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Spoon, a Seattle-based developer of app virtualization and streaming technology, has announced the launch of Spoon Server.

Spoon Server allows enterprise IT managers and software publishers to deliver desktop apps via the Web without installs, long downloads, or dependencies such as .NET. Spoon works without administrative privileges, device drivers, or code changes, streams efficiently over the Web and wide area networks, and is 100 times more scalable than remote desktop-based delivery methods.

Spoon Server simplifies app deployment, dramatically reduces maintenance and support costs and enables legacy apps to run unmodified on Microsoft Windows 7. Enterprises can make desktop apps available to users wherever they are via the Web, Microsoft SharePoint, or directly from the Start menu, even on locked-down desktops. Software publishers and independent software vendors (ISVs) can use Spoon Server to launch evaluation versions directly from their websites without installation or downloads.

Additionally, with Spoon Server, existing desktop apps can be converted into softwareas-a-service (SaaS) or ad-based offerings.

Spoon Server provides an integrated app portal, easy-to-use web-based administration, detailed analytics on app usage and user behavior, support for embedding apps on external portals such as Microsoft SharePoint, as well as APIs enabling integration of Spoon streams into existing provisioning systems and websites. Spoon supports both 32- and 64-bit apps and launches after buffering 5-10% of the virtual machine payload. Apps can optionally be migrated to the desktop for offline execution.

Spoon Server is available for immediate purchase. Spoon Server is offered in a per-seat license model for enterprises and a per-app license model for software publishers.

F5 Networks today announced a new version of its FirePass SSL VPN solution.

With the 7.0 release, FirePass provides enhanced access capabilities, improved IT management through integrated access services with third-party solutions, and flexible deployment options, including an SSL VPN virtual appliance running on VMware vSphere, FirePass Virtual Edition (VE).

FirePass provides browser-based access to organizations’ applications, networks, and data, and employs customizable access policies to ensure all devices accessing corporate information adhere to a company’s specific requirements.

With FirePass, enterprises can manage employee and external access to business applications, keep mobile users connected, and enforce compliance mandates such as HIPAA and PCI-DSS. Highlights of the new FirePass version 7.0 include:

• Flexible Deployment Options, Including a Virtual Appliance

F5 now offers customers the ability to deploy FirePass on both physical and virtual platforms, with FirePass VE delivering all the traditional functionality of its physical counterpart. F5’s virtual deployment options—including the recently announced BIG-IP^® Local Traffic Manager^™ Virtual Edition—provide a powerful way for organizations to reduce CapEx and OpEx costs by controlling the number of physical devices in their IT infrastructure. With FirePass VE, customers gain the valuable flexibility to add remote access capabilities to their existing virtual environments while maintaining emergency capacity in case of an unexpected event.

In addition, with this new version, FirePass now interoperates with both the FirePass Client and the new BIG-IP Edge Client^™. The BIG-IP Edge Client provides advanced roaming, domain detection, and automatic connection, helping users stay connected when transitioning between locations.

• Advanced Endpoint Security and Enhanced User Experience

FirePass 7.0 includes enhanced endpoint security features for Mac and Linux environments, including updated antivirus, firewall, and anti-malware software detection capabilities. This new version reduces risk of data loss with upgraded features, including Protected Workspace for 64-bit operating systems such as Microsoft Windows 7.

FirePass ensures users receive continuous, seamless access from any authorized device whether they are at home, on a wireless network, or connected via a guest network. With the BIG-IP Edge Client, FirePass can also automatically detect domain changes to connect or reconnect to network resources (even after losing a VPN connection) or halt VPN access when the user connects to a secure LAN.

• Improved Ease of Management with Integrated Access Services

FirePass 7.0 features advanced hardware identification to help IT administrators identify unauthorized devices and block access to corporate networks and materials as appropriate. Additionally, customers who use VMware virtualization tools in their data center can now use those same management tools to manage SSL VPN capability within their virtual desktop infrastructure. FirePass integration with the VMware View web client allows customers to quickly and easily deploy VMware View for remote users without requiring an additional client installation. Also, FirePass now enhances access to Xen Presentation Server, sending Smart Access filters to XenApp/Presentation Server based on the results of the endpoint inspections.

