their servers to the cloud,” said Curt James, vice president of marketing and business development at StorageCraft. “Doyenz ShadowCloud allows IT administrators to automatically save their StorageCraft ShadowProtect images in an offsite location, where they can be automatically restored as virtual machines and used for failover in the cloud, or to perform migrations, testing or upgrades. In the event of a disaster, you can failover to the cloud in a matter of minutes.”
Managing Daily Backups
StorageCraft ShadowProtect can create backup image files of a server at 15 minute intervals throughout the day, and then consolidate these incremental files with ShadowProtect Image Manager. The consolidated images are then transferred to the Doyenz ShadowCloud platform where the machine is replicated and available for disaster recovery and testing.
IT administrators can access and restore production system backups as virtual machines in a secure lab for testing and migration, or in a full failover mode for disaster recovery.
The Doyenz ShadowCloud platform provides another level of protection for IT service providers by replicating StorageCraft ShadowProtect backup images from a near line disk location – such as USB, NAS or SAN – to the cloud. By using a near line to offsite method for disaster recovery and business continuity planning, the Doyenz ShadowCloud platform and StorageCraft ShadowProtect together ensure systems and critical data are protected in all disaster scenarios.
Pricing and Availability
StorageCraft ShadowProtect Server Edition™ and ShadowProtect Small Business Server Edition™ are available from the StorageCraft Web site, through Lifeboat Distribution and through additional authorized StorageCraft distributors, managed service providers (MSPs) and value-added resellers (VARs). Volume discounts are available.
The Doyenz ShadowCloud is an affordable SaaS subscription offering currently available through its MSPs and VARs.
About StorageCraft Technology Corporation
StorageCraft Technology Corporation provides innovative disk-based backup, disaster recovery, system migration, data protection and security solutions for servers, desktops and laptops. StorageCraft delivers software products that reduce downtime, improve security and stability for systems and data and lower the total cost of ownership for servers, desktops and laptops.
www.storagecraft.com
Top Tech Talent Flock to The Rackspace Cloud, Supporting Rapid Growth and New Technology Endeavors
The Rackspace Cloud, the cloud computing division of Rackspace Hosting, today announced that six new key personnel have joined the company to spearhead strategic technology efforts aimed to position the company for continued growth and technology leadership. The new “Rackers” (as employees are called at Rackspace) bring significant product development experience from Microsoft, Yahoo, and Canonical where they held leadership roles in high growth phases in their companies, driving the development of Microsoft Exchange, Yahoo! Media, and the fastest growing Linux operating system, Ubuntu.
”We’re very proud that Rackspace’s reputation for innovation, opportunity and growth are attracting top technical and business talent from industry players that have been there, and done that,” said Emil Sayegh, general manager, The Rackspace Cloud. “We’re continuing investment to deepen our leadership product development bench to support our growth while expanding, and scaling our services.”
These executive new hires will support The Rackspace Cloud division which offers the company’s popular cloud services – Cloud Servers, Cloud Sites and Cloud Files – and the ecosystem of tools, applications and services created on The Rackspace Cloud and cataloged at tools.rackspacecloud.com. Rackspace, known for its great culture, is ranked 43 on FORTUNE’S® 12th annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. This is the second consecutive year that Rackspace has appeared on the list.
The new team members include:
Harper Reed, Nepholologist, The Rackspace Cloud, a legendary “geek” in the technology space and a longtime Rackspace customer as former CTO of skinnyCorp/Threadless, brings deep expertise in scaling massive infrastructure and supporting customers. Harper, known for his passion for technology and customers, joined The Rackspace Cloud to “work with some of the best technologists in the business and lots of servers.”
John Purrier, Director of Software Development, The Rackspace Cloud, will lead Cloud Files and Cloud Sites development, and help the company’s Microsoft technology footprint in general. He will manage development efforts for new cloud solutions at Rackspace. A Microsoft veteran, John formerly led the Microsoft Exchange development team. Prior to Microsoft, he served as CEO of Junqbox and Product Information Network and CTO of Global Market Insite. John joined The Rackspace Cloud because “he wants to define and build the next generation systems that will fundamentally change how computing is done in the future.”
Mark Collier, Vice President of Business Development, Rackspace Hosting, was formerly a senior executive with the Yahoo! Media division and managed the strategic partnerships for Yahoo! Music. Mark will lead Rackspace’s efforts to develop new partnerships for cloud, email and applications and managed hosting. Mark joined Rackspace to “let my inner geek sing -- playing with cloud computing all day.”
Michael Foster, Head of Cloud Engineering, The Rackspace Cloud, led major data center automation projects at Microsoft and held technical positions with many start-ups. He will oversee the company’s Technical Operations, DC Engineering, and Automation projects allowing The Rackspace Cloud to scale seamlessly. Michael joined The Rackspace Cloud because “I love to geek out on data centers in general, and I love large scale automation (and because I can enjoy Texas BBQ again!).”
Nick Longo, Chief Rainmaker, The Rackspace Cloud, is a successful serial entrepreneur who founded CoffeeCup Software, an award-winning website design software company who had amazing customer loyalty. He brings years of start-up experience and innovation to his new role directing web marketing, and community centered activities. Nick joined The Rackspace Cloud because “I wanted to work with the smartest people in the world to do something great, and the transition made perfect sense given the SaaS Cloud will overtake all downloadable software very soon!”
