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Zenoss, a commercial open source provider of IT enterprise management products, today announced the general availability of version 2.5 of its commercially licensed Zenoss Enterprise product.

This latest version includes several new enterprise-grade scalability features targeted at managing today’s datacenter as well as expanded management support for next generation datacenter technologies and platforms that include virtualization and public clouds.

The latest Zenoss Enterprise release includes new enterprise-grade features for scalability, reliability, and security such as:

• A redesigned agent-less distributed collector architecture that provides all of the fault-tolerant benefits of an agent-based architecture without the penalties of having to deploy an agent.
• Support for distributed collector non-root installs that make it easy to install Zenoss Enterprise while still being in compliance with corporate security policies.
• Enhanced security features including encrypted passwords used for monitoring devices as well as preventing security vulnerabilities related to SQL injection and cross-site scripting.
• An updated Event Console with a new look and feel that will make it even easier for IT operators to complete their most common tasks. The primary design features were based on a set of usability interviews and include streamlined navigation, inline event filtering and a preview pane.

Beyond delivering on enterprise-grade enhancements this latest release also focuses on key next generation data center management features that include:

• New Amazon EC2 monitoring that provides dynamic snapshots of both the individual and collective performance of the instances within an account. Key features also include the ability to immediately track performance without user intervention and to drill deep on performance issues with “inside-the-instance” monitoring.
• VMware Ready support that offers customers the ability to manage both physical and virtual infrastructure through a single pane of glass by delivering certified integration and interoperability with VMware vSphere.
• The monitoring of many new technologies and platforms including SSH-based monitoring for Solaris. This monitoring combined with 40 new community-built ZenPacks adds to the growing list of hundreds of next generation technologies, platforms and management products that Zenoss already integrates and manages.

LiveTime Software, a provider of Web based ITIL 3 Service Management and Help Desk software, today announced the release of the LiveTime Virtual Appliance 6.0.

The new virtual appliance has been specifically designed for SaaS-based Service Management providers, offering full isolation and a simple menu driven interface. Each appliance can operate in as little as 512Mb of RAM and can scale the number of virtual processors and memory to meet the needs of any customer.

As a standalone platform, the LiveTime Virtual appliance also includes an auto update facility so customers can automatically remain current with the latest LiveTime release. Simply choose the update option and LiveTime will automatically download and install the latest release direct from the console.

Designed around open standards the LiveTime Virtual Appliance includes Apache 2.2, Tomcat 6.0, Java 6 and LiveTime 6.0, optimized for LiveTime service delivery. Version 6.0 includes an updated kernel and support for VMware vSphere 4.0 and Citrix XenServer 5.5 with guest tools for each environment. In addition, LiveTime supports the Open Virtualization Format (OVF) and Microsoft’s Hyper-V environment.

Organizations can now leverage LiveTime’s highly scalable ITIL Service Management software with the ease of installation of traditional software. The virtual appliance provides the necessary scalability and security that is difficult to achieve when deployed on existing hardware and operating systems. Since the system has been hardened at the operating system layer, LiveTime provides Just Enough Operating System for its needs. This makes the system easy to update and maintain and provides a very small footprint and a 200Mb download.

Citrix Systems today announced the general availability of Citrix Dazzle for Windows and Mac, along with new versions of Citrix Receiver for Windows, Mac, iPhone, BlackBerry and Android.

The new releases make virtual desktops far more compelling for end users, enabling unprecedented levels of flexibility, mobility and self service. As the first self-service “storefront” for enterprise applications, Citrix Dazzle gives corporate employees 24×7 self-service access to a broad array of applications, desktops and content, allowing them to choose exactly what they need, when they need it. Citrix Receiver is a lightweight software client that makes accessing virtual desktops and applications on any device as easy as turning on your TV. Together, Dazzle and Receiver work with Citrix XenDesktop, the company’s market-leading desktop virtualization solution, to power self-service IT for a wide range of virtual desktops, giving every user in the enterprise instant access to their corporate desktops and applications from whatever device is most convenient at the time.

