Robin Wauters

McAfee, Citrix Team Up to Make Virtual Desktop Security Simpler, More Scalable

May 13, 2010 by Robin Wauters Leave a Comment

Today at Citrix Synergy 2010, McAfee and Citrix announced a strategic partnership and collaboration agreement to make virtual desktop security simpler and more scalable for large enterprise deployments.

The collaboration between the two leaders in security and virtualization will enable Citrix XenDesktop customers to extend management of desktop security to virtual environments using the McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator platform. The partnership is the direct result of growing customer demand for integrated security management in large-scale enterprise deployments of desktop virtualization. The combination is expected to address the need to provide granular endpoint security policies for each virtual desktop while also addressing scalability, performance and complexity challenges that arise from virtualization.

As part of the solution, Citrix plans to collaborate with McAfee to develop security solutions for VDI-based virtual desktops that centralize all virus scanning and virus signature file updates, off-loading the processing intensive actions from the individual VMs.

The goal of this solution is to enhance the security and scalability of virtual desktop deployments by reducing CPU, memory and storage requirements, and to simplify desktop security and lifecycle management. The results of the collaboration are planned for release late in the second half of 2010 and will be designed to secure XenDesktop deployments on any of the three leading hypervisors – Citrix XenServer, Microsoft Hyper-V or VMware ESX.

In addition, McAfee and Citrix are collaborating to develop hypervisor-native detection capabilities into Citrix XenClient and Citrix XenServer, that will deliver a quantum leap forward in endpoint security. The hypervisor will play a first-class role in protecting and detecting security policy violations for virtual machines. These industry-first capabilities for hypervisor-native detection will also be contributed to Xen.org, together with an open security API. The McAfee® Management for Optimized Virtual Environments (MOVE) platform will take advantage of these enhanced hypervisor-native capabilities, making it easier to provide security by performing run-time checks on the integrity of each virtual machine. The collaboration will enable the Xen ecosystem broadly, including Xen-based clouds, to offer endpoint security services as a native property of the virtual infrastructure.

Citrix Systems Unveils XenClient

May 13, 2010 by Robin Wauters Leave a Comment

Today at Citrix Synergy 2010, Citrix announced the first public release of Citrix XenClient, a new client-side virtualization solution, developed in collaboration with Intel, that allows centrally managed virtual desktops to run directly on corporate laptops and PCs, even when they are disconnected from the network.

Representing a major milestone in the industry, XenClient is designed to provide the highest levels of performance, security and isolation through its bare metal architecture and integration with Intel vPro hardware virtualization technologies. XenClient Express, a free trial and evaluation kit that lets IT professionals begin experiencing the benefits of desktop virtualization for their mobile users, is available for immediate download beginning today.

Desktop virtualization is rapidly being adopted as a mainstream way to deliver Windows desktops to business users. Extending virtual desktops to mobile laptop users requires a portable local VM-based desktop solution that delivers the benefits of centralized management and security while fulfilling the great user experience, mobility and flexibility that users expect from a laptop device.

This approach also allows customers to run more than one virtual desktop on the same corporate owned laptop – ideal for companies who want to maintain a secure corporate desktop for each user, while still giving employees the freedom to run their own personal desktop and applications on the same device. Current client-side technologies that run virtual desktops on top of an existing operating system have not been able to match these requirements. XenClient, a bare metal hypervisor which is built on the same proven virtualization technology as Citrix XenServer, is the first solution to offer the no compromise control and security that IT demands and the performance and flexibility users expect.

Citrix XenClient is being demonstrated in the opening day keynote with Citrix CEO Mark Templeton as well as in the hands-on learning labs and show floor at Citrix Synergy 2010, May 12-13 in San Francisco, CA. IT professionals who want to try XenClient for themselves can download the XenClient Express test kit beginning today.

Key Facts and Highlights:

XenClient Bare Metal Hypervisor – Based on the proven Citrix XenServer technology, and leveraging Intel virtualization technology, XenClient is a new bare metal client hypervisor that enables each virtual machine to run side-by-side directly on the hardware, rather than hosted within the installed operating system. IT can deliver highly secure locked down corporate environments while giving users the flexibility to install personal applications in a separate virtual machine without compromising the security of either desktop and with a high definition user experience
Receiver for XenClient – Citrix Receiver™ for XenClient is a lightweight client that lets users create and manage their own local virtual desktops, or access centrally managed corporate virtual desktops.
Synchronizer for XenClient – Laptops with XenClient can connect to Synchronizer to download centrally managed virtual desktops. Synchronizer enables user data to be backed up automatically through a secure connection over the internet. With Synchronizer, IT can define security policies for managed laptops, disable lost or stolen XenClient laptops and restore a user’s virtual desktop on any XenClient based laptop.
Availability – XenClient Express, which includes the XenClient bare metal hypervisor, Citrix Receiver for XenClient and Synchronizer for XenClient, is freely available for public download. XenClient express is intended for organizations to trial small deployments within their organization with no charge. XenClient is expected to become generally available with the next release of Citrix XenDesktop later in 2010.