Rick Clark, Cloud Servers and Slicehost Development Leader, The Rackspace Cloud, was formerly Engineering Manager at Canonical, the company that produces the popular open-source Linux distribution, Ubuntu. While at Canonical, Rick managed Ubuntu Server, cloud/virtualization, and security. He will guide ongoing development for Rackspace's IaaS offerings, specifically Cloud Servers and SliceHost, and advance the company’s open cloud philosophy. Rick joined The Rackspace Cloud “for the culture, and to work with the best technical minds to develop technologies that solve deep customer problems in new and creative ways.”
The Rackspace Cloud is always looking for top talent, even in a tough economy. Visit www.rackspacecloud.com/aboutus/jobs to inquire about current job openings.
”We’re very proud that Rackspace’s reputation for innovation, opportunity and growth are attracting top technical and business talent from industry players that have been there, and done that,” said Emil Sayegh, general manager, The Rackspace Cloud. “We’re continuing investment to deepen our leadership product development bench to support our growth while expanding, and scaling our services.”
These executive new hires will support The Rackspace Cloud division which offers the company’s popular cloud services – Cloud Servers, Cloud Sites and Cloud Files – and the ecosystem of tools, applications and services created on The Rackspace Cloud and cataloged at tools.rackspacecloud.com. Rackspace, known for its great culture, is ranked 43 on FORTUNE’S® 12th annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. This is the second consecutive year that Rackspace has appeared on the list.
The new team members include:
Harper Reed, Nepholologist, The Rackspace Cloud, a legendary “geek” in the technology space and a longtime Rackspace customer as former CTO of skinnyCorp/Threadless, brings deep expertise in scaling massive infrastructure and supporting customers. Harper, known for his passion for technology and customers, joined The Rackspace Cloud to “work with some of the best technologists in the business and lots of servers.”
John Purrier, Director of Software Development, The Rackspace Cloud, will lead Cloud Files and Cloud Sites development, and help the company’s Microsoft technology footprint in general. He will manage development efforts for new cloud solutions at Rackspace. A Microsoft veteran, John formerly led the Microsoft Exchange development team. Prior to Microsoft, he served as CEO of Junqbox and Product Information Network and CTO of Global Market Insite. John joined The Rackspace Cloud because “he wants to define and build the next generation systems that will fundamentally change how computing is done in the future.”
Mark Collier, Vice President of Business Development, Rackspace Hosting, was formerly a senior executive with the Yahoo! Media division and managed the strategic partnerships for Yahoo! Music. Mark will lead Rackspace’s efforts to develop new partnerships for cloud, email and applications and managed hosting. Mark joined Rackspace to “let my inner geek sing -- playing with cloud computing all day.”
Michael Foster, Head of Cloud Engineering, The Rackspace Cloud, led major data center automation projects at Microsoft and held technical positions with many start-ups. He will oversee the company’s Technical Operations, DC Engineering, and Automation projects allowing The Rackspace Cloud to scale seamlessly. Michael joined The Rackspace Cloud because “I love to geek out on data centers in general, and I love large scale automation (and because I can enjoy Texas BBQ again!).”
Nick Longo, Chief Rainmaker, The Rackspace Cloud, is a successful serial entrepreneur who founded CoffeeCup Software, an award-winning website design software company who had amazing customer loyalty. He brings years of start-up experience and innovation to his new role directing web marketing, and community centered activities. Nick joined The Rackspace Cloud because “I wanted to work with the smartest people in the world to do something great, and the transition made perfect sense given the SaaS Cloud will overtake all downloadable software very soon!”
Rick Clark, Cloud Servers and Slicehost Development Leader, The Rackspace Cloud, was formerly Engineering Manager at Canonical, the company that produces the popular open-source Linux distribution, Ubuntu. While at Canonical, Rick managed Ubuntu Server, cloud/virtualization, and security. He will guide ongoing development for Rackspace's IaaS offerings, specifically Cloud Servers and SliceHost, and advance the company’s open cloud philosophy. Rick joined The Rackspace Cloud “for the culture, and to work with the best technical minds to develop technologies that solve deep customer problems in new and creative ways.”
The Rackspace Cloud is always looking for top talent, even in a tough economy. Visit www.rackspacecloud.com/aboutus/jobs to inquire about current job openings.
Devon IT VDI Blaster Software Gains Traction, Repurposes Existing PCs Into Thin Clients
Devon IT, Inc., a leading alternative desktop solution company, today announced significant early traction with the general availability of the VDI Blaster™ software suite designed to extend the useful life of desktop computers. VDI Blaster™ is currently available for an introductory price USD $19.95 per device at www.vdiblaster.com.
Over 200 companies from around the world have purchased and downloaded the VDI Blaster software suite, and are utilizing the novel approach to extending the useful life of PCs by transforming them into thin clients to save money, save management time and cut costs.
Users download VDI Blaster™ to old PCs via a USB key or a network install. VDI Blaster™ deploys Devon IT's thin client operating system, Devon Terminal Operating System (DeTOS™), and Devon IT’s thin client management software, ThinManage™, to help IT administrators manage enterprise-wide deployments from a central location. Once VDI Blaster™ is deployed, users can select to boot into their normal Windows operating system or into DeTOS™.