Multiple factors are converging to make 2010 a breakout year for desktop virtualization. As 2009 draws to a close, desktop virtualization is progressing along the same rapid trajectory that server virtualization enjoyed two to three years ago – moving quickly from test labs, to pilots, to full scale production deployments. As virtual desktop technologies continue to mature, an increasing number of enterprises are proving their mainstream viability by rolling out large-scale virtual desktop implementations to thousands of users, improving security and reducing desktop management costs by up to 50 percent in the process.

The desktop virtualization market is expected to accelerate further in 2010 with the highly-anticipated arrival of Windows 7 as organizations of all sizes take time to evaluate their enterprise-wide strategies for desktop computing. Many experts, in fact, expect desktop virtualization to ultimately surpass server virtualization, in part because of the sheer size of the potential markets. While server virtualization currently has an addressable market size of approximately 35 million servers worldwide, desktop virtualization has the potential to impact more than 600 million desktop users in corporate environments alone.

While the benefits of server virtualization are almost exclusively focused on IT agility and cost savings, desktop virtualization has the unique advantage of benefiting both the end user and IT. Centralized management of employee desktops gives IT what it wants most – greater security, control and cost savings. At the same time, going virtual at the desktop also gives end users what they want most – flexibility, choice and self service. Through the power of virtualization, Windows desktops can be delivered by IT as an on-demand service to any device. This flexibility gives users the ability to work from any device they choose, and to self select the services they need, when they need them. At the same time, IT gains all the benefits of centralized management and control, ensuring unprecedented security of corporate resources, and significantly lowering desktop management costs. The combination of Citrix XenDesktop at the head end, and Citrix Dazzle and Receiver on each device, enable customers to respond to the growing demand from both users and IT administrators for a simpler, richer, more powerful desktop computing experience.

While early VDI-only (virtual desktop infrastructure) products allowed only one model of desktop virtualization, XenDestkop 4 with its new FlexCast delivery technology gives customers the flexibility to deliver any type of virtual desktop, to any user, on any device – and to change this mix at any time. This unprecedented flexibility makes virtual desktops a practical reality for every type of employee – from task workers and office workers, to power users and mobile employees.

To reach broad, enterprise-wide deployment, virtual desktops must also provide a great experience for end users. Citrix addresses the first part of this equation with its market-leading HDX™ technology, which ensures a high definition experience for all end users, regardless of their location or device.

The addition of self service capabilities with Citrix Dazzle and Receiver significantly enhances virtual desktop user experience by enabling employees and contractors to get instant, secure, self-service access to their full Windows desktop and everything on it from whatever device is most convenient.

Dazzle is a user-facing application that runs on any Windows or Mac computer. It acts as the storefront for all the applications IT has centrally staged in head-end infrastructure products like XenDesktop. To select an application in Dazzle, users simply browse and search based on application name, description or type. Dazzle also interfaces directly with Citrix Merchandising Server, the head-end management system that makes it easy for IT to actually start “merchandising” apps to users, not just delivering them.

Dazzle is fully integrated with Citrix Receiver, the universal software client that makes it easy for users to access corporate apps and desktops from any device they choose. With the new Receivers for Blackberry and Android, Citrix has extended anytime access to applications to even more mobile devices. Together, Citrix Dazzle and Citrix Receiver with XenDesktop bring the power of desktop virtualization to millions of devices.

Citrix Dazzle, Citrix Receiver and Citrix Merchandising Server are free of charge to any Citrix XenDesktop or Citrix XenApp customer.

The following versions of Dazzle and Receiver will be generally available to all Citrix customers in December:

• Dazzle 1.1 for Microsoft Windows; Dazzle 1.2 for Apple Mac
• Receiver 1.2 for Windows and Mac
• Receiver 2.0 for Apple iPhone (available at the Apple App Store)
• Receiver 1.0 for RIM Blackberry (available at the Blackberry App World store)
• Receiver tech preview for Android by Google

Expanding the application of thin clients in new computing environments, HP today introduced a variety of thin computing solutions that deliver affordable, simple computing experiences for business and education, as well as integrated client virtualization solutions that extend the power of the data center to the desktop.

Extending HP’s thin computing portfolio, the new solutions include:

• HP thin client platforms designed to optimize the end-user experience for client virtualization by delivering higher performance and remarkable ease of use.
• HP client virtualization solutions that provide a high-quality user experience and increased scalability and reliability in a secure environment at a breakthrough price.
• HP MultiSeat solution that can double computing seats without expanding IT budgets for smaller computing environments, with simple set up and low energy use.

