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desktop virtualization

Avnet Technology Solutions Introduces Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Solution, Based on VMware Technology

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Avnet Technology Solutions, an operating group of Avnet, today announced a comprehensive solution to assist partners in targeting the emerging virtual desktop market in the US and Canada. Avnet Technology Solutions’ new solution combines VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) software with the services and enablement resources needed to develop market expertise and effectively implement virtual desktop environments. Partners can use virtual desktop solutions to help their customers improve manageability, increase control and enhance the security of their enterprise desktops. The centralization of desktop management through virtualization also helps companies more effectively leverage their IT resources.

Avnet’s new solution is based on VMware VDI, which includes VMware Virtual Desktop Manager and provides simplified management and secure provisioning of virtual desktops and manages user access to the virtual desktops from a wide range of devices such as Windows, Linux and Mac computers, and thin clients. By deploying the VMware platform, partners can extend business continuity and disaster recovery capabilities to their customers’ desktops and streamline desktop management to reduce operating costs, increase control and deliver complete desktop environments with greater application compatibility.

Parallels Readying Attack on VMware Fusion With Desktop 4

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AppleInsider has taken a close look at a few features of the upcoming Parallels Desktop 4, which will be Parallels’ answer to the latest release of VMware Fusion 2.0.

“Those aware of the changes say the new release will be Parallels’ first to make good on promise made in early January that it would enable virtualization of Mac OS X Server on Macs already running the operating system, making use of a change in licensing terms with Leopard’s release late last year that permits more than one copy to run at the same time.

Such features have been frequently requested by IT administrators, who on Linux and Windows have already been able to segregate individual apps away from the main operating system in the event of a crash or a security breach.”

Ars Technica adds:

“Desktop 4’s performance will also be beefed up by adding DirectX 9 and OpenGL 2 support, an improved virtualization engine, and support for multiple cores and more RAM.

A makeover for the new version of Parallels Desktop is also in the cards, including a redesigned and simplified interface and more Terminal-based controls. In addition, the team is working on improving the ACPI interface (used for shutdowns and sleeping), and should be adding virtual machine resizing and 64-bit support. Based on those features, the software shouldn’t have a hard time catching up to Fusion, but I hope the team has something else waiting in the wings.”

Parallels

Provision Networks Introduces Quest Experience Optimization Pack (EOP)

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Provision Networks, a division of Quest, today unveiled its Experience Optimization Pack (EOP). Quest EOP is an extension suite for Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) aimed to eliminate the adoption barriers of hosted desktop virtualization in all use case scenarios over both local area and wide area networks.

Hosted desktop technologies such as VDI, Blade PCs or even presentation virtualization rely on RDP to provide access and connectivity. RDP, however, does not deliver a PC-like, or even a near PC-like, experience. Quest’s EOP embraces and extends RDP and delivers the optimal user experience for LAN and WAN connectivity. Quest EOP:

  • Delivers support for bi-directional audio, enabling organizations to deploy dictation, collaboration and certain VOIP applications.
  • Accelerates the delivery of multimedia content such as recorded webcasts and web-based training from remote virtualized desktops and applications.
  • Dramatically improves the remoting of graphics including browser and flash acceleration.
  • Eliminates the effects of network latency which can cause havoc even for simple applications such as word processing.

Quest’s EOP is available immediately as an optional add-on to the Provision Networks Virtual Access Suite v5.10, the enterprise multi-platform desktop virtualization solution.

Ericom Adds VDI support for Parallels Virtuozzo Containers

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After announcing support for Oracle VM last May, Ericom has now added VDI support for with its Parallels Virtuozzo with its PowerTerm WebConnect software solution.

Parallels Virtuozzo Containers is an OS-level server virtualization technology that partitions the underlying operating system into multiple isolated containers, so that many workloads or virtual desktops can be run simultaneously on the same physical box.

Ericom’s PowerTerm WebConnect enables organizations to centrally manage and deploy virtual desktops based on Parallels Virtuozzo Containers from within the datacenter and hosting facilities – reducing the cost and complexity of traditional desktop PC management. As a comprehensive solution for virtualized desktop environments, Ericom’s PowerTerm WebConnect increases security and desktop manageability, enables business continuity implementations, and provides a superior, customizable desktop experience.

For PowerTerm WebConnect licensing, Ericom offers both perpetual licensing for Parallels Virtuozzo Containers on-premise implementations and subscription licensing for Parallels Virtuozzo Containers based hosting environments.

Ericom Software

RingCube Unveils vDesk, (Another) Enterprise Desktop Virtualization Solution

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RingCube Technologies today announced vDesk, a high-performance enterprise desktop virtualization solution that delivers employees, contractors and customers anytime, anywhere access to a personalized desktop environment complete with applications, data and settings.

RingCube Technologies delivers enterprise desktop virtualization solutions that can be used to increase user productivity, lower desktop management costs, and eliminate the performance and resource overhead commonly found in legacy virtualization technologies. With the vDesk solution, RingCube now enables customers to rapidly deliver lightweight, high-performance virtual desktops to PCs and portable drives, directly from the network, and from virtualization desktop infrastructure (VDI) environments.

vDesk’s virtualization technology, with 23 virtualization patents pending, separates the user’s desktop environment, including applications, data, settings and system resources from the operating system and encapsulates it into a secure container. vDesk virtualizes components of the host Windows operating system without the need to carry a second operating system inside the virtual workspace. IT organizations use the vDesk Administration Server to create and deploy vDesk workspaces, assign security and isolation policies and provision updates to existing workspaces. vDesk provides users with a list of available workspace masters from which users can create their own personalized workspace instances.

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

RingCube Technologies

DiscCloud Launches Virtual Appliance for Mac OS X

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DiscCloud today announced the release of the DiscCloud Virtual Appliance, the world’s first desktop virtualization platform designed for Mac OS X clients.

With DiscCloud, Mac desktops can be centrally administered, supported, and maintained using trusted and well known practices used by VMware professionals. The DiscCloud Virtual Appliance runs as a Virtual Machine on VMware Server and ESX class products, and hence on vast assortment of standard x86 platforms.

DiscCloud extends existing capabilities of the Mac desktop, via advanced VMware features such as automated backup, continuous availability, storage scalability, mobility, and desktop disaster recovery.

DiscCloud’s approach to desktop virtualization is 100% Apple license compliant, and supports Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) clients.