"Using VDI Blaster to convert aging enterprise PCs into secure, managed thin clients enables organizations of all sizes to extend their capital investment in PCs while testing thin client computing models," explained Joe Makoid, President, Devon IT. "Traditional desktops typically need to be refreshed or replaced every three or four years, but companies and organizations can now extend the life of these PCs by converting them into thin clients. Users can simultaneously test hosted client computing methods, and we hope VDI Blaster will continue the momentum of IT administrators moving from desktop PCs to hosted client environments."
VDI Blaster:
Extends the useful life of aging PCs
Uses virtual desktops, simply and cost effectively with no hardware replacement necessary
Maintains Windows desktop experience
Centrally manages converted PCs
Allows Plug and play replacement of PC to a thin client when ready
Converts back to Windows operating system as needed
Devon IT is working with customers and business partners such as IBM and VMware to make VDI Blaster™ available to IT administrators and executives worldwide.
For more information about VDI Blaster™, please visit www.vdiblaster.com or www.devonit.com/software/vdi-blaster/overview. For more information about Devon IT, thin client computing, or virtualization, or to arrange for a demonstration, email info@devonit.com or call 610-757-4220 or 888-524-9382. Devon IT will be demonstrating the VDI Blaster™ on repurposed PCs at the VMware’s VM09 tradeshow, in London, October 6 through October 8, 2009. Follow Devon IT updates on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DevonIT
Over 200 companies from around the world have purchased and downloaded the VDI Blaster software suite, and are utilizing the novel approach to extending the useful life of PCs by transforming them into thin clients to save money, save management time and cut costs.
Users download VDI Blaster™ to old PCs via a USB key or a network install. VDI Blaster™ deploys Devon IT's thin client operating system, Devon Terminal Operating System (DeTOS™), and Devon IT’s thin client management software, ThinManage™, to help IT administrators manage enterprise-wide deployments from a central location. Once VDI Blaster™ is deployed, users can select to boot into their normal Windows operating system or into DeTOS™.
"Using VDI Blaster to convert aging enterprise PCs into secure, managed thin clients enables organizations of all sizes to extend their capital investment in PCs while testing thin client computing models," explained Joe Makoid, President, Devon IT. "Traditional desktops typically need to be refreshed or replaced every three or four years, but companies and organizations can now extend the life of these PCs by converting them into thin clients. Users can simultaneously test hosted client computing methods, and we hope VDI Blaster will continue the momentum of IT administrators moving from desktop PCs to hosted client environments."
VDI Blaster:
Extends the useful life of aging PCs
Uses virtual desktops, simply and cost effectively with no hardware replacement necessary
Maintains Windows desktop experience
Centrally manages converted PCs
Allows Plug and play replacement of PC to a thin client when ready
Converts back to Windows operating system as needed
Devon IT is working with customers and business partners such as IBM and VMware to make VDI Blaster™ available to IT administrators and executives worldwide.
For more information about VDI Blaster™, please visit www.vdiblaster.com or www.devonit.com/software/vdi-blaster/overview. For more information about Devon IT, thin client computing, or virtualization, or to arrange for a demonstration, email info@devonit.com or call 610-757-4220 or 888-524-9382. Devon IT will be demonstrating the VDI Blaster™ on repurposed PCs at the VMware’s VM09 tradeshow, in London, October 6 through October 8, 2009. Follow Devon IT updates on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DevonIT
VMware Workstation 7.0 Release Candidate Available
VMware has posted the Workstation 7.0 Release Candidate - now available for download for everyone to try out. New features include:
Windows 7 support including the ability to run Aero!
Improved 3D Graphics for Windows guests with OpenGL and Shader Model 3.0 support
Support for over many new OSs including Windows Server 2008 R2, Debian 5, and ESX (Yes, you can vMotion!)
Create Virtual Machines with up to four processors and/or four cores and 32 GB of memory
ThinPrint integration enables virtual printing and makes the host printers available within the guest
Smart Card enhancements to enable secure authentication
256-bit AES encryption of your virtual machines
ALSA sound for Linux users!!!
Dynamic update of VMware Tools
Drag and Drop now works with formatted text, graphics and file attachments
AutoProtect your VMs with the ability to regularly schedule snapshots to be created
Pause a VM to instantly free up your processor
Replay Debugging is even more powerful and now works remotely
A redesigned Virtual Network Editor that is much easier to use
The VMware Workstation 7.0 Release Candidate is ready for download
Windows 7 support including the ability to run Aero!
Improved 3D Graphics for Windows guests with OpenGL and Shader Model 3.0 support
Support for over many new OSs including Windows Server 2008 R2, Debian 5, and ESX (Yes, you can vMotion!)
Create Virtual Machines with up to four processors and/or four cores and 32 GB of memory
ThinPrint integration enables virtual printing and makes the host printers available within the guest
Smart Card enhancements to enable secure authentication
256-bit AES encryption of your virtual machines
ALSA sound for Linux users!!!
Dynamic update of VMware Tools
Drag and Drop now works with formatted text, graphics and file attachments
AutoProtect your VMs with the ability to regularly schedule snapshots to be created
Pause a VM to instantly free up your processor
Replay Debugging is even more powerful and now works remotely
A redesigned Virtual Network Editor that is much easier to use
The VMware Workstation 7.0 Release Candidate is ready for download
IP EXPO 09 - Virtualization and Cloud Expo - Not too Late to Sign Up
It's back! IT Expo 2009 is back already, and once again VMBlog is proud to sponsor the UK's largest virtualization event, VM Expo - it returns for a second year to showcase all the latest Virtualization technologies including Desktop Virtualization, Server Virtualization and Datacenter Optimization. The events run from October 7 - 8, 2009 at Earls Court London.