Thin computing platforms deliver new levels of performance and value

• The new HP t5740 and HP t5745 Flexible Series Thin Clients deliver a superb computing experience for client virtualization deployments. The t5740 Flexible Series Thin Clients feature Intel Atom N280 processors and an Intel GL40 chipset, enabling a power-efficient and rich PC experience delivered with the dependability of a thin client. HP Flexible Series Thin Clients can grow with a business, providing eight USB 2.0 ports and an optional PCI expansion module for easy upgrades. The HP Flexible Series also meets stringent ENERGY STAR, EPEAT Silver and Energy Using Products Directive (EuP) Lot 6 requirements.
• HP Flexible Series Thin Clients support rich multimedia for visual display solutions, including the new HP LD4700 47-inch Widescreen LCD Digital Signage Display. The HP LD4700 can run 24/7 in both bright and dim lighting while maintaining longevity, and can be set in either a horizontal or vertical position. In addition, with the new HP Digital Signage Display (DSD) Wall Mount, users can hang the display on a wall to showcase videos, graphics or text in a variety of commercial settings where an extra-large screen is desired.
• The HP t5325 Essential Series Thin Client is an affordable, power-efficient thin client with a new interface that simplifies setup and deployment. It offers a combination of features unique in its class and enables local web access and basic multimedia support.
• All new HP Thin Clients now include intuitive setup tools that streamline configuration and management into a short series of easy-to-follow steps. The ThinPro Setup Wizard for Linux and HP Easy Config for Microsoft Windows help customers quickly choose the right configurations for their virtual environment in just a few clicks. In addition, HP thin clients also include on-board utilities that automate deployment of new connections, properties, low-bandwidth add-ons and image updates from one centralized repository to thousands of thin clients.

New client virtualization solutions extend the power of the data center to the desktop

HP is extending the power of its Converged Infrastructure strategy to help customers accelerate the delivery of client virtualization with solutions that combine servers, storage, software and thin clients, along with services and support.

• Three new client virtualization architectures that combine Citrix XenDesktop 4, Citrix XenApp or VMware View with HP ProLiant servers, storage and thin clients to provide midsize to large businesses with a range of scalable and affordable offerings that meet the performance and reliability needs of task workers and knowledge workers.
• HP ProLiant WS460c G6 Workstation Blade brings centralized, mission-critical security and reliability to workstation computing by delivering a breakthrough user experience that also allows individuals or teams to work and collaborate remotely and securely. This solution meets the performance and scalability needs for high-end visualization and handling of large model sizes demanded by enterprise segments such as engineering and oil and gas.
• HP Client Automation 7.8, part of the HP Business Service Automation software portfolio and fully supporting Windows 7, allows customers to easily deploy and migrate to a virtual desktop infrastructure environment and manage it through the entire life cycle. It manages traditional and virtual client environments – including all thin clients, virtual back-end infrastructure and traditional PCs – with a common methodology that reduces management costs and complexity. Customers also capture inventory and usage information to help size their initial virtual client deployment and reoptimize as end-user needs change over time.
• New HP Technology Services implementation, support and education offerings help organizations lower complexity and risk with new business value services that provide a reliable path to client virtualization:
  • HP Transformation Experience Workshop helps customers build their strategy for virtualized solutions, identify a high-level roadmap and get executive consensus in a one-day intensive session.
  • HP Business Benefit Workshop allows customers to identify, quantify and analyze the business benefits of client virtualization as well as set return-on-investment targets prior to entering the planning stage.
  • Enhanced HP Solution Architecture and Pilot Service ensures the successful integration of the client virtualization solution into the customer’s infrastructure through a clear roadmap, architectural blueprint and phased implementation strategy.
• HP Enterprise Services extends the value of HP’s client virtualization solutions by hosting the customer’s applications and data in a remote data center.
• Recently announced HP business computing bundles bring end-to-end IT capabilities to small business owners. The bundles, which include HP Thin Clients, HP ProLiant tower servers and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, efficiently deliver Windows desktops, business applications and remote access while improving security and reducing total costs.

HP MultiSeat Solution doubles computing seats without expanding IT budgets

The HP MultiSeat Solution stretches the computing budgets of small businesses and other resource-constrained organizations by delivering up to twice the computing seats as traditional PCs for the same IT spend.

