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Citrix Releases XenServer 5.5

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Citrix yesterday announced the availability of Citrix XenServer 5.5, a new upgrade that it says raises the bar once again for “free, enterprise-class virtualization”.

Today’s announcement comes just 75 days after Citrix changed the game in server virtualization by making XenServer available for unlimited production deployment at no charge. Unlike basic hypervisors that have been free for years, XenServer sets an entirely new standard for free virtualization with powerful features such as centralized multi-node management, built-in storage and full live motion.

In the short period of time since its release, more than 100,000 customers have downloaded XenServer from hundreds of download sites in over 50 countries worldwide with overwhelmingly positive feedback. The new XenServer 5.5 release, available for download today, provides these customers even more value by adding a wide range of new enterprise management capabilities at no additional charge.

The XenServer 5.5 release available for download today adds a wide range of new features that enable easier virtualization management and broader integration with enterprise systems. The latest version now includes features such as consolidated backup, enhanced conversion and search tools, Active Directory integration and expanded guest support for virtually every version of Windows and Linux operating systems. With the new 5.5 release, XenServer provides all the functionality that typically costs up to $5,000 per server with other leading virtualization products.

Also available today is the new 5.5 release of Citrix Essentials for XenServer and Hyper-V, providing advanced virtualization management capabilities for customers using Citrix XenServer or MicrosoftWindows Server 2008 Hyper-V.  Citrix Essentials 5.5 enhances both of these high-growth virtualization platforms by adding expanded storage integration, automated lab and stage management and dynamic workload balancing.

In addition to the availability of the 5.5 product releases, Citrix also today announced the XenServer Central community website, a new resource for all things XenServer to help users enhance their use of the free enterprise-ready virtualization platform.  The XenServer Central website will feature the latest product information, tips and tricks, access to the Citrix KnowledgeCenter and web-based support forums. Offers from Citrix Ready partners for free or discounted licenses for complementary products will also be featured, as well as the latest XenServer content on CitrixTV, Twitter and the blogosphere.

XenServer Central will go live on June 19 at http://www.citrix.com/xenservercentral.

The new XenServer 5.5 release is immediately available for download here. Citrix Essentials 5.5 for XenServer and Hyper-V are also available immediately for purchase or a 30-day trial version on this website.  Suggested pricing for Citrix Essentials starts at $2,500 per server, regardless of the number of processors.

Phoenix Advances The HyperSpace Experience to Include Instant-on Access to Photoshop.com

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Phoenix Technologies today announced that customers will now have instant access to Photoshop.com, the popular Adobe online photo-editing and sharing destination, along with Adobe AIR, Adobe Flash Player and Adobe Reader, on the HyperSpace platform. Phoenix HyperSpace is an instant-on, always-connected, all-day computing environment for netbooks, smartbooks and laptops that simplifies and improves the mobile experience by enabling users to instantly launch applications that can run independently of Windows.

With HyperSpace, users can begin searching the Web, sending and receiving email, using other Web-based applications and working in important productivity applications within seconds of turning on their computer. With the addition of Photoshop.com to the HyperSpace computing environment, users can now access their photos at any time and organize, edit, store and share them in a more secure computing environment. HyperSpace also automatically connects your mobile computer to the best available network, while achieving new levels of uptime and security.

The HyperSpace platform provides a unique computing environment that PC designers, software developers and content providers can utilize to create always-available, instant-on applications that bring new convenience, connectivity, uptime and security to users. PC users will have access to a host of instant-on applications and content including multimedia applications, communications, Web 2.0 browsing, and more. Users will also enjoy the benefits of up to two hours of extra battery life on their HyperSpace-enabled laptops.

NaviSites Selects Mezeo Cloud Storage Platform

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Mezeo has announced that NaviSite has selected the Mezeo Cloud Storage Platform to power its cloud storage solutions.

Already in use by trusted service providers on three continents, Mezeo’s Cloud Storage Platform is building on its reputation by being easy to deploy, highly scalable and highly secure. Its well-designed APIs deliver platform extensibility while its unmatched accessibility includes an integrated Windows desktop, rich Web 2.0 browsers and iPhone, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile native client access.

The Mezeo Cloud Storage Platform enables trusted service providers like NaviSite to leverage their own storage infrastructure to quickly and cost-effectively enter the rapidly growing cloud storage services market under their own brand.

Liquidware Labs Introduces Stratusphere 4.2

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Liquidware Labs recently announced the availability of Stratusphere 4.2, a software solution delivering focused visibility into network, user, application, and desktop activity dramatically reducing the technical and financial risks associated with migrating to VDI.

Adding Stratusphere to your environment provides physical and virtual desktop visibility, much like Layer 7 deep packet inspection, without the overhead, cost and complexity – while being easily deployed as an open format virtual appliance. The solution is compatible with all leading VDI platforms including those from VMware, Citrix and Microsoft.

