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SoftLayer Debuts CloudLayer Computing (Buzzwords, Anyone?)

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Today SoftLayer Technologies launched CloudLayer Computing, part of its new CloudLayer line of services. CloudLayer Computing is built on the Citrix XenServer virtualization platform, and brings enterprises massive scalability and unique opportunities for their IT environments. In as few as five minutes, customers can have cloud-based computing instances running enterprise-grade and open source operating systems.

CloudLayer Computing instances can be seamlessly integrated with dedicated servers, automated services, and other CloudLayer services (including CloudLayer Storage and CloudLayer CDN) to create a fully unified computing solution. Monthly billing is based on hourly usage or a monthly rate with no long-term commitment, providing an exceptional degree of flexibility. Other advantages include:

  • Image Library—Capture, template, and store images for accelerated provisioning and management
  • Ease of Use—Full access and control via Customer Portal and API
  • Full Virtualization—Virtualized networking, security, storage, and management optimizes “beyond the box”

In addition to offering on-demand computing instances, CloudLayer Computing lets SoftLayer customers build their own cloud computing environments from the ground up. SoftLayer dedicated servers can be paired with leading cloud solutions such as the Citrix Cloud Center (Citrix C3) to customize and manage environments ideal for providing online applications and other Web-based services.

RingCube Introdes vDesk Version 2.0

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RingCube recently announced vDesk version 2.0, an enterprise desktop virtualization solution that simplifies the creation, access and management of Windows desktops. With the release of vDesk 2.0, RingCube advances its virtualization architecture through its new Workspace Virtualization Engine (WVE) expanding the manageability, security, and supportability of its enterprise-class virtual desktop solution. With version 2.0, vDesk also extends its advantage in the areas of application support and ease of management as compared to application virtualization offerings while continuing to maintain a significant cost and performance advantage over client hypervisor-based solutions.

RingCube vDesk 2.0 delivers a Workspace Virtualization Engine (WVE) which provides a lightweight and complete virtual desktop that can join an enterprise domain, has an isolated network stack and supports applications such as endpoint security, databases, and PC management software that require drivers and security services. Below is a listing of key components of the Workspace Virtualization Engine (WVE):

  • Virtual Networking, called vDeskNet, allows the virtual workspace to separate and isolate network traffic from the host PC including VPN clients running within the virtual workspace.
  • Virtual User Management allows the virtual workspace to have a unique set of user accounts separate from the host PC. Also, vDesk users within the virtual workspace can add/join an Active Directory domain independent of the user authentication and authorization rights of the host PC.
  • Virtual Security Store provides a separate protected storage area within the virtual workspace where items like certificates are kept isolated from the host PC.
  • Virtual Windows Services allows greater process and application isolation from the host PC. Virtualized services within the virtual workspace include LSA (local security authority), Microsoft TCP/IP networking, and NTFS volumes. These virtualized services help to increase the number of kernel-mode applications that can be supported within the virtual workspace.
  • Generic Driver Support provides a virtualized framework for the installation of drivers within the virtual workspace which includes a virtualized Plug-n-Play service. The generic driver framework increases application support particularly when new drivers are required.

vDesk 2.0 delivers full workspace encryption through its integration of 3rd party encryption software which protects the information stored within the virtual workspace. Also, vDeskNet provides a virtual networking stack so all network traffic within the virtual workspace can be isolated from the host, protecting confidential information from spyware on the host PC. VPN clients and end-point security software can also be installed inside the virtual workspace for additional security protection of the virtual workspace.

vDesk 2.0 improves the manageability of the virtual workspace by allowing users within the vDesk virtual workspace to add or join an Active Directory domain. Further, vDesk 2.0 has the ability to consume and apply Group Policy Objects (GPO) within the virtual workspace itself independent of the host PC. Enterprise customers can leverage existing management tools with vDesk by running them outside or inside the virtual workspace. By co-existing with traditional PC life cycle management tools and processes, vDesk provides a seamless transition path from traditional desktop management to virtual workspace management.

The vDesk 2.0 client has a more streamlined interface making it easier for vDesk users to get access to their virtual workspace with less interaction required. Also, vDesk support of Windows Vista has gone from technology preview in the previous release to general availability.

vDesk 2.0 is available immediately through RingCube. Pricing starts at $200 per user.

Reflex Systems Bags $8.5 Million in Series A Funding

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Reflex Systems today announced that it has secured $8.5 million in Series A funding lead by RFA Management Company, an Atlanta based private investment firm.

The deal marks the final step in the reorganization of Reflex Security Inc. by creating a new Georgia limited liability company, Reflex Systems LLC. Reflex Systems is exclusively focused on virtual management and security software solutions. The company’s award winning Reflex VMC (Virtualization Management Center) product provides the industry’s most comprehensive management solution with dynamic policy enforcement across the entire virtual datacenter, whether the virtual resources are hosted locally, remotely, or in a cloud environment.

“This funding is testament to the innovation that our management and security solutions are delivering to the rapidly growing virtualization market,” said Pete Privateer, CEO of Reflex Systems. “Organizations are investing in virtual infrastructure to streamline costs and operations during these extraordinary economic times. Likewise, the demand for tools to automate the management and security of virtual datacenters is a rapidly emerging market creating significant growth opportunities for Reflex.”

HP Announces Enhancements to its Business Service Automation Software Suite

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HP today announced new enhancements to its Business Service Automation (BSA) software suite to help customers better manage and reduce operational costs associated with virtualized data centers.