HP Bolsters Client Virtualization Products to Improve Security and Usability

May 13, 2010 by Robin Wauters Leave a Comment

HP today expanded its client virtualization offerings for businesses to help reduce the costs and complexity of client virtualization while improving the user experience.

The new offerings, announced at Citrix Synergy 2010, include:

The HP 4320t Mobile Thin Client is designed to meet the security and reliability needs of remote and mobile workers.
HP’s desk-based thin client line now features expanded multimedia capabilities.
HP has worked with Citrix to develop new virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) reference architectures for XenDesktop and XenServer that help reduce the threat of potential data loss or theft, lower the complexity and cost of desktop management, and provide end-users with the functionality of a stand-alone desktop.
The HP Compaq Elite 8000 Business Desktop and HP EliteBook 8440p Notebook PC are the first Citrix Ready platforms expected to support the recently announced Citrix XenClient hypervisor technology. Citrix XenClient support provides the power to deliver the most demanding business applications, while offering the protection of a secure, centrally managed virtual machine for business customers.

As desktop virtualization adoption accelerates, there is an increasing demand for reliable mobile thin clients for remote users.

The new HP 4320t Mobile Thin Client enables secure access to server-based virtual or blade PC computing solutions while providing the mobility of a reliable notebook PC. Users store data on a secure, centralized server – rather than on an internal hard drive – ensuring data is protected in the event a thin client is lost or stolen.

Adding to HP’s broad client virtualization portfolio of thin clients, VDI and blade client hardware, the 4.3-pound HP 4320t features a brushed-aluminum metal finish for refined simplicity and durability with a clean appearance. Its sleek design includes a spill-resistant keyboard and integrated touchpad. Additional features include:

Low-profile, 13.3-inch diagonal LED-backlit 16:9 high-definition (HD) display for improved brightness, contrast and clarity
HDMI port for connections directly to HD displays
Flexible battery options include 6-cell Li-Ion battery for lighter weight or the HP 9-cell Li-Ion Primary Battery for extended battery life
Preinstalled Windows® Embedded Standard, File Based Write Filter and Enhanced Write Filter, and HP Virtual Client Essentials deliver greater ease of use for IT staff and mobile professionals
Enhanced Write Filter (EWF) helps prevent undesired writes to solid-state modules such as application installations and downloads
USB storage security options provide automated administrator control over USB attached memory device read/write access

The HP 4320t helps reduce the workload of IT staff with manageability features such as HP ThinState tools, HP Device Manager and preinstalled Altiris Deployment Solution software. Extensive integrated wireless technologies, such as WLAN and LAN, help mobile workers stay productive with ease.

Enhanced thin client multimedia experiences at the desktop

From corporate training to YouTube, Adobe® Flash-based video is abundant in business today. Yet Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) 6, one of the most common VDI protocols used by VMware View and Microsoft® Remote Desktop Services environments, does not natively support Flash. The new HP RDP Enhancements for Adobe Flash Redirection decodes and plays embedded Flash, enabling customers to enjoy enhanced productivity and communication benefits.

Available for HP Flexible and Performance series thin clients, HP RDP Enhancements for Adobe Flash Redirection decodes Flash media by taking advantage of client processors rather than server processors, thereby lowering the CPU load on the server. This also increases scalability by allowing customers to add more users per server, and lowers the total cost of ownership.

Reducing the complexity of designing a VDI environment

The new HP and Citrix VDI reference architectures provide the functionality of a stand-alone desktop, while enabling unified management of both physical and virtual infrastructures from the same centralized console.

HP’s comprehensive reference architectures are built using the company’s extensive experience testing and simulating real-world workloads to reduce risk, deliver predictable results and accelerate time to deployment for new VDI environments.

The VDI solution developed by HP and Citrix supports more than 1,000 users of XenDesktop 4.0, XenServer 5.5 or Provisioning Server 5.1. It includes HP BladeSystem c-Class or HP ProLiant servers along with Flex-10 virtual connect technology, HP storage and networking, and a choice of HP t5740 or HP t5325 thin clients, depending upon end-user experience requirements.

Each reference architecture can be scaled to meet changing business needs and can be complemented by a full portfolio of HP services including planning, implementation, support and hosting.