The new version of the FirePass SSL VPN solution is available now.

Last April, VKernel launched AppVIEW, a tool designed to monitor, diagnose and resolve capacity bottlenecks in application VMs.

Now, the company is back with the release of StorageVIEW, a free to use desktop tool that provides analysis into the top five host/datastore pairs and their associated VMs with the highest latency.

StorageVIEW also provides:

• Top five host/datastore paths with the highest latency
• Listing of the associated VMs for these high latency paths
• Throughput information for each VM in the high latency path
• Aggregated results for the remaining datastore/host pairs
• Support for NFS, iSCSI, and Fibre Channel

StorageVIEW installs on any current version of Windows and easily connects to VMware ESX or vCenter 2.5 and above or VKernel’s Optimization Pack 1.2 or VM Stats products.

Wind River, makers of embedded and mobile software, today announced support for Microsoft Windows XP as a guest operating system for Wind River Hypervisor on Intel-based platforms.

Device and systems manufacturers can now run Windows XP simultaneously with other operating systems such as VxWorks or Wind River Linux on a single piece of silicon, to reduce their bill of materials, energy consumption and maintenance costs.

Wind River Hypervisor was developed from the ground up to support real-time system requirements and virtualization on single and multi-core processors, and leverages Wind River’s deep expertise in advanced partitioning and safety and security critical systems from the aerospace and defense and industrial and medical sectors.

With the addition of Windows XP as a guest operating system, device and systems manufacturers serving the industrial and medical market segments can integrate Windows XP alongside real-time operating systems into their projects to deliver a broader set of capabilities and develop innovative solutions to differentiate them from the competition. Examples include using Windows XP to create a graphical user interface for patient monitoring consoles or industrial control platforms while also implementing an RTOS to manage sensors and control with real-time performance, determinism and high reliability, both on the same physical single- or multi-core chip.

Wind River’s solutions help customers reduce the risk and costs associated with developing the complex embedded systems of tomorrow. Wind River Hypervisor allows customers to adopt multi-core processors using embedded virtualization technology with reduced risk and time-to-market. To help customers manage the complexities that arise with multi-core software development, Wind River offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to effectively develop, test and debug software and simulate systems in complex multi-core environments.

Separately, Wind River also announced the latest version of Wind River Tilcon Graphics Suite, now with OpenGL 3D graphic support, an additional offering that expands Wind River’s portfolio of vertical industry solutions.

Windows XP support for Wind River Hypervisor will be available in July 2010 for single and multi-core Intel platforms that support Intel’s virtualization technology, VT-x.

Unidesk today announced the general availability of Unidesk 1.0.

Unidesk leverages VMware vSphere and extends virtual desktop solutions such as VMware View and Citrix XenDesktop with 100 percent personalization for end users, together with single image management and storage savings for IT organizations.

Unidesk offers:

• 100% Personalization – Drives end user acceptance of virtual desktops by sustaining all user customizations – including user-installed applications, profile customizations, and documents – through desktop logouts, reboots, and operating system updates;
• Effortless Management – Enables IT administrators to efficiently create and update many desktops from single images of Microsoft Windows and applications, including applications with system services and boot-time drivers that application virtualization solutions cannot deliver;
• Storage Savings – Shrinks the amount of storage needed to implement desktop virtualization by preventing duplicate copies of Microsoft Windows and IT-managed applications from being stored.

Alliance and channel partners have also been anticipating the launch of Unidesk, which provides a key solution to help customers realize greater returns on virtual desktop investments.

Unidesk Composite Virtualization technology is the patent-pending layering innovation that gives both end users and IT ideal virtual desktops. All user customizations are captured and stored separately in personalization layers. Microsoft Windows and applications such as Microsoft Office are created and maintained by IT in separate operating system and application layers.

By dynamically compositing these layers at boot time, Unidesk ensures that every desktop has the same set of patched and compliant base layers, while every user has a consistent, personal desktop and application experience.

Unidesk 1.0 is available immediately through Unidesk Solution Partners who are experts in VMware, Citrix, and Microsoft solutions. Pricing starts at $150 per named user and decreases with volume.