HP MultiSeat uses the excess computing capacity of a single PC to give up to 10 simultaneous users an individualized, fully supported and licensed Microsoft Windows 7 computing experience. This not only helps organizations affordably increase computing seats, but also simplifies IT management with setup simple enough for non-technical users and reduces energy consumption by as much as 80 percent per user over traditional PCs.

Pricing and availability

• HP t5740 Flexible Series Thin Client starts at $429 and is currently available
• HP 5745 Flexible Series Thin Client starts at $399 and is currently available
• HP t5325 Essential Series Thin Clients starts at $199 and is expected to be available Dec. 1
• HP LD4700 47-inch Widescreen LCD Digital Signage starts at $1,799 and is currently available
• HP ProLiant WS460c G6 Blade Workstation starts at $3,044 and is currently available

New research from TheInfoPro announced today at Interop New York 2009 outlines where Fortune 1000 (F1000) and midsize enterprises (MSEs) intend to focus their budget dollars and man-hours throughout 2010.

Based on interviews with more than 1,000 information technology decision-makers from more than 800 organizations in North American F1000 and MSE spaces, TheInfoPro’s research outlines where IT departments within these organizations stand in terms of budgets, technology roadmaps, and technology provider choices and ratings.

Key infrastructure areas are covered including: storage, servers, networking, information security, virtualization and cloud computing.

A key theme prevalent in the majority of organizations interviewed is that almost all respondents will see a continued halt on new IT projects, with available dollars being geared toward optimization projects and refresh components of the existing storage, networking and server infrastructures to support growth in virtualization.

Spending

While spending is expected to increase for 2010 and budgets are projected to be more fruitful, TheInfoPro’s studies provide the following themes across all sectors of IT:

• Spending will focus on increasing existing infrastructure needs versus IT departments embarking on new projects or pilots.
• Technology purchases will focus on the optimization of existing server, networking and storage assets, requiring a six- to 12-month ROI.
• Hot new trends in technology will be prioritized if they’re easy to bring on and if they demonstrate a quick ROI.
• Upgrade investments will be made to support virtualization performance demands, especially in the area of networking.

Storage

• After a year of consolidation, F1000 storage pros forecast a positive budget for 2010; however, new application demand remains uncertain.
• In 2009, MSE budgets fared better than F1000 budgets. In 2010, the F1000 budgets are expected to increase more.
• Deduplication, both backup and primary, solid-state disk, and 8Gbps refreshes top end users’ storage hardware priorities, while thin provisioning, archiving and e-discovery top end users’ storage management priorities.
• NAS activity continues to expand for business analytics, application optimization and virtual server adoption.

Servers and virtualization

• Server spending turned net positive, with 30% of respondents indicating increased spending and 22% noting decreases for 2010.
• Companies will need to invest more in hardware, but not all vendors will reap the benefits of those sales; respondents point to Dell and Hewlett-Packard as first-choice vendors.
• Desktop virtualization will see an major increase in pilot programs and installations in 2010.

Networking

• Early projections indicate fewer significant networking budget cuts in 2010 as compared to 2009, with 58% of respondents expecting spending to have flat to 10% growth.
• High-ROI projects like WAN optimization continue to be deployed. To a lesser degree, unification of voice and video onto the enterprise backbone network is also moving forward when it can be accomplished without large infrastructure upgrades.
• Fifteen percent (15%) of organizations are planning future adoption of IP video conferencing solutions. The increased use of this technology is meant to offset travel expenses and improve organizational effectiveness.
• Citations for future adoption of unified messaging remain strong; an additional 29%, or nearly 75% of the current adoption rate, have unified messaging solutions in their plans for the next 12 months.

Cloud

• While nearly 60% of server organizations are not evaluating or planning to use cloud computing, the percentage of these organizations indicating interest in adopting cloud computing has nearly doubled in the past year, going from 20% to 40%.
• Thirty percent (30%) of respondents indicated they would be slow to adopt cloud computing due to immaturity of technology. Concerns over security followed closely behind, with 25% of respondents indicating this as their number one concern for adoption.
• While internal models are favored (53%), there is a substantial number of organizations looking at a hybrid of both internal and external models (34%).