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VMware And HP Enhance Partnership

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VMware announced that it signed an OEM agreement to integrate HP Discovery and Dependency Mapping software into the VMware vCenter suite and is also working with HP on new datacenter management initiatives.

In addition, HP has integrated VMware ThinApp with the HP Client Automation policy-based management platform. Both of these initiatives will help customers seamlessly and cost-effectively manage their physical and virtual datacenter and desktop initiatives. Today’s announcement expands on the companies’ existing strong relationship designed to provide customers with complete solutions that help them build and manage dynamic datacenters for delivering IT as a service.

In the first area of collaboration, VMware will OEM the HP Discovery and Dependency Mapping software into the VMware vCenter management suite. VMware will integrate HP Discovery and Dependency Mapping software as a virtual appliance into VMware vCenter ConfigControl in 2010 after ConfigControl becomes available to further enable customers to maintain visibility and ensure compliance of configuration states in their VMware vSphere 4 environments. A combined solution will give VMware vCenter administrators “single pane of glass” visualization of how business services running in VMware virtual machines map to the physical infrastructure. This will enable customers to simplify management of their heterogeneous infrastructures through comprehensive discovery and dependency mapping as well as automation of common management tasks including change detection, configuration updates, provisioning, patching, and enforcement of compliance and security policies.

VMware has also worked with HP to extend the HP Client Automation policy-based management platform to support VMware ThinApp. This enables customers to standardize on a single client management solution to publish, deploy, track and report on virtualized applications along with physical applications. Customers can use the distributed infrastructure and preconfigured templates available in HP Client Automation software to manage VMware ThinApp’s new management functionality, decreasing infrastructure requirements and simplifying overall manageability. Customers can also use reports generated by HP Client Automation software to track virtual and physical applications for tighter asset management.

As a result of this enhanced collaboration and co-development, the two companies plan to jointly develop go-to-market and sales programs that leverage both companies’ direct and channel sales forces.

FrontRange Solutions Launches Enteo v6 SR2

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FrontRange Solutions, the developer of business software solutions, has announced the launch of its latest Client Lifecycle solution, Enteo v6 SR2, which helps organizations extend management of their IT systems to include secure zones and software virtualization based on VMware Thinapp.

While Demilitarized Zones (DMZs) have become a key feature of many IT organizations’ operations, managing the IT assets located in this secure area of the network has presented a number of problems. FrontRange Enteo Client Lifecycle Management solution eases the management of these vital systems without the need to change firewall or other security settings. This allows IT staff to maintain and update systems located in the DMZ far more quickly than was previously possible, ensuring a higher level of availability and productivity.

Enteo v6 SR2 also enables virtualized applications to be deployed and managed in the same way as physical operating systems, applications and patches. This enables organizations to more easily take advantage of the benefits of software virtualization, while also eliminating the need to separate configuration management systems to manage both physical and virtual assets.

Enteo v6 SR2 also introduces a wealth of additional new client management features, including support for Windows 2008 Server deployment, integration with the latest FrontRange ITSM solution and the ability to directly import IT asset data from the Centennial Discovery audit solution.

Enteo v6 SR2 is available with immediate effect.

VMware Formally Releases ThinApp 4.0 Into The Wild

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Only a few days later than anticipated, VMware has released ThinApp 4.0, its first application virtualization solution (formerly called Project North Star) after snapping up Thinstall earlier this year.

ThinApp 4.0 (build 2200) is the next major release of the former Thinstall solution called Application Virtualization Suite 3.2, and has certain new features, such as:

  • Application Sync: enables you to deploy application updates. Application Sync automatically checks for and installs updates to your packaged applications. Updates might include changes such as a new version, service pack updates, or configuration changes in the package.ini file
  • Application Link: connects deployed applications. For example, you can establish a relationship between a deployed instance of Microsoft Office 2003 and a new Microsoft Office plug-in. Application Link enables you to establish a link between applications without having to encapsulate them into the same executable package

A trial download is available here.

ThinApp comes bundled with VMware Workstation under the name ThinApp Suite. The company offers a starting package for 50 concurrent clients at $6,050 (including a 12×5 Gold Support yearly subscription), with additional clients starting at $47.19 (including a 12×5 Gold Support yearly subscription).

VMware

Application Virtualization Comparison Chart

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Sven Huisman and his coworker Matthijs Haverink were unable to find a good comparative list of application virtualization solutions, so they mocked up a useful chart of their own. The chart includes:

You can download the chart here, courtesy of the technical consultants.

[Source: ICT-Freak]

VMware Set To Release ThinApp 4.0 In 30 Days

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VMware yesterday announced the upcoming availability of VMware ThinApp 4, an application virtualization solution based on technology the company acquired to its takeover of Thinstall and with it their Application Virtualization Suite.

VMware

ThinApp requires no pre-installed software on physical or virtual PCs and no new deployment infrastructure or management tools. ThinApp packages applications in familiar formats (.MSI or .EXE) that can plug into existing infrastructure for software license management, deployment, audit and compliance.

According to the press release, VMware ThinApp 4.0 highlights include:

  • Application Link (NEW) – Application Link allows interdependent applications to communicate with one another (such as Java, .Net, IE, Office) to eliminate conflicts, reduce application size, and maintain continuity and tracking of software licenses.
  • Application Sync (NEW) – Application Sync streams byte-level updates to users’ critical applications inside and outside the enterprise using HTTP/HTTPS, and on managed and non-managed PCs running virtualized applications.
  • “Package once, deploy anywhere” ThinApp uses Thinstall technology, which pioneered agentless application virtualization allowing applications to be deployed on virtually any Windows OS across virtually any device (kiosks, PCs, laptops, thin clients, virtual desktops).
  • Works with existing management tools to streamline costs and maintain compliance. ThinApp plugs into existing processes and desktop management tools to reduce the costs and complexity around managing the physical and virtual desktop.  According to Gartner**, “Virtualized applications can reduce the cost of testing, packaging and supporting an application by 60%.”
  • Conflict-free applications eliminate risks to business continuity. Applications are isolated from the underlying OS, eliminating costs of conflicting resources and allowing different versions of an application to run side by side (such as different versions of Internet Explorer).
  • Regain control of the desktop. ThinApp, along with VMware’s desktop virtualization family of products (ACE, Fusion, Workstation, and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) enables IT to segment their applications, operating systems and migration deployments to speed time to value while decreasing complexity of managing the desktop.

The VMware ThinApp offering, which includes a copy of VMware Workstation and 50 client licenses, is priced at $5,000.  The client licenses are priced at $39 per endpoint. ThinApp will be available for purchase within 30 days through VMware’s network of distributors, resellers and OEMs.