Joining these two amazing shows this year is Cloud Expo 09, the UK’s first event aimed at providing an in-depth insight into every aspect of the hottest thing to hit the IT market since the advent of the Web. This event will cover both the infrastructure issues and challenges concerning the delivery of applications on the Cloud as well as issues surrounding the creating and consuming Cloud applications in the real world. With over 35 Exhibitors and 40 seminar sessions this is sure to be the Cloud Event of the year!
Some of the great headline speakers at the events include:
Doug Hazelman - VP, Global Systems Engineer Group, Veeam Software
Simone Brunozzi, Web Services Evangelist, Amazon
Dr. Stephen Herrod, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of R&D, VMware
Frederik Sjostedt, Director – EMEA Product Marketing, VMware
Ian Pratt, Vice President of Advanced Virtualization Products, Citrix Systems
Scott M. Herold, Lead Architect - Virtualization Solutions, Vizioncore
The event will have keynote presentations, sessions, hands-on labs, and a vendor exhibitor area - discussing virtualization and clouds like never before in the UK.
Best of all, registration for IP Expo, VM Expo and Cloud Expo is quick, free and painless.
Joining these two amazing shows this year is Cloud Expo 09, the UK’s first event aimed at providing an in-depth insight into every aspect of the hottest thing to hit the IT market since the advent of the Web. This event will cover both the infrastructure issues and challenges concerning the delivery of applications on the Cloud as well as issues surrounding the creating and consuming Cloud applications in the real world. With over 35 Exhibitors and 40 seminar sessions this is sure to be the Cloud Event of the year!
Some of the great headline speakers at the events include:
Doug Hazelman - VP, Global Systems Engineer Group, Veeam Software
Simone Brunozzi, Web Services Evangelist, Amazon
Dr. Stephen Herrod, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of R&D, VMware
Frederik Sjostedt, Director – EMEA Product Marketing, VMware
Ian Pratt, Vice President of Advanced Virtualization Products, Citrix Systems
Scott M. Herold, Lead Architect - Virtualization Solutions, Vizioncore
The event will have keynote presentations, sessions, hands-on labs, and a vendor exhibitor area - discussing virtualization and clouds like never before in the UK.
Best of all, registration for IP Expo, VM Expo and Cloud Expo is quick, free and painless.
Hotfix Package 5 for Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 Cumulative Update 1
Microsoft released a hotfix package that contains the latest hotfixes for Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 Cumulative Update 1.
This hotfix package addresses the following issues:
It takes significantly longer to stream a package over the RTSPS protocol than to stream a package over the RTSP protocol.
When you use TrueCrypt for drive encryption, any attempts to mount an encrypted volume may generate a 0xA stop error.
The Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 client leaks paged pool memory. This problem occurs when you apply a disk quota to the profile directories of a user and when the disk quota is near the limit. .
A virtual application that calls the RegQueryMultipleValues function may experience unexpected errors or fail to start. For example, you receive error messages when you start or shutdown the Trapeze application. Then, the application does not work correctly.
When an Application Virtualization 4.5 client tries to perform a publishing refresh procedure over HTTP or over HTTPS, the procedure is not completed successfully. Specifically, the procedure is not completed successfully if a package contains pathnames that have Japanese characters. This problem occurs when the Application Virtualization 4.5 client has Windows Internet Explorer 6 installed and runs a Japanese version of Windows XP.
When it is run as a virtual application, Microsoft Office Access 97 generates an error message 1008 when Office Access 97 is moving temporary files.
When an Application Virtualization 4.5 client tries to perform a publishing refresh procedure over HTTP or over HTTPS on an IPv6 network, the procedure is not completed successfully.
When you expand a %APPDATA% environment variable to a universal naming conventions (UNC) path, application-specific failures occur when you start virtual applications.
The Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 client cannot log on to a publishing server. This problem occurs in environments that have a trust relationship and a mapped user account between a Windows domain and an MIT Kerberos realm. Additionally, you receive an error message 8009030C.
This hotfix package addresses the following issues:
It takes significantly longer to stream a package over the RTSPS protocol than to stream a package over the RTSP protocol.
When you use TrueCrypt for drive encryption, any attempts to mount an encrypted volume may generate a 0xA stop error.
The Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 client leaks paged pool memory. This problem occurs when you apply a disk quota to the profile directories of a user and when the disk quota is near the limit. .
A virtual application that calls the RegQueryMultipleValues function may experience unexpected errors or fail to start. For example, you receive error messages when you start or shutdown the Trapeze application. Then, the application does not work correctly.
When an Application Virtualization 4.5 client tries to perform a publishing refresh procedure over HTTP or over HTTPS, the procedure is not completed successfully. Specifically, the procedure is not completed successfully if a package contains pathnames that have Japanese characters. This problem occurs when the Application Virtualization 4.5 client has Windows Internet Explorer 6 installed and runs a Japanese version of Windows XP.
When it is run as a virtual application, Microsoft Office Access 97 generates an error message 1008 when Office Access 97 is moving temporary files.
When an Application Virtualization 4.5 client tries to perform a publishing refresh procedure over HTTP or over HTTPS on an IPv6 network, the procedure is not completed successfully.
When you expand a %APPDATA% environment variable to a universal naming conventions (UNC) path, application-specific failures occur when you start virtual applications.
The Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 client cannot log on to a publishing server. This problem occurs in environments that have a trust relationship and a mapped user account between a Windows domain and an MIT Kerberos realm. Additionally, you receive an error message 8009030C.
VMware Expands Enterprise Class Automated Disaster Recovery Without Cost and Complexity
VMware, Inc., the global leader in virtualization solutions from the desktop through the datacenter and to the cloud, today announced the availability of VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager 4, enabling automated, reliable and affordable disaster recovery. Part of the VMware vCenter Product Family, VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager provides automated disaster recovery for virtual environments. Now, with added support for Network File System (NFS) based storage replication, compatibility with VMware vSphere™ 4, and simplified "many-to-one" failover using shared recovery sites, VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager makes it even easier for customers to confidently protect all of their virtual environments.
Disaster recovery is critical for companies to protect corporate data, but has typically been difficult to achieve due to costs and complexity. Disasters in the datacenter -- whether they are caused by hurricanes, earthquakes, power outages, or other unexpected events -- can result in downtime for business critical applications. Extended downtime significantly impacts revenues, service level agreements (SLAs) and business operations. Traditional solutions for disaster recovery require complex, manual recovery processes, and can be very difficult to set up, test and keep up-to-date. Regulatory requirements can also present challenges to disaster recovery solutions. As a result, organizations only provide disaster recovery plans for the most critical applications.
VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager addresses these challenges by centralizing management of recovery plans and automating the testing and recovery process, resulting in rapid, reliable, affordable disaster recovery. VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager, originally released in 2008, has become the defacto standard for automating disaster recovery, with more than 2,000 customers and support from 12 leading storage vendors www.vmware.com/company/news/releases/srm4-partner.html.
VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager 4 now provides:
VMware vSphere 4 Support. Customers can now take advantage of the capabilities of VMware vSphere 4, including Fault Tolerance, for better performance and protection of applications.
Expanded Storage Support. Lets users leverage iSCSI, Fiber Channel, and NFS storage and replication solutions.
Many-to-One Failover. Protects multiple production sites with automated failover into a single, shared recovery site.
"VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager 4 dramatically simplifies the disaster recovery process for customers so they can meet demanding business needs for disaster recovery, including regulatory compliance issues," said Raghu Raghuram, vice president and general manager, server business unit, for VMware. "Now with many-to-one failover and expanded storage support, more customers can take advantage of low-cost disaster recovery and gain peace of mind that their data is safe in the event of a disaster."
"Disaster recovery is one of the most daunting and complicated challenges for IT organizations, and it isn't getting any easier as applications proliferate and expectations with regard to recovery times shorten," said Richard Villars, vice president of storage and executive strategies at IDC. "Virtualization of server and storage environments are playing a key role in helping companies reduce the costs and complexities associated with implementing, testing, and executing a full disaster recovery, yet their effectiveness increasingly depends upon solutions that automate the fast expanding disaster recovery process itself."
"In my 25 years of IT experience, VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager is one of the best solutions that I have ever implemented," said Ed Belliveau, principal systems engineer, Bentley University. "With the latest Site Recovery Manager improvements and features, coupled with integration with VMware vSphere™, disaster recovery preparation is much easier."
Leading storage vendors have shown strong support for VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager with integrations for their storage and replication systems. Visit www.vmware.com/company/news/releases/srm4-partner.html to view partner support for VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager 4. For more information or to purchase VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager, visit: http://www.vmware.com/products/srm.
Disaster recovery is critical for companies to protect corporate data, but has typically been difficult to achieve due to costs and complexity. Disasters in the datacenter -- whether they are caused by hurricanes, earthquakes, power outages, or other unexpected events -- can result in downtime for business critical applications. Extended downtime significantly impacts revenues, service level agreements (SLAs) and business operations. Traditional solutions for disaster recovery require complex, manual recovery processes, and can be very difficult to set up, test and keep up-to-date. Regulatory requirements can also present challenges to disaster recovery solutions. As a result, organizations only provide disaster recovery plans for the most critical applications.
VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager addresses these challenges by centralizing management of recovery plans and automating the testing and recovery process, resulting in rapid, reliable, affordable disaster recovery. VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager, originally released in 2008, has become the defacto standard for automating disaster recovery, with more than 2,000 customers and support from 12 leading storage vendors www.vmware.com/company/news/releases/srm4-partner.html.
VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager 4 now provides:
VMware vSphere 4 Support. Customers can now take advantage of the capabilities of VMware vSphere 4, including Fault Tolerance, for better performance and protection of applications.
Expanded Storage Support. Lets users leverage iSCSI, Fiber Channel, and NFS storage and replication solutions.
Many-to-One Failover. Protects multiple production sites with automated failover into a single, shared recovery site.
"VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager 4 dramatically simplifies the disaster recovery process for customers so they can meet demanding business needs for disaster recovery, including regulatory compliance issues," said Raghu Raghuram, vice president and general manager, server business unit, for VMware. "Now with many-to-one failover and expanded storage support, more customers can take advantage of low-cost disaster recovery and gain peace of mind that their data is safe in the event of a disaster."
"Disaster recovery is one of the most daunting and complicated challenges for IT organizations, and it isn't getting any easier as applications proliferate and expectations with regard to recovery times shorten," said Richard Villars, vice president of storage and executive strategies at IDC. "Virtualization of server and storage environments are playing a key role in helping companies reduce the costs and complexities associated with implementing, testing, and executing a full disaster recovery, yet their effectiveness increasingly depends upon solutions that automate the fast expanding disaster recovery process itself."