Enhancements within the HP BSA software suite include updated versions of:

  • HP Storage Essentials, a standards-based storage resource management software, helps customers manage the increased storage requirements of virtualized data centers by optimizing capacity allocation and utilization.
  • HP Operations Orchestration, a run book automation software that automates incident resolution, change orchestration and routine maintenance tasks in the data center. This new release allows customers to reduce operational costs by better provisioning and repurposing servers and storage without service downtime.

HP also launched HP BSA Essentials, an online community and subscription services offering that helps customers maximize the value of their HP BSA software investments.

HP Storage Essentials software helps customers lower costs for managing, visualizing and reporting on heterogeneous storage infrastructure. It can automatically baseline, configure and provision storage resources to match changes in virtual infrastructure. Using HP Storage Essentials, customers have reduced the amount of time required to provision storage by up to 90 percent.

New enhancements to HP Storage Essentials software help customers:

  • Optimize storage capacity allocation and utilization by allowing IT organizations to discover and map VMware hosts to storage and storage area network (SAN) dependencies. This enables IT staff to remove storage from virtual machines that are not being fully utilized, making it available to areas that need it most.
  • Improve storage administration efficiency and reduce task errors by automatically provisioning storage to a VMware hypervisor or guest operating system.
  • Deliver better business service visibility and automated change execution across application, server and storage domains through new integrations with HP Operations Orchestration workflow software and across the HP BSA software suite.

HP Operations Orchestration software saves customers time and money associated with managing routine IT operations by standardizing processes. The software automates incident resolution, change orchestration and maintenance tasks in the data center.

New enhancements to HP Operations Orchestration software help customers:

  • Provision and repurpose additional servers and storage capacity without service downtime through an automated workflow.
  • Reduce virtual server deployment time from hours to minutes through enhanced integration with the HP BSA suite.
  • Manage heterogeneous virtualization technologies with a single solution through new integrations with VMware Virtual Infrastructure, Citrix XenServer and Microsoft Hyper-V.

HP BSA Essentials helps customers maximize the benefits of automation and virtualization. The online portal connects customers to BSA Essentials Subscription Services and the BSA Essentials Community.

  • BSA Essentials Subscription Services provide access to security alerts and updates to regulation policy templates used for compliance auditing. This helps customers reduce risk by assessing and correcting security or policy violations that affect the technology infrastructure.
  • The BSA Essentials Community allows customers to find updated product information, share best practices and get new content, such as virtualization management workflows for HP Operations Orchestration software.

HP BSA Essentials is available now here. Access is available to HP BSA software customers with a current maintenance contract. HP Software Professional Services provides consulting services for BSA software to help customers maximize the value of their BSA virtualization solution.

HP Operations Orchestration and HP Storage Essentials software are available now from HP and select channel partners.

ICC Global Hosting Joins VMware Service Provider Program

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ICC Global Hosting today announced its membership in the VMware Service Provider Program (VSPP) to extend its relationship with VMware in delivering hosted virtual desktops in the Cloud.

As both a VSPP and VMware VIP Partner Program member, ICC Global Hosting augments its relationship with VMware and supports the VMware vCloud and VMware vClient Initiatives with ICC Global Hosting’s desktop-as-a-service offering.

ICC Global Hosting’s proven methodology teamed with VMware’s leadership in desktop virtualization delivers a robust virtual desktop as a service that reduces cost and management associated with desktop support.  These hosted desktops help assure a consistent end user experience with the most current software and patches while increasing the client’s data security.  Desktops as a service allows customers to move their desktop expense from a CapEx to OpEx expenditure which more accurately reflects desktop support as an expense.

“VMware is helping our service provider partners build the eco-structure to host customers in the Cloud by leveraging our industry-leading virtualization platform,” said Geoffrey Waters, director, VMware Service Provider Program, VMware. “For those enterprises considering desktop virtualization, ICC Global Hosting can provide all the benefits of virtual desktops combined with the benefits of cloud computing.”

Veeam Debuts New Versions Of Reporter And Reporter Enterprise Products

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Veeam Software, award-winning provider of systems management tools for VMware virtual datacenter environments, today delivers new executive management reporting, integration with corporate CMDBs (change management databases), new change management capabilities, and numerous technical enhancements in version 3.5 of its Veeam Reporter and Veeam Reporter Enterprise products. Veeam Reporter is a favorite of virtualization consultants and systems integrators for documenting customer engagements. Veeam Reporter Enterprise is ideal for documenting large ESX and ESXi environments over time for capacity planning and chargeback.

New features in Reporter Enterprise 3.5 include:
  • Executive Management Reporting — documentation of the virtual environment looks better than ever, with new Visio diagram formats, new pre-defined reports, and a new ability to create and save custom report templates, including corporate logo and formatting.
  • CMDB Integration — provides integration of the VMware environment into common configuration management processes by exporting data into an existing centralized CMDB. Reporter Enterprise 3.5 provides a new PowerShell Extension to run scripts to automatically export Virtual Infrastructure data (both for the current state and earlier points in time) into a company’s centralized CMDB. This eliminates the manual work of     creating inventory spreadsheets, and keeps the central CMDB up-to-date automatically. In addition, running PowerShell scripts against the Reporter Enterprise server instead of vCenter allows users to offload script     processing activities from vCenter, providing for better availability of this critical Virtual Infrastructure element.
  • Change Management — because Veeam Reporter Enterprise gathers virtual infrastructure data periodically on a scheduled basis and stores it in a central Microsoft SQL database, administrators can see point-in-time views  or generate reports to analyze changes over time for configuration drift, security auditing and troubleshooting. In addition or instead of that, administrators can simply opt to receive an e-mail with all changes to the virtual infrastructure since the last data collection.

Veeam Reporter Enterprise 3.5 is available immediately, with North American pricing at $375 USD per socket.