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VMware Introduces New Partner Programs

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At VMware Partner Exchange 2008, VMware today announced new and enhanced strategic enhancements to its partner programs. The enhancements build on initiatives announced in February 2008 to enhance the VMware VIP Partner Program, helping VMware’s more than 13,000 partners around the world that resell VMware virtualization solutions “by accelerating partners’ expertise, profitability and opportunity in VMware virtualization.”

VMware

New program enhancements include:

  • Expansion of the VMware Authorized Consultant Program
  • A new VMware Alliance Affiliate Initiative to accelerate profitability through joint solution selling with VMware’s technology alliance partners
  • New programs designed to capitalize on the market opportunity of VMware virtualization

“These new benefits take the value proposition of VMware virtualization to new levels,” said Steve Houck, vice president of worldwide channels at VMware. “We continue to enable our business partners to build VMware virtualization practices that are profitable, offer customers advanced training for sophisticated VMware deployments, and deliver increased opportunity. VMware’s business partners are poised to lead the way for new and existing customers of all sizes in the rapidly growing virtualization market.”

As for the company’s training and education programs:

  • The enhanced VMware Authorized Consultant Program enables VMware to better offer its channel partners the resources necessary to build and expand their VMware services practices quickly. New features include access to important tools and resources, such as the VMware Service Acceleration kits—which help partners fine-tune their services offerings for chargeback, configuration management and FDA compliance—as well as technical training that helps partners develop robust services offerings. The program will also provide partners with access to the VMware Authorized Training Center (VATC) program in North America during the second half of 2008. This enables VMware VIP partners that meet certain criteria to become a VATC to offer additional value to customers by providing extensive training options.
  • VMware PartnerPath, the VMware partner training roadmap, has been further enhanced with a family of four new whiteboard training modules called SolutionTrack Whiteboarding. SolutionTrack Whiteboarding consists of flexible education options from instructor-led training classes to a selection of self-paced online courses. This training helps partners work with customers to develop a successful strategy for virtualizing their datacenters and desktops. For consultants, VMware is also introducing the Services Enablement Framework, a common and standard way of mapping services assets and tools to training and business development activities to improve partner engagement.
  • VMware will be launching the VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX) program for VMware Infrastructure 3, which is an advanced certification program for VAC partners who are already VMware Certified Professionals (VCPs) and who want to take their VMware virtualization expertise to the most advanced level. This program is for architects who design VMware enterprise deployments. The program measures technical professionals’ abilities to assess their customers’ needs and teaches them to design VMware Infrastructure deployments for an enterprise datacenter as well as implement, test, document and present the design. This certification program provides the highest level of technical expertise in VMware virtualization.

Magazine Feud: SYS-CON’s Virtualization Journal Blogger Mud Wrestles Virtualization Review Editor

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We’re getting used to the mud slinging between virtualization vendors and their respective marketing & communication departments, which are often publicly available for all to watch through blogs etc. Now niche publishers covering the world of virtualization are getting in that particular game, too.

The protaganists in question?

In the red corner, we have Keith Ward, editor of 1105media‘s Virtualization Review. In the blue corner, James Hamilton, consultant and blogger for SYS-CON. At stake: the title of the first (only?) magazine to write exclusively on our beloved topic of virtualization.

Virtualization Magazine Vendetta

So what happened?

This post on SYS-CON claims:

“Founded in 2006, SYS-CON Media’s Virtualization Journal is the world’s first magazine devoted exclusively to what Gartner has earmarked as the single highest-impact IT trend through 2012: virtualization. And now it will be available in print, on newsstands worldwide, as the first and only print publication serving Virtualization markets.”

This sparked Keith Ward from Virtualization Review to call SYS-CON outright liars on his blog.

“I have no problem with competition. I think it’s good for Microsoft, VMware, Cisco and AT&T. It’s just as good, and healthy, for IT publications. I do have a problem, however, with publications that either a) Outright lie, or b) Are woefully ignorant, and don’t check facts before they publish something.

…

That would mean that their magazine is not the only print mag in existence covering virtualization. And not the first, either. Welcome to the party, Virualization Journal folks. There’s room for others here. Just try to be more careful when you make such bold claims. Doing a little homework on the competition wouldn’t hurt, either.”

SYS-CON blogger Hamilton struck back with a vicious post calling for the firing of Ward as editor of Virtualization Review, and wonders if he’s on drugs.

