Virtualization.com
News and insights from the vibrant world of virtualization and cloud computing
VMware last week announced the general availability of VMware Go Pro, a cloud service that enables small and midsized businesses to consolidate, control, and secure their physical and virtual IT infrastructure.
VMware Go Pro is available by subscription for $29.95 per admin/month.
Later this year, VMware expects to offer the VMware Go Pro service through its global network of channel partners.
Arkeia Software, a provider of network backup solutions, today announced availability of Arkeia Network Backup v8.2 for VMware’s vSphere 4.1.
The Arkeia Network Backup Agent for vSphere 4.1 uses VMware’s latest vStorage APIs for Data Protection (VADP). The agent supports VMware’s Changed Block Tracking for fast incremental backups and both vCenter and vApp for flexible management of large vSphere deployments across multiple physical hosts. Learn more at www.arkeia.com/vstorage.
For a limited period, the Arkeia Virtual Appliance for VMware Essentials includes an Arkeia vStorage agent license for three VMware hosts. The standard package offers support for only one VMware host. This represents a discount of more than 60% over à la carte pricing.
The Arkeia Virtual Appliance is a preconfigured, ready-to-deploy backup server available for VMware ESX and ESXi.
This Arkeia Virtual Appliance package delivers a turn-key backup solution for a VMware Essential bundle (including 3 host servers) for less than $3,000.
VMware at VMworld outlined its vision for the future of end-user computing with new products and services to help organizations evolve their legacy desktop computing environments to a more modern, user-centric application and data delivery model.
In support of its end-user computing vision, VMware is launching new products that help CIOs move their organizations forward in an evolutionary journey, from today’s PC-centric environments to a future where users have access from any device to any application, enabled by cloud computing:
VMware View 4.5 is the first enterprise-class solution that delivers rich user experiences across an organization on a growing number of devices at any location – online or offline. High-performance PC-over-IP technology enables users to work with their virtual desktops over a LAN or WAN connection, while VMware View with Local Mode enables secure offline access while leveraging local processing resources. The result is a seamless user experience designed to combine the best of desktop and client virtualization.
VMware View 4.5 delivers a simplified, integrated desktop and application management platform designed to enable IT organizations to manage tens of thousands of virtual desktops. VMware View 4.5 also manages applications from a centralized administrative interface while simplifying key IT processes such as provisioning, configuration management, connection brokering, policy enforcement and application assignment.
VMware View 4.5 also strengthens security and control by hosting virtual desktops centrally to prevent data leakage while leveraging VMware vShield Endpoint for enabling centralized anti-virus protection. VMware vShield Endpoint, in tandem with solutions from VMware ecosystem partners, will protect virtual machines and their hosts against malware, viruses and other intrusions by optimizing antivirus and other host and endpoint security for use in VMware-virtualized and cloud environments.
VMware vShield Endpoint is designed to eliminate the need for antivirus agent footprints by enabling the offloading of antivirus and anti-malware functions to hardened, tamper-proof virtual machines delivered by VMware security partners.
Additional information on VMware View 4.5 can be found at www.vmware.com/files/pdf/vmworld/view4.5-backgrounder-en.pdf
Additional information on VMware ThinApp 4.6 can be found at www.vmware.com/files/pdf/vmworld/thinapp4.6-backgrounder-en.pdf.
VMware will deliver these solutions to customers the way they need them – either as enterprise-ready configurations or as a cloud-based service from VMware vCloud partners.
At VMworld 2010 in San Francisco, VMware will preview a cloud-based management service – codenamed Project Horizon – that will securely extend enterprise identities into the cloud and provide new methods for provisioning and managing applications and data based on the user, not the device or underlying operating system.
Project Horizon will establish a user’s “Cloud Identity,” securely extending on-premise directory services between private and public clouds and enabling customers to take advantage of the flexibility and new services in the public cloud while maintaining the security and control from their private clouds.
VMware Professional Services offers on-site, end-to-end consulting services to help customers who are interested in beginning the journey to a more modern, user-centric application and data delivery model.
For organizations looking to get started with VMware View 4.5, VMware offers three core assessment services: a Desktop Infrastructure Virtualization Assessment to identify both the users and desktops that are the best candidates to move into a virtual desktop environment; an Application Virtualization Assessment to identify which applications are the prime targets for virtualization; and a Desktop Virtualization Strategy Assessment that combines the Desktop Infrastructure Virtualization and Application Virtualization assessments with a strategic workshop to help organizations prepare and proactively manage for the successful adoption of this technology.
VMware at VMworld introduced its cloud application platform strategy and solutions, enabling developers to build and run modern applications that intelligently share information with underlying infrastructure to maximize application performance, quality of service and infrastructure utilization.
VMware vFabric cloud application platform combines the market-leading Spring Java development framework with platform services including lightweight application server, global data management, cloud-ready messaging, dynamic load balancing and application performance management. Applications built on VMware vFabric provide performance and portability across heterogeneous cloud environments.
