Partnerships

Scale Computing, developer and manufacturer of Intelligent Clustered Storage (ICS) technology, announces that fourteen of its storage solutions have achieved VMware Ready status.

The designation indicates that those products have passed a detailed evaluation and testing process managed by VMware and is now listed on the VMware Hardware Compatibility List.

The list of products are: iSN1000 (iSCSI), iSN1000 (NAS), SN1000 (NAS), SN1000 (iSCSI), SN1000HA (iSCSI), SN1000HA (NAS), SN2000 (NAS), SN2000 (iSCSI), SN2000HA (NAS), SN2000HA (iSCSI), SN4000 (iSCSI), SN4000 (NAS), SN4000HA (iSCSI), and SN4000HA (NAS).

The VMware Ready program is a VMware co-branding program for qualified partner products and is a benefit of the VMware Technology Alliance Partner (TAP) program. With more than 1200 members worldwide, the VMware TAP program works with best-of-breed technology partners to provide them a comprehensive set of VMware technical and marketing services, support, tools and expertise to deliver enhanced value to joint customers.

SoftLayer today announced it has begun offering VMware ESX for server virtualization to its comprehensive portfolio of software services.

The new service can be added to any dedicated server and is available through SoftLayer’s fully-automated Customer Portal.

Pooling server resourcesVMware ESX is a bare-metal hypervisor that abstracts processor, memory, storage, and networking resources to create multiple virtual machines (VM) from a single physical machine. Each VM can run separate operating systems and applications. This provides companies of all sizes with a powerful foundation for building a high-performance, cost-efficient, and reliable IT infrastructure by:

• Decreasing power, cooling, and floor space requirements
• Increasing server utilization rates
• Running multiple operating systems on a single physical server

VMware ESX also can be utilized within the VMware vSphere™ platform for building complete, enterprise-class cloud infrastructures.

With hypervisor-based virtualization, a level of software (which is the hypervisor) sits on top of the physical server. The hypervisor allocates portions of the physical server’s hardware resources to create multiple virtual servers that are fully independent and secure. Unlike with hosted virtualization, hypervisor-managed virtual servers can all run different operating systems.

Open Kernel Labs (OK Labs), the provider of embedded virtualization software for mobile phones and broadband Internet devices, and Citrix Systems, today announced the “nirvana phone” reference architecture, using virtualization to enable both mobile communications and office desktop-type productivity.

The nirvana phone concept goes beyond traditional smart phones by allowing users to access their corporate virtual desktop and applications from a single device, in any location.

With support for docking to full-sized displays, keyboards, mice and other PC-type peripherals, nirvana phones will offer mobile workers a complete “virtual desktop in your pocket,” allowing them to take their desktop anywhere without the need to carry around a full laptop. The nirvana phone reference architecture emerges from the partnership between OK Labs and Citrix, together with key ecosystem partners ranging from semiconductor suppliers and handset OEMs to enterprise IT suppliers and mobile network operators (MNOs).

The design builds on Mobile-to-Enterprise (M2E) virtualization and readily-available functionality like mobile virtualization, cloud computing and wireless connectivity (3G, WiFi, Bluetooth). The nirvana phone reference architecture also incorporates emerging capabilities in mobile chipsets and handsets like full resolution video and HD output.

Citrix Systems is both a strategic investor and a key partner for OK Labs, working with the company to provide solutions for delivering enterprise applications to mobile with M2E virtualization. The companies’ combined technologies, including Citrix desktop virtualization and the OKL4 mobile virtualization solutions, promise easily-deployed and securely-managed access to enterprise and desktop applications from wireless devices. M2E virtualization enables end users to leverage a single device, bridging corporate and personal worlds without risk of compromising company data, applications, or networks.

Dialectic Networks, an IT support company, today announced its re-emergence as an LLC and now an IBM/System x reseller and IT services company focused on enabling a “savings triangle” for its customers by utilizing the latest developments in open source software, modular data center designs, and cloud computing using trusted IBM hardware and software.

With energy costs rising as well as the growing demand for highly available compute and storage capacity that can quickly scale, modular and/or portable modular data center (PMDC) environments offer cutting-edge technology that deliver optimum return on investment. DN helps implement these environments, which offer reduced up-front capital and on-going operational expenses vs. more traditional ‘brick and mortar’ installations. Together with virtualized environments and cloud computing solutions, DN’s total cost of ownership designs will result in less front-end construction costs, lower overall costs for power and cooling, and lower costs to manage with time and labor-saving efficiencies.