"In my 25 years of IT experience, VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager is one of the best solutions that I have ever implemented," said Ed Belliveau, principal systems engineer, Bentley University. "With the latest Site Recovery Manager improvements and features, coupled with integration with VMware vSphere™, disaster recovery preparation is much easier."
Leading storage vendors have shown strong support for VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager with integrations for their storage and replication systems. Visit www.vmware.com/company/news/releases/srm4-partner.html to view partner support for VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager 4. For more information or to purchase VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager, visit: http://www.vmware.com/products/srm.
DeviceVM Introduces Splashtop for Business; Instant-On Platform Offers Fast, Secure Access to Cloud Computing
DeviceVM, the leader in instant-on computing, today introduced Splashtop™ for Business, its newest product offering for small-medium business and enterprise use. In addition, the company announced that the product will be available from the world’s three largest PC vendors by the end of 2009. An extension of the award-winning Splashtop product family, Splashtop for Business is the first instant-on solution designed specifically for business use, enabling companies to increase employee productivity by offering fast, secure and reliable access to cloud content and services.
Splashtop for Business is an innovative software solution that enables users to access the corporate network, and public web without requiring full Microsoft® WindowsTM boot-up. A traditional operating system (OS) can take many minutes to boot up, frustrating employees and impacting productivity. Splashtop for Business instant-on technology brings measurable benefits to organizations of all sizes – enabling mobile employees to:
Enjoy fast and secure cloud access with the touch of a button.
Access private corporate and public virtualized cloud resources over LAN, Wi-Fi and 3G - anytime and anywhere.
Remotely connect to the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) based on technologies from CitrixTM (NASDAQ: CTXS) and VMwareTM (NYSE: VMW).
Access cached Windows OutlookTM email, calendar, contacts and task information using the QuickInfo feature
Access Yahoo MailTM, Google MailTM, and MSN HotmailTM including Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) ExchangeTM email via Outlook Web Access.
View and edit Microsoft OfficeTM compatible documents such as ExcelTM, PowerPointTM and WordTM as well as AdobeTM (NASDAQ: ADBE) AcrobatTM.
Text or video chat with colleagues and customers using SkypeTM as well as AOL Instant MessengerTM, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) TalkTM, MSN MessengerTM or Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO) MessengerTM services.
“The introduction of Splashtop for Business marks a significant milestone for instant-on computing, and a giant step forward in enhancing productivity, security and accessibility for today’s mobile workforce,” said Mark Lee, co-founder and CEO of DeviceVM. “Even if Windows crashes or is infected by a virus or malware, Splashtop for Business gets users back online quickly to access corporate email, data, and applications. Splashtop for Business is rapidly becoming the de facto platform for business PCs.”
When deployed as the corporate OS using VDI, Splashtop for Business can reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for PCs by eliminating costly OS licensing fees and reducing IT management tasks. When deployed as a companion OS to Windows, it can improve productivity and reduce employee down-time by providing instant access to the corporate cloud as well as acting as a back-up in case of hard disk or windows failure. Splashtop for Business offers companies:
Increased Productivity: Splashtop offers fast and reliable remote access to web-based content, email and corporate applications. Because Splashtop operates independently of the computer's primary operating system, employees can still get online in the event of OS or Hard Disk failure, improving uptime. Splashtop also provides convenient access to mission critical applications and communications functions. Support for the latest version of Java virtual machine and Adobe Flash Player 10 is also included.
Enhanced Security and Compliance: Splashtop is a locked-down environment that is both tamper proof and malware/virus resistant – making every boot clean and secure. By providing Citrix Receiver and VMware View virtual desktop clients in addition to Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), access to sensitive corporate data is kept in the data center, reducing the risk of data breaches due to PC loss and helping companies meet their compliance requirements. Additionally, employees cannot change system settings or install non-corporate approved plug-ins or applications, so companies get all of the VDI hardware device benefits without the additional cost.
Improved Virtual Desktop Mobility: Splashtop supports the most popular virtual desktop technologies from Citrix and VMware. When deployed as a dedicated corporate OS, a Splashtop for Business laptop offers a cheaper and more flexible alternative to fixed function hardware devices. By offering instant virtual desktop mode in a laptop form factor, employees have greater mobility options at a lower cost.
Lower TCO: Splashtop comes pre-integrated with the PC platform. This approach results in a high quality product with no additional vendors to call and no new maintenance contracts to buy or renew. Employees can now get online instantly with minimal support. An IT controlled update mechanism ensures that only changes based on IT policies are executed. IT can now conserve resources as they need only be responsible for managing the Splashtop corporate workspace, with Windows available as the user’s personal workspace.
Greener IT: Because Splashtop turns on in seconds, there’s no need to keep the system always on, or in sleep mode consuming power. Companies will save millions of dollars in energy savings while also protecting the environment.
Splashtop for Business is an innovative software solution that enables users to access the corporate network, and public web without requiring full Microsoft® WindowsTM boot-up. A traditional operating system (OS) can take many minutes to boot up, frustrating employees and impacting productivity. Splashtop for Business instant-on technology brings measurable benefits to organizations of all sizes – enabling mobile employees to:
Enjoy fast and secure cloud access with the touch of a button.
Access private corporate and public virtualized cloud resources over LAN, Wi-Fi and 3G - anytime and anywhere.
