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“Canonical is touting private cloud capabilities in an upgrade to its Ubuntu Linux OS being announced on Tuesday.

Available for free download on October 29, Ubuntu 9.10 Server Edition introduces UEC (Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud), an open source cloud computing environment based on the same APIs as Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud). Businesses can take advantage of private clouds, Canonical said.”

Read the rest of this story on InfoWorld

EMA has recently completed detailed research into endpoint virtualization, published in its latest research report titled, “Real World Experiences of Endpoint Virtualization.”

Based on data from an in-depth survey of over 100 enterprises, most with current production deployments of desktop and application virtualization, and on interviews with many different organizations, the full 35-page research report provides over 100 data points on expectations, outcomes, cost and functionality benefits, current and future technology deployment plans, key buying decision factors, and more.

Endpoint virtualization is a (mostly) new set of technologies aimed at abstracting the end user experience – typically their logical desktop, application, and/or workspace environments – from the physical systems they rely on to provide that experience – typically a physical desktop or laptop PC. It is variously known not only as endpoint virtualization, but also as desktop virtualization, application virtualization, workspace virtualization, end user virtualization, client virtualization, and more.

– Endpoint virtualization covers many different models, and includes Application Isolation
– Remote Application Virtualization
– Local Application Virtualization
– Application streaming
– OS streaming
– Remote (server-hosted) desktop virtualization
– Local (client-hosted) OS virtualization
– Client-Side Hypervisor
– Browser-based applications
– Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
– Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS)

Deutsche Telekom spin-off Zimory,  an enabler of enterprise-class cloud computing, announced today a new technology that will significantly reduce data center costs.

Zimory technology, code-named “Spree,” enables companies to treat the database as an elastic, customizable resource – whether in a conventional, virtualized, or cloud environment. Spree, scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2010, can be used to prepare a data center for virtualization, for the cloud, or be used independent of a cloud environment to provide scalability and customization of the data layer in traditional IT deployments.

Zimory’s Enterprise Cloud technology combines existing different virtual servers (currently VMware, Xen and KVM) into a homogeneous “Infrastructure as a Service” offering – enabling data center managers to move applications quickly within single or multiple locations.

Launched in January, Zimory Enterprise Cloud Management aggregates available server computing capacity and builds secure, self-service cloud environments for large organizations.

When Spree is combined with the additional tools available as part of Zimory’s offerings, it can be used to migrate conventional deployments into virtual machines and/or clouds — always with the guarantee that the migration process can be reversed, while remaining entirely under the control of the user. With these features, users can implement a wide variety of configurations such as:

·      distributed setups with part of the system residing locally, and parts of it residing on other data centers, or with a service provider;

·      a local backup of a cloud database, or a backup database in the cloud;

·      dynamic provisioning of capacity across data centers and service providers, including database functionality;

·      high availability and continuous availability solutions in centralized and distributed settings.

Login Consultants releases the brand new and free VSI 2.0, a specifically designed benchmark for SBC and VDI environments.

VSI loads the system with simulated user workload, and focuses on how much users can run on the system before it saturates. VSI is 100% platform and protocol independent, and VSI configuration is simplified and automated where possible. As a result, VSI is a turn-key benchmark solution: perform tests within days instead of weeks. No need to create the workloads first. VSI is intended to be used by VDI/SBC engineers/admins, a degree in testing methodologies is not required.

VSI 2.0 introduces new workloads, and an improved indexing method: VSImax. Overall, VSI 2.0 will be a much smoother experience in comparison to VSI 1.0, many best practices and lessons learned from project VRC are now included in this release. The free version is called “VSI 2.0 Express”, the advanced version is “VSI 2.0 PRO”.

The most important 2.0 features are:

· Completely new, more realistic, medium workload

· Support for IE8, Office 2010, Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2

· Highly improved robustness (even under extreme loads)

· Improved response timer mechanism and index: VSImax

· Over 100 fixes and usability improvements

· Multilanguage Support (PRO only)

· Other workloads such as: light, heavy and multimedia (PRO only)

· External clock calibration and response time measurement (PRO only)

· Customization Support (PRO only)

The two founders of Provision Networks, Paul Ghostine (former CEO) and Peter Ghostine (former CTO), have walked away from the firm two years after Quest Software moved to acquire the Citrix challenger. In a statement, according to CRN, Quest confirmed UK channel whispers that Paul and Peter Ghostine have left to “pursue other opportunities”.

Since the buyout in November 2007, Provision Networks had been rebranded and is now known as the Desktop Virtualization Group at Quest Software. Paul was general manager of the group while Peter was chief information officer.

NASDAQ-listed Quest immediately moved to assuage channel concerns that the Ghostines’ exit would leave it without anyone driving its VDI strategy.

“We will miss [Paul and Peter’s] experience and expertise, but we have assembled a talented management team to help us capitalise on the desktop virtualisation market opportunity,” it stated.

Simon Pearce, who has been with Quest for 12 years and was largely responsible for building its EMEA operation, will assume leadership of its Desktop Virtualization Group.