Virtualization.com

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.

Avaya announced today the launch of an Avaya Aura midsize solution, the first single-server unified communications solution suited for businesses as small as 100 employee users and as large as 2,400 users and 250 locations.

Avaya also announced that virtualization – the use of software to allow a single piece of hardware to run multiple applications at the same time – will be the de facto method for deploying its applications going forward.

Available in November, the Avaya Aura midsize solution takes advantage of the new Avaya Aura System Platform, a real-time virtualization technology enabling unmodified versions of Avaya Communication Manager, Voice Messaging, SIP Enablement Services, Application Enablement Services, Utility Services and Media Services to be deployed on a single server. Optional backup is available for server redundancy.

As a result, enterprises can reduce hardware, power and cooling, and maintenance requirements by up to 75 percent, the company said in a press statement.

The solution also facilitates simplified installation and ongoing management with integrated services for administrators, wizards and self-use administration tools. Avaya said the solution can be remotely deployed in less than two hours.

Customers can also add Avaya Contact Center Express (CCE), a multichannel contact center solution for midsize enterprises, to deliver customer service capabilities using an array of features including a unified desktop display, advanced multimedia tools and integration to CRM software, including Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The CCE common administration tool will soon be enhanced to let companies manage the contact center-related data and capabilities of Avaya Aura Communication Manager from within CCE.

The Avaya Aura midsize solution for enterprises comes in both Standard and Enterprise Editions. Enterprise Edition includes the Avaya Unified Communications All Inclusive end-user package; companies using Standard Edition can purchase the package for $60 per user. Avaya Unified Communications All Inclusive is a single license that provides easy access to corporate communications from simple, consistent interfaces whether an employee is mobile, at home or remote offices, a hotel or at work.

DataCore Software, a provider of storage virtualization, business continuity and disaster recovery software solutions, this week unveiled New Business Continuity Starter SAN packages and promotions, new capabilities such as Advanced Site Recovery (ASR), a simple, pre-configured Virtual SAN Appliance (VSA), Citrix Essentials StorageLink adapter for Hyper-V and XenServer and support for Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE).

The DataCore presence at the show for the first year consolidates the recent announcements and inroads that DataCore has made into optimizing storage virtualization:

• “DataCore Announces New Advanced Site Recovery Solutions for VMware vSphere and Microsoft”

• “DataCore Software Now Supports Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)”

• DataCore Virtual SAN Appliance and Citrix Essentials StorageLink Adapter for Microsoft Hyper-V
• “DataCore Software and VMware vSphere™ are VMware Ready Certified”

DataCore has packaged several promotions that are now available to virtualization solution advisors and resellers. These promotions will enable partners to reap the rewards and benefits of having DataCore storage virtualization solutions in their arsenal of product offerings. They include:

• Academic programs offering 50% educational discounts
• A “Revitalize or Repurpose” existing storage arrays or SANs promotion
• A 1TB Starter SAN Software Promotion for Business Continuity & DR
• Special government programs and discounts

The new Solution Advisor Resource Centre provides essential sales training and positioning to help resellers and solution advisors grow their virtualization business with DataCore’s storage virtualization solutions.

Select materials of the new Solution Advisor Resource Center include:

• An eight-minute “Get Acquainted with DataCore” introduction.
• Video Sales Training Presentations
• An Overview of Bundles, Promotions & Packaging
• VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V Sales reference cards, including “Tips for selling DataCore solutions to Server & Desktop Virtualization clients”. And much, much more.

DataCore makes it easy for any virtualization reseller to sell DataCore storage virtualization solutions. The new resources are on the DataCore web site – and unlike traditional portals all the info in the “Quick Start” site is available for use without having to fill out applications. Therefore, partners can immediately review what they need to know to sell. All they have to do to resell is contact an existing authorized distributor. DataCore’s UK distributors are:

• Bell Micro; DNS Arrow; Magirus.

Centrix Software has announced the availability of its free Centrix WorkSpace ROI calculator.

The online calculator is designed to help businesses investing in virtualization assess where further server, application and energy cost savings can be achieved. It shows how increasing server density and rationalising application installs can improve the ROI of virtualization infrastructures by up to 40%.

The Centrix WorkSpace ROI calculator is the first tool to give an assessment based on application metering in a virtual environment. It calculates the server and application cost and CO2 savings that enterprises could achieve by deploying Centrix WorkSpace, a virtual access platform that enables companies to optimise virtualized environments, meter the delivery of applications on a per-user basis and apply charge-back metrics to application delivery. With Centrix WorkSpace, organisations can monitor and control how applications and services are being taken up across the business, and prove that their IT investments are generating real business value.

Centrix Software provides support to organisations at all stages of their virtualization lifecycles. With Centrix WorkSpace organisations can accelerate and improve the user benefits of server and desktop virtualization projects and provide on-going business intelligence on IT consumption by user, business unit, department or company group. It enables organisations to:

• Automate the discovery and metering of applications
o IT can understand what applications are running enterprise-wide, how they are delivered, who is accessing them, how frequently and for how long
o The deployment of applications can be determined based on cost efficiency and user requirements
• Optimise infrastructure and application investments whilst improving user experience
o IT has a single launch pad for applications across any platform, virtual or physical
o Application presentation is decoupled from application delivery to improve the user experience and flexibility of corporate IT services
• Provide ongoing business intelligence on how to best deliver IT services
o Organisations gain visibility on the most/least cost efficient applications and platforms
o Business and IT decision-makers can understand the cost of IT services and align service delivery with actual business usage
o IT can define sourcing and application strategies based on business return