Remotely connect to the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) based on technologies from CitrixTM (NASDAQ: CTXS) and VMwareTM (NYSE: VMW).
Access cached Windows OutlookTM email, calendar, contacts and task information using the QuickInfo feature
Access Yahoo MailTM, Google MailTM, and MSN HotmailTM including Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) ExchangeTM email via Outlook Web Access.
View and edit Microsoft OfficeTM compatible documents such as ExcelTM, PowerPointTM and WordTM as well as AdobeTM (NASDAQ: ADBE) AcrobatTM.
Text or video chat with colleagues and customers using SkypeTM as well as AOL Instant MessengerTM, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) TalkTM, MSN MessengerTM or Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO) MessengerTM services.
“The introduction of Splashtop for Business marks a significant milestone for instant-on computing, and a giant step forward in enhancing productivity, security and accessibility for today’s mobile workforce,” said Mark Lee, co-founder and CEO of DeviceVM. “Even if Windows crashes or is infected by a virus or malware, Splashtop for Business gets users back online quickly to access corporate email, data, and applications. Splashtop for Business is rapidly becoming the de facto platform for business PCs.”
When deployed as the corporate OS using VDI, Splashtop for Business can reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for PCs by eliminating costly OS licensing fees and reducing IT management tasks. When deployed as a companion OS to Windows, it can improve productivity and reduce employee down-time by providing instant access to the corporate cloud as well as acting as a back-up in case of hard disk or windows failure. Splashtop for Business offers companies:
Increased Productivity: Splashtop offers fast and reliable remote access to web-based content, email and corporate applications. Because Splashtop operates independently of the computer's primary operating system, employees can still get online in the event of OS or Hard Disk failure, improving uptime. Splashtop also provides convenient access to mission critical applications and communications functions. Support for the latest version of Java virtual machine and Adobe Flash Player 10 is also included.
Enhanced Security and Compliance: Splashtop is a locked-down environment that is both tamper proof and malware/virus resistant – making every boot clean and secure. By providing Citrix Receiver and VMware View virtual desktop clients in addition to Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), access to sensitive corporate data is kept in the data center, reducing the risk of data breaches due to PC loss and helping companies meet their compliance requirements. Additionally, employees cannot change system settings or install non-corporate approved plug-ins or applications, so companies get all of the VDI hardware device benefits without the additional cost.
Improved Virtual Desktop Mobility: Splashtop supports the most popular virtual desktop technologies from Citrix and VMware. When deployed as a dedicated corporate OS, a Splashtop for Business laptop offers a cheaper and more flexible alternative to fixed function hardware devices. By offering instant virtual desktop mode in a laptop form factor, employees have greater mobility options at a lower cost.
Lower TCO: Splashtop comes pre-integrated with the PC platform. This approach results in a high quality product with no additional vendors to call and no new maintenance contracts to buy or renew. Employees can now get online instantly with minimal support. An IT controlled update mechanism ensures that only changes based on IT policies are executed. IT can now conserve resources as they need only be responsible for managing the Splashtop corporate workspace, with Windows available as the user’s personal workspace.
Greener IT: Because Splashtop turns on in seconds, there’s no need to keep the system always on, or in sleep mode consuming power. Companies will save millions of dollars in energy savings while also protecting the environment.
OpSource Cloud Public Beta Now Available
OpSource, Inc., the leader in Cloud operations, today announced that OpSource Cloud™, the first Cloud to bring together the availability, flexibility and community of the public Cloud with the security, performance and control the enterprise requires, is now in public Beta and available for on-line purchase by the hour from http://www.opsourcecloud.net/.
To help accelerate the adoption of Cloud computing by the enterprise, OpSource has also released "Enterprise Meet Cloud: Mapping a safe passage to enterprise cloud adoption," a white paper by Procullux Ventures' Phil Wainewright which details how to bring Cloud computing to business-critical systems and manage the resulting hybrid computing environments.
"Enterprise IT executives are wondering how they can bring the economic and practical advantages of cloud computing -- the rapid deployment, pay-per-use pricing, scalable capacity on-demand -- to more business-critical systems without compromising their security, reliability and governance," said Phil Wainewright, CEO, Procullux Ventures. "What's needed is a collaborative partnership in which providers keep the infrastructure running while giving enterprise IT the visibility, choice and delegated control they need. The buck still stops with enterprise IT, whether the infrastructure is cloud-sourced or in-house, and this paper gives them the tools they need to deploy cloud computing effectively and efficiently."
OpSource Cloud is designed to allow IT departments to manage their security as they would within their internal IT infrastructure. Upon sign-up, each customer receives a Virtual Private Network and sets the degree of public Internet connectivity they wish to grant, from totally private to fully available. OpSource Cloud also provides user customizable security with a compliant, high-performance multi-tier Cloud architecture and full user control over firewall settings. In addition, other enterprise quality controls include user level login and passwords, operational permissions and departmental and sub-department reporting, all backed by a 100% SLA. OpSource Cloud is built on the same standard technology already being employed by enterprise IT. This ensures out-of-the-box trust, compatibility and productivity. With virtualization playing such a key role in Cloud computing, OpSource has selected VMware for virtualization and application portability between the Cloud and Enterprise.
For users weaned on the public Cloud experience, OpSource Cloud offers online sign-up, pay by the hour usage, and rich online communities. And immediate availability and flexibility ensure that developers and enterprise IT alike have access to enterprise quality computing capability when they need it, paying for it only when it is being used. This is the promise of Cloud computing and OpSource Cloud delivers it.
