Virtualization.com

From InformationWeek:

Big tech companies bought hundreds of smaller players from 2000 to 2009, but to my mind only one acquisition stands out as the smartest purchase of the aughts.

…

My pick is EMC/VMware, because of the sheer impact that server virtualization is having on the technology industry. And because VMware currently owns this market, it gets credit for much of this impact.

…

As for EMC, the company gained a relevance and market power it would never have commanded as a plain old storage vendor. On the flip side, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle and others have the knives out for EMC/VMware like never before.

Full blog post here.

Wyse Technology and Pippard have come together to create a POS system that is designed and optimized for these environments.

The Pippard MRT-WCR includes the traditional POS system display, cash drawer, receipt printer and scanner, but its heart is based on a new Wyse virtual client processor combined with a Microsoft Windows Embedded Standard 2009 operating system.

• The Wyse component is unique in the market, offering hardware support for advanced multimedia and video, enabling easier to use and more impactful POS applications.
• It also uses solid state storage rather than a hard disk to store local operating software, significantly increasing the reliability. Windows Embedded Standard 2009 delivers peripheral connectivity and enterprise class manageability.

The system will be available in January 2010 directly from Pippard and through distribution in mid-2010. The system will be available as a thin client targeted at the specialty retail market and as a zero client with Wyse Streaming Manager targeted at the large format retailer with greater than 6 registers per store.

This approach connects directly to cloud computing, virtualization and streaming software technologies delivered by Citrix, Microsoft, VMware and Wyse today, and provides several benefits:

• Highly secure – no data is stored on the POS system, so no data is lost or exposed in the case of damage or theft of the system.
• Increased margins – through lower operating costs
  • Lower energy costs – The ENERGYSTAR certified Wyse client consumes less than 7 watts of electricity in full operation – the same amount of energy consumed as a typical holiday tree light bulb, and typically 85 percent less than PC-based products.
  • Simplifies and reduces IT costs, via central management, reducing or eliminating the need to ever visit the system to perform maintenance, upgrades, and diagnostics
• Reliable – operation continues even in the case of network failure
• POS resiliency – a solid state disk drive option provides for remotely managed, local virtualized POS transaction storage in the event of loss of communications with central server
• Flexible – seasonal traffic increases can be easily handled by simply connecting additional units to the in-store network

Devon IT today announced its Teradici PC-over-IP® (PCoIP) protocol-enabled TC10 thin client is now VMware Ready Certified for VMware View 4.

This designation indicates the TC10 has completed the VMware Hardware Certification Program testing criteria for use with VMware View 4 and is now listed on the VMware Hardware Compatibility Guide.

The TC10 is among the first thin clients to run Teradici’s patented PCoIP® protocol on hardware-to-hardware and hardware-to-software displays after becoming the first thin client ever to run PCoIP in 2007. PCoIP enables customers operating remotely to deploy rich functionality and full multimedia user experiences.

VMware View 4, the industry’s only purpose-built desktop virtualization solution, has enabled new quality, cost and scale standards and helped users eliminate critical functionality barriers that previously restricted customer adoption.

The VMware Hardware Certification Program enables VMware Technology Alliance Partner (TAP) program members to provide mutual customers with jointly supported hardware solutions. Passing the extensive certification testing helps ensure that Devon IT is compatible with VMware technology and ready for deployment in customer environments.

The VMware Ready program is a VMware co-branding program for qualified partner products and is a benefit of the VMware TAP program. With more than 1,000 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.

California-based NComputing has launched a USB-connected virtual desktop (model U170) at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas today.

The USB virtual desktop is based on the simple fact that today’s PCs are so powerful that the vast majority of people only use a small fraction of their PC processor’s capacity. The U170 thin client taps this unused resource so that a computer can be simultaneously shared by many users.

• The U170 plugs into a standard PC’s USB port, and with vSpace (NComputing’s virtualization software, which is included) enables another user to share that PC.
• The U170 has connections for the additional user’s own peripherals, including keyboard, monitor, and mouse.
• Up to nine U170’s can be connected to a single PC and still provide a high-definition multimedia experience for every user.
• The U170 is extremely easy to set up and is ideal for schools, businesses, small offices, branches, and anyone that needs very low cost computer access.

Over 2 million NComputing virtual desktops have been sold around the world. In addition to lower purchase costs, NComputing also lowers ongoing operating expenses. For example, NComputing devices only use 1 to 5 watts of electricity (compared to 110 watts or more for a stand-alone PC), resulting in a 90% cut in electricity costs. NComputing also shrinks the crippling cost of PC obsolescence by reducing the number of PCs that need to be replaced every few years.

The U170 will be available through NComputing’s global dealer and reseller network in February and will be priced under $99 (prices may vary by country).

Gartner has announced that right at the end of 2009, it acquired competitor Burton Group for approximately $56 million in cash, reports TechCrunch.

Gartner financed the acquisition through the use of cash on hand and borrowings under its existing line of credit.

Burton Group is a Midvale, UT-headquartered research and advisory services firm that focuses on providing advice to IT professionals. According to the statement, Burton Group has approximately 41 research analysts, 40 sales and client service associates, and projected 2009 revenue of $30 million.

Gartner expects the acquisition of Burton Group to be accretive to its revenue, earnings and cash-flow over time. On a GAAP basis, the transaction is expected to be dilutive to income per share by ($0.12) – ($0.10) in 2010 and accretive to income per share by at least $0.00 – $0.03 in 2011.