Pricing and availability

The HP 4320t Mobile Thin Client is expected to be available in the United States this month.

The HP 4320t Mobile Thin Client will be on display at Citrix Synergy 2010. A hands-on demo of HP’s industry-leading thin clients and software, the new XenClient architecture and other HP client virtualization solutions is available in HP booth 204.

HP RDP Enhancements for Flash Redirection is available today as a downloadable add-on at HP.com for $15.

Integrien Raises $8 Million More

May 13, 2010 by Robin Wauters Leave a Comment

Integrien Corporation, the leader in real-time performance analytics, recently announced that the company has completed a funding round of $8 million led by Clearstone Venture Partners, with additional investment from the Acartha Group and Mariner Capital Ventures.

The company will use the funds to accelerate growth by increasing both its direct and indirect sales channel to achieve its vision of becoming the world’s leading IT performance management platform.

2009 was a breakout year for Integrien, featuring exceptional year-over-year top-line growth of over 140%. The company reported a number of seven figure deals with Fortune 100 companies, who now use Integrien to manage the performance of mission critical applications and services spanning tens of thousands of servers. In addition, the company turned cash flow positive, well exceeded plan both in terms of top line revenue and EBITDA and entered 2010 with an order backlog up more than 300% over 2009.

The company attributes these exceptional results to the large increase in demand for its flagship performance analytics platform, Alive, driven by increasingly complex application infrastructures due to virtualization and cloud computing.

When enterprise customers deploy Alive, they leverage their existing first and second generation monitoring tools’ data collection capabilities, while Alive’s third generation IT performance analytics provide completely automated, holistic analysis across the technology silos that deliver today’s complex, mission critical applications and services. Alive’s analytics identify building problems before they affect end users with complete root cause assessment, allowing IT to solve performance problems quickly and efficiently.

Integrien also recently released Alive 7.2, extending its market leading performance management platform with additional analytics and stunning new visualizations. The company also announced AliveVM, a breakthrough for VMware vCenter administrators, providing a complete, analytics-driven view of VMware performance along with tools for visualizing and optimizing ESX workload and VM density.

Virtual Instruments Taps Investor And Industry Vet John Thompson As Its New CEO

May 13, 2010 by Robin Wauters Leave a Comment

Virtual Instruments, a provider of storage area network and virtual infrastructure optimization solutions, today announced that John W. Thompson, Symantec Board Chairman and former CEO, has taken on the role of CEO of the company.

Thompson joined Virtual Instruments as an investor and board member in 2009.

John W. Thompson is replacing Mark Urdahl. Urdahl remains a director and a large shareholder of the company.

During Thompson’s 10-year tenure as CEO of Symantec, he grew revenues from $600 million to over $6 billion. He transformed the company into a leader in security, storage and systems management solutions, delivering world class products to a global customer base, including both individuals and large-scale enterprises.

Beyond his role at Symantec, Thompson served on the National Infrastructure Advisory Committee (NIAC), making recommendations regarding the security of critical US infrastructure, a role to which President George W. Bush appointed him. Before joining Symantec, Thompson spent over 25 years at IBM in various senior sales and marketing management positions, most recently as general manager of IBM Americas. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Florida A&M University and a master’s degree in management science from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

VMware / SpringSource Acquires GemStone Systems

May 13, 2010 by Robin Wauters 1 Comment

SpringSource, a division of VMware, announced that VMware has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire GemStone Systems, a privately held provider of enterprise data management solutions based in Beaverton, Oregon.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The acquisition will advance SpringSource and VMware’s vision of providing the infrastructure necessary for emerging cloud-centric applications, with built-in availability, scalability, security and performance guarantees. These modern applications require new approaches to data management, given they will be deployed across elastic, highly scalable, geographically distributed architectures. With the addition of GemStone’s data management solutions, customers will be able to make the right data available to the right applications at the right time within a distributed cloud environment.

Today’s news, combined with the recent acquisition of Rabbit Technologie and the recent hiring of Salvatore Sanfilippo, the lead programmer for the open source Redis project, underscores VMware and SpringSource’s understanding of the critical role data management plays in application deployment to the cloud. This acquisition will further SpringSource’s strategy to deliver the application infrastructure required for modern cloud applications.

SpringSource plans to fully support GemStone’s product line and will continue to support all GemStone customers. GemStone’s flagship product is GemFire Enterprise, a scalable, distributed data platform that puts data where it is needed across a network to remove latency. Other GemStone products include GemFire SQLFabric, a memory-oriented SQL data management platform and GemStone/S, a platform for running distributed Smalltalk applications.