Stratusphere and Connector ID deliver network, user and, application visibility inside desktops, networks, and storage systems. Patented technology automatically inventories and tracks network connections, users, applications and devices, gathering critical metrics for assessment and diagnostics. Fingerprints placed into the header of each TCP/IP packet allow measurement of the network and application response times associated with each user and desktop for deep visibility, including RDP, ICA, PCoIP and other VDI streaming protocols. Within minutes Stratusphere’s patented process, combined with service level policies, delivers real-time visibility in a virtual desktop and datacenter environment and begins to deliver user experience focused metrics for physical machines, virtual machines and related infrastructure and endpoints.

The key features of Stratusphere include:

  • VDI and Physical Machine, Network, Infrastructure, and Application Assessments – move swiftly from proof of concept to production – while ensuring end user experience
  • User Tracking and Problem Solving – once virtualized identify users experiencing or contributing to unexplained systems slow down
  • Virtual Application Compatibility – assess application activity and profile application resource footprint
  • Support Physical Desktops and Servers – provides application and user visibility and detailed configuration information from the desktop to the SAN
  • ART/NRT Interdependency Maps – gain visibility into application response times (ART) and network response times (NRT), application network traffic, Resources Provisioned vs. Resources Consumed – visibility to fine tune your TCO and ROI
  • Proactive Trending and Capacity Planning – allowing projects to be successfully extended to scale
  • VDI FIT and VDI UX (User Experience) Ratings – identify which users should be considered for VDI and ensure a consistent and acceptable desktop SLA

Stratusphere is available now from a select group of virtualization partners and is priced at $49 per user. A desktop enterprise licensing agreement is available.

NetMotion Wireless Releases Mobility XE 8.51

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NetMotion Wireless, provider of mobile productivity and management software, today released version 8.51 of Mobility XE, the company’s Virtual Private Network (VPN) software. The new version now supports the use of character sets commonly used in French, German, Italian, Spanish, and most other European languages.

This enhancement means that IT administrators and end users can use their native language characters for specifying user names, passwords, resources, and rule sets. The new version of Mobility XE also provides support for Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and 2005 SP3.

NetMotion’s core client-server software, Mobility XE, enables mobile workers to maintain secure connections to applications as they move through wireless coverage gaps and across various networks. Used by more than 1,500 business and agencies, NetMotion Wireless’ software works across Windows(TM)-based laptops and mobile devices. Today’s international feature enhancement follows NetMotion’s recent expansion into Europe and formation of new European subsidiaries.

The updated Mobility XE now supports more than 30 languages.

NetMotion software also facilitates comprehensive reporting on the status of a mobile deployment with its new Mobile Analytics module. The Mobile Analytics module monitors the performance of all individual applications, devices and users within a mobile deployment with more than 20 pre-configured and fully customizable reports, enabling IT managers to measure the performance of a mobile deployment and proactively implement productivity changes, where necessary. The software allows network managers to set thresholds for problems with servers, individual users, or devices, and to receive notifications before critical problems develop, dramatically decreasing help desk calls.

Customers who upgrade to NetMotion Mobility XE 8.51 can now leverage the power of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 or 2005 SP3 in conjunction with the new Analytics module to proactively manage their mobile deployment as a business asset.

Around the globe, more than 350,000 mobile workers use NetMotion’s Mobility XE to mitigate some of the most common challenges in mobile deployments today, including application stability as users move in and out of wireless coverage areas, and seamless roaming between Wi-Fi and wide-area cellular networks. In addition, the company provides advanced security and network management controls that extend corporate security policies to mobile devices, while also allowing customers to utilize their existing mobile investments to reliably deploy real-time applications such as Voice over IP (VoIP) and streaming video.

Release: Xceed DataGrid for WPF Professional Edition 3.2

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Xceed today launched version 3.2 of Xceed DataGrid for WPF Professional Edition. This update provides new features and bug fixes. A fully functional trial version of the Professional Edition is available for download at the company’s website.

Xceed DataGrid for WPF Professional Edition v3.2 offers several new data virtualization capabilities. These additions extend the contexts in which data virtualization will have an impact, improving the performance that developers can expect from applications using this product. Specifically, the datagrid now supports data virtualization when grouping, when using data sources that implement the IQueryable interface, and when inserting and deleting items.

Support has also been implemented for data sources that use Entity Framework, Microsoft’s .NET object-relational mapping framework, which facilitates the developer’s job of working with different types of data sources.

Other new features include the addition of the ability to customize the contents of the AutoFilterControl, auto-detection of ComboBox columns (enums, foreign keys), and support for unbound columns have been added. Bug fixes have also resolved several issues.