“SYS-CON Media, the world’s leading i-technology media company, has been publishing Virtualization Journal for the past three years at www.virtualization.sys-con.com – long before your publishing outfit expressed its intentions to cover the virtualization market last November and long before they hired you as an employee.

…

‘Allegedly debuted,’ Keith? Why don’t you get your lazy blogging butt off your basement chair and go to JavaOne for a change, one of the most important technology conferences, around for more than a decade, and see how more than 5,000 copies of Virtualization Journal out of 12,000 shipped were picked up the first day of the show! A single day’s qualified circulation of Virtualization Journal is more than you will accomplish in a year! By the way, have you ever heard of JavaOne? I haven’t seen your rag around here. How about newsstands? Which newsstand can I find your magazine on? Any?”

Hamilton goes on to make fun of an event organized by 1105 Media that had a small number of attendees.

We’re not going to pick sides here, but we certainly wish there was a little more maturity on display. Virtualization is a hot space, there’s plenty to say about it, and it’s natural that there are multiple publications about the subject competing against each other. Get off your high horses and cater to your readers as good as you can instead of bashing each other. We enjoy reading both of you and will continue to do so, but please drop the cheap, pointless accusations because it doesn’t benefit anyone.

Oh, and Keith, keep your personal life stories for your own blog 😉

Veeam Launches ProPartner Program For Resellers And Consultants

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Veeam Software, provider of systems management tools for VMware ESX Server environments, yesterday introduced a new program designed to support and enhance the virtualization practices of its value-added resellers, systems integrators and consultants. Dubbed Veeam ProPartner, the program includes a members-only online portal with access to NFR license keys, discounts on Veeam software for resale, lead qualification support, direct access to Veeam engineering and support resources, co-marketing support programs, and a partners-only knowledge base that should grow over time.

Veeam

“Virtualization represents great opportunity for those who know the technology and can help IT organizations plan, implement, manage and exploit its promise,” said Rick Hoffman, Veeam vice president of channels and alliances. “By joining the Veeam ProPartner program, they can make the most of every virtualization engagement for themselves and for their clients. More than 30,000 IT professionals already know us for our innovative, award-winning products, so Veeam makes a natural add-on to every VMware project.”

According to the company, benefits of Veeam ProPartner include:

  • Increased margins on every VMware engagement
  • Market-ready offerings to build a virtualization practice. For example, partners can use Veeam Reporter to do regular health checks.
  • Deal registration
  • NFR keys to put Veeam’s software in partners’ labs
  • Expedited support and access to engineering
  • Access to educational resources, including a partner-only knowledgebase
  • Joint marketing programs and opportunities
  • A direct link to Veeam’s world-class development team for ongoing dialogue

[Source: VMBlog]

Dell Gets Down & Busy With Virtualization

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As expected, Dell today announced its broadest lineup of dedicated virtualization solutions ever. More than a dozen new servers, tools, and services aim to simplify the deployment and management of virtualization in enterprises of any size.

Dell

“Virtualization is quickly moving beyond hypervisors and hardware consolidation,” said Rick Becker, vice president of software and solutions, Dell Product Group. “Enterprises are looking for a broad array of servers, storage and services designed specifically for virtualized environments. Having been a leader in the first wave of virtualization, today we are signaling our intent to lead the second.”

Dell comes out with updated on-line tools, new e-commerce capability and expanded factory integration. With the updated Virtualization Advisor tool, customers have more options for building validated configurations online for virtualization deployments before purchase.

Through Dell.com/VMwareNow, customers can now upgrade PowerEdge servers purchased with VMware ESXi 3.5 to full VMware Infrastructure 3 enterprise licensing in a single click. Dell will also offer in coming weeks factory integrated VMware ESXi 3.5 or Citrix XenServer Dell Express Edition across a broad range of PowerEdge servers, including the PowerEdge 2950, R900, 1950, 2900, M600 blade and M605 blade.

The PowerEdge R805 offers 2X the memory and I/O capacity of Dell’s previous generation 2 socket servers. With a choice of VMware ESXi 3.5 or Citrix XenServer Dell Express Edition integrated hypervisors, the PowerEdge R805 and R905 servers can deliver the optimal platform for virtualized environments.