DN integrates the physical components, software, and infrastructure and offers implementation services for private/public/or hybrid cloud computing environments to its customers, including migration and software management. It generally recommends x86 servers and storage from a full range of IBM rack-mounted servers/blades, including iDataPlex servers for increased density and XIV storage for reliability and power savings. The company also specializes in complete server virtualization solutions with open-source software expertise.

The new PMDC’s can house up to 2,016 high-end, state-of-the-art servers and compatible storage in many flexible configurations in a single container, and additional containers can be integrated quickly as needed. They come with options for multiple carrier fiber connectivity, appropriate data center infrastructure including fully redundant power/cooling and environmental insulation and security, and are available in deploy-ready shipping containers of 20, 40, or 53 feet in length to meet the demand of rapidly growing IT infrastructure needs.

Trend Micro, a leader in Internet content and dynamic datacenter security, has partnered with Wipro Technologies, the global IT services business of Wipro Limited, to offer virtualization security solutions for dynamic datacenters. The goal of the partnership is to develop solutions that help secure public and private cloud computing environments that are being increasingly challenged to deliver operational cost savings, while still ensuring the security and compliance of critical IT assets.

As part of this strategic agreement, Wipro and Trend Micro are jointly building Centers of Excellence to address the challenging data protection, security and compliance needs of today’s virtualized datacenters, as well as the growing market demand for server consolidation. Mutual customers will be able to fully leverage the benefits of Trend Micro Enterprise Security offerings through Wipro’s accelerated and cost-effective approach for deployment. With access to combined Wipro and Trend Micro expertise at these Centers of Excellence around the globe, including the U.S., U.K.,Australia and Japan, enterprises will be able to better focus on their core business competencies, while letting industry leaders help them effectively implement innovative security solutions that reduce risks and costs.

Wipro and Trend Micro will provide joint virtualized data center security, as well as datacenter consolidation solutions using next-generation security products from Trend Micro and other mutual partners. This initiative will align with current services from Wipro such as data security, managed security monitoring, managed network and host infrastructure security operations, and managed unified threat and vulnerability managed services. Under the agreement, Wipro becomes a global reseller of Trend Micro products that encompass threat management, Web, messaging, server and endpoint security.

Wipro’s vertically aligned business model gives them a deep understanding of their customers’ businesses to build industry-specific, customized solutions through over 55 dedicated labs and Centers of Excellence. In addition to Trend Micro, Wipro has the largest Centers of Excellence for Hewlett-Packard/Mercury, EMC, and Cisco. Similarly, Trend Micro’s own multinational research, development and support centers, TrendLabs, are dedicated to 24/7 threat surveillance, attack prevention, and timely and seamless solutions delivery.

Trend Micro’s coordinated approach to virtualization security delivers comprehensive protection while maintaining the optimum performance, mobility and scalability of virtual machines. By combining their areas of expertise, Trend Micro and Wipro will help enterprises achieve higher consolidation rates, and more fully and safely leverage their virtualization investments.

Hyper9, a provider of business-driven virtualization management solutions, and DNM Technology, an Ireland-based infrastructure consultancy specializing in virtualization, database services, storage management, backup and recovery, and business intelligence, today announced a joint partnership to help organizations across Ireland and the UK virtualize more resources, faster and with greater confidence.

With this agreement, DNM Technology becomes an official reseller of Hyper9’s Virtual Environment Optimization (VEO) solution, providing DNM Technology customers better business insights into their virtual infrastructure.

Hyper9 VEO combines usability and dashboard features with in-depth analytics and reporting to help users find and reclaim virtual resources. The solution delivers instant insight into virtual environments, thereby eliminating manual assessment and reporting efforts. Additionally, organizations can use Hyper9 monitoring and alerts to establish best practices around how their virtual infrastructure should perform, and how to proactively maintain those activities over time.

DNM Technology’s Virtual Assurance services include the design, implementation and support of business-focused virtualization solutions spanning server, desktop, network, storage and application environments. DNM Technology believes in vendor independence, working closely with leading virtualization organizations including VMware, Microsoft and Citrix, all Hyper9 partners.