Principles that have defined today’s most demanding consumer applications – built-in scalability, new data models, distributed infrastructures – are heavily influencing the production of new internal customer enterprise applications. As such, these modern applications need to support dynamic user interactions, low-latency data access and virtual infrastructure all while meeting the security and compliance demands of the enterprise. VMware vFabric is uniquely optimized for cloud computing’s increasingly dynamic architectures, unlike traditional middleware that requires complete stack control.
Applications are increasingly built with modern development frameworks that leverage runtime and data management services that are much more agile and designed for virtualization. An open solution, VMware vFabric will initially target the 2.5 million users that develop Spring Java applications. VMware vFabric will deliver the following key benefits:
Spring can speed development by more than 50 percent through developer tools and features that make it easy to create new applications that:
The VMware cloud application platform delivers modern middleware infrastructure to developers, application architects and IT teams as a collection of cloud-scale, integrated services:
At VMworld 2010 on Tuesday, Verizon Business and VMware unveiled a new enterprise-class hybrid cloud solution that will enable enterprises to move their applications to the cloud more quickly without compromising security or performance.
The new solution, underpinned by Verizon’s world-class global IP network and the industry-leading VMware vSphere virtualization platform, will help remove the major barriers to cloud computing adoption, while enabling the delivery of “IT as a Service.”
The new offering joins Verizon’s Computing as a Service (CaaS) portfolio of cloud computing services.
Earlier this month, Verizon began field trials of this new service — Computing as a Service (CaaS) enabled by VMware vCloud Datacenter — that will allow enterprises to decide which applications to move to the cloud so they can react more quickly to changing business conditions. The hybrid cloud environment from Verizon and VMware will help enterprises leverage the scalability and cost effectiveness of the public cloud by paying only for IT resources consumed (server, connectivity, storage) while delivering the levels of security, performance and control available in private cloud environments.
Additionally, with Verizon’s new compute service, enterprises utilizing the VMware platform can leverage their existing infrastructure, tool and skill sets without changing their underlying IT setup.
Kerry Bailey, Verizon Business senior vice president for enterprise strategy, said, “Verizon is highly committed to helping large-business and government clients harness the transformative power of clou
Verizon’s latest enhancements to its CaaS platform are built on VMware vCloud Datacenter, leveraging VMware’s cloud infrastructure technology including VMware vSphere, the new VMware vCloud Director and VMware vShield™ security solutions. This enhanced platform provides enterprises with consistent performance and auditable security, while integrating key Verizon security features including layer 2 isolation and LDAP integration with the addition of role-based access control.
By using the same VMware technology as they do their own data centers, enterprises can take advantage of a compatible virtualized data center management and security model that enables application portability across internal data centers and all VMware vCloud Datacenter services, making the transition to the cloud virtually seamless. Enterprise clients also have the option to architect their hybrid cloud using Verizon’s private MPLS-based network or its global IP network.
Computing as a Service (CaaS) is Verizon’s flagship cloud computing solution with built-in security and high performance. CaaS is the first cloud solution to achieve PCI compliance, Verizon Security Management Program (SMP) compliance, SAP certification and VMware vCloud Datacenter certification to deliver a truly secure computing experience for enterprises around the globe. The CaaS platform is also SAS 70 Type II compliant.
At VMworld 2010, VMware and HP announced an agreement to deliver a new virtualization solution, reference architectures and IT services to help customers accelerate cloud computing deployment and IT as a service.
To help customers better control and manage the physical and virtual aspects of cloud infrastructure, VMware and HP are creating an integrated, comprehensive cloud infrastructure solution combining the new VMware vCloud Director with the HP BladeSystem Matrix and HP Cloud Maps.
The HP Cloud Map for VMware vCloud Director can be directly imported into customers’ Matrix environments to rapidly deploy new VMware vCloud infrastructure. Through the integration of Matrix and VMware vCloud Director, customers can easily scale virtualized resource pools to quickly adjust to changing business demands. The integration will be available as a technology preview by the end of the year.
With the new HP Insight Control extension for VMware vCenter Server, clients can optimize their IT environments and reduce complexity with better management.
HP Insight Control for VMware vCenter Server delivers HP hardware management capabilities to virtualization administrators, enabling comprehensive monitoring, remote control and power optimization directly from the VMware vCenter Server console. With a combined physical and virtual view, clients can reduce server sprawl by monitoring status and performance of virtual machines and the underlying host systems that support them from a single pane of glass.
Integrated troubleshooting, powerful remote control and proactive power management further simplify data center operations while reducing risk and power costs.
VMware and HP will develop reference architectures that deliver integrated, validated solutions for SMB, enterprise and cloud environments and client virtualization. The reference architectures provide an IT blueprint for integrated solutions and deployment best practices.
This makes it easy for customers to implement the right virtualized solution for their business needs with confidence. The reference architectures, which leverage the companies’ 10-year collaboration, will be available by the end of the year.
Under the agreement, HP will provide consulting, integration and support services for customers deploying VMware virtualization software within an HP Converged Infrastructure framework. The new services, which are available today, accelerate customers’ transition to the cloud by enabling data center consolidation and virtual desktop deployment.