Dell EqualLogic storage arrays offer new advanced SAN-aware integration with VMware Site Recovery Manager for data protection and disaster recovery for virtualized environments at no additional cost in management tools.

Dell and Egenera are making virtualization and data center automation a reality beyond the blade chassis. The Dell PAN system is built on PowerEdge 1950 and 2950 servers and Dell/EMC storage, with Citrix XenServer and factory integrated as a complete, turn-key solution that consolidates and virtualizes server compute-resources into an entire Processor Area Network to be managed like hard drives in a SAN. The Dell PAN system can deliver rapid provisioning and re-deployment “in minutes”.

Dell today announced the expansion of its virtualization services to include:

  • Virtualization Simplification Workshop – for customers looking to determine which options are the most suitable for their specific business needs today, their technical environment and to meet future growth.
  • New Virtualization Operational Assessment and Process Automation accelerates selection of the right virtualization technology for their needs and define processes and tools to automate the management of virtualized environments.
  • New Virtualization Healthcheck – reviews existing virtualized production environments to identify technology, process and people issues impeding virtualization scale out and provides an actionable, results oriented plan.
  • Expanded Virtualization Assessment – taking into account multi-vendor virtualization considerations, advanced storage options, as well as green IT data center energy efficiency improvements.
  • Dell PAN Accelerator Service – integrating a full Processing Area Network within the customer environment to help ensure production readiness.
  • Expanded Design and Implementation Services – which features the latest Virtualization technologies, in addition to best-of-breed disaster recovery tools and techniques.
  • ProSupport Remote Advisory Services – fast access to technical experts for consulting on virtualization implementations.

These offerings are available today from Dell Global Infrastructure Consulting Services.

MonoSphere Introduces Storage Horizon 3.7, Adds Enhanced VMware Support

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MonoSphere, a provider of storage capacity management software, yesterday announced Storage Horizon 3.7 boasting a range of new analytical capabilities which should greatly reduce the complexity and time required to manage today’s heterogeneous storage environments. Storage Horizon 3.7 includes enhanced support for VMware environments, a new automated chargeback capability, advanced analytics, advanced analysis of storage consumed by databases, and adds support for EMC Celerra and IBM DS and ESS arrays.

MonoSphere

Storage Horizon 3.7 offers enhanced support for VMware server virtualization, helping storage teams understand to what extent and how rapidly applications running on guest operating systems are consuming storage at the array level. The new version visualizes storage abstractions and analyzes how VMware hosts are using storage, allowing IT departments to view storage usage details and the relationships between array LUNs, ESX servers, VMware file systems (VMFS), VMware virtual disks (VMDK), guest operating systems (OS), and guest OS file systems/raw devices, determining when additional storage is optimally required.

Neocleus Reveils Strategy For Its Endpoint Virtualization Approach

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Neocleus today announced (PDF) its strategy and approach for addressing the security, performance and IT manageability requirements of enterprise endpoints across a distributed network.

Neocleus

According to the company, current endpoint solutions are capable of connecting dispersed employees to the network but result in significant problems in the form of endpoint performance issues, usability complications and critical security vulnerabilities that can render networks defenseless. With corporate dependence on the functionality of these endpoints becoming paramount in their ability to generate revenue and drive enterprise growth, these problems are deemed simply unacceptable.

Neocleus Aims to tackle organizations’ most pressing endpoint issues – performance, manageability, security and cost. The company’s solutions, which include its Type 1 bare-metal hypervisor, enable critical IT tasks to operate in trusted virtual environments that run outside of and side-by-side with Windows while still offering complete access to all the capabilities offered by the underlying endpoint hardware.

“Endpoints are vast storage tanks of information and the gateway to accessing corporate data banks as well. As the variety of endpoints proliferates they become harder to control and more valuable to attackers,” said Charles Kolodgy, research director for Secure Content and Threat Management Research at IDC. “Applying virtualization to endpoints offers organizations significant advantages for securely delivering services, data and applications. Virtualization makes it possible to isolate critical corporate IT functionality without needing to be concerned about the other unauthorized applications residing on the machine.”

Neocleus contributes its technology to the open source community and remains “committed to creating an ecosystem of innovation that facilitates growth for partners and collaborators”. These open source contributions enable software developers to focus on building and maintaining high-performance applications without concern for performance or security issues that result from virtualization initiatives and technologies, and they do so without worrying about the underlying endpoint architecture.