"As Phil's white paper details, there is finally a clear path for enterprises to adopt Cloud computing," said Treb Ryan, CEO, OpSource. "We've seen great early results from our private Beta and are excited to see what the larger enterprise community will accomplish with OpSource Cloud. 2009 truly is the year of the enterprise Cloud and we are proud to be helping make this pivotal moment in IT happen."
For more information on OpSource Cloud and to download the "Enterprise Meet Cloud" white paper, please visit http://www.opsourcecloud.net/news/articles.
About OpSource Cloud
OpSource Cloud offers companies the true Cloud, combining the availability, flexibility and community of the public Cloud with the security, performance and control that the enterprise demands. Its features include:
Best of the Public Cloud
-- Easy online sign-up with infrastructure provisioning in minutes
-- Pay by the hour and only for what you use, with no commitment (unless
so desired)
-- Community resources for sharing and collaboration, third party add-ins
and configurations
-- Web interface plus complete set of APIs
Enterprise Security & Compliance
-- Virtual Private Clouds with user-specified public Internet
connectivity
-- Unique customizable security for firewalls
-- User-level login/password and access control
-- SAS 70 Audited Cloud
-- One hundred percent uptime SLA
Enterprise Performance
-- Multiple private networks on demand for multi-tier architecture
-- Guaranteed sub-millisecond latency between systems
-- Industry standard technology including VMware, Cisco, EMC, Microsoft
and Red Hat
-- User selectable server configurations
Enterprise Controls
-- Centralized control and billing
-- Master and departmental management and controls
-- Sub-account permissions and budgeting
-- Complete reporting
-- 24X7 phone support plus online community support and ticketing/status
tracking
To help accelerate the adoption of Cloud computing by the enterprise, OpSource has also released "Enterprise Meet Cloud: Mapping a safe passage to enterprise cloud adoption," a white paper by Procullux Ventures' Phil Wainewright which details how to bring Cloud computing to business-critical systems and manage the resulting hybrid computing environments.
"Enterprise IT executives are wondering how they can bring the economic and practical advantages of cloud computing -- the rapid deployment, pay-per-use pricing, scalable capacity on-demand -- to more business-critical systems without compromising their security, reliability and governance," said Phil Wainewright, CEO, Procullux Ventures. "What's needed is a collaborative partnership in which providers keep the infrastructure running while giving enterprise IT the visibility, choice and delegated control they need. The buck still stops with enterprise IT, whether the infrastructure is cloud-sourced or in-house, and this paper gives them the tools they need to deploy cloud computing effectively and efficiently."
OpSource Cloud is designed to allow IT departments to manage their security as they would within their internal IT infrastructure. Upon sign-up, each customer receives a Virtual Private Network and sets the degree of public Internet connectivity they wish to grant, from totally private to fully available. OpSource Cloud also provides user customizable security with a compliant, high-performance multi-tier Cloud architecture and full user control over firewall settings. In addition, other enterprise quality controls include user level login and passwords, operational permissions and departmental and sub-department reporting, all backed by a 100% SLA. OpSource Cloud is built on the same standard technology already being employed by enterprise IT. This ensures out-of-the-box trust, compatibility and productivity. With virtualization playing such a key role in Cloud computing, OpSource has selected VMware for virtualization and application portability between the Cloud and Enterprise.
For users weaned on the public Cloud experience, OpSource Cloud offers online sign-up, pay by the hour usage, and rich online communities. And immediate availability and flexibility ensure that developers and enterprise IT alike have access to enterprise quality computing capability when they need it, paying for it only when it is being used. This is the promise of Cloud computing and OpSource Cloud delivers it.
"As Phil's white paper details, there is finally a clear path for enterprises to adopt Cloud computing," said Treb Ryan, CEO, OpSource. "We've seen great early results from our private Beta and are excited to see what the larger enterprise community will accomplish with OpSource Cloud. 2009 truly is the year of the enterprise Cloud and we are proud to be helping make this pivotal moment in IT happen."
For more information on OpSource Cloud and to download the "Enterprise Meet Cloud" white paper, please visit http://www.opsourcecloud.net/news/articles.
About OpSource Cloud
OpSource Cloud offers companies the true Cloud, combining the availability, flexibility and community of the public Cloud with the security, performance and control that the enterprise demands. Its features include:
Best of the Public Cloud
-- Easy online sign-up with infrastructure provisioning in minutes
-- Pay by the hour and only for what you use, with no commitment (unless
so desired)
-- Community resources for sharing and collaboration, third party add-ins
and configurations
-- Web interface plus complete set of APIs
Enterprise Security & Compliance
-- Virtual Private Clouds with user-specified public Internet
connectivity
-- Unique customizable security for firewalls
-- User-level login/password and access control
-- SAS 70 Audited Cloud
-- One hundred percent uptime SLA
Enterprise Performance
-- Multiple private networks on demand for multi-tier architecture
-- Guaranteed sub-millisecond latency between systems
-- Industry standard technology including VMware, Cisco, EMC, Microsoft
and Red Hat
-- User selectable server configurations
Enterprise Controls
-- Centralized control and billing
-- Master and departmental management and controls
-- Sub-account permissions and budgeting
-- Complete reporting
-- 24X7 phone support plus online community support and ticketing/status
tracking
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