Category Archives: Virtualization

Data center, Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity, Green Cloud, Venture Funding, Virtualization, VMware

Green Cloud Technologies Gets $2,750,000 for Data Center Expansion

Green Cloud Technologies, a Cloud-based technology solutions provider headquartered in Greenville, SC, has concluded a $2,750,000 round of financing that is a mix of Series B Preferred Units and three-year Convertible Notes. The bulk of the financing comes from Millry Corporation, a 70-year-old Incumbent Local Telephone Carrier serving southwestern Alabama. The additional financing will be used for market expansion and the build-out of the company’s second data center facility in Nashville, TN. Green Cloud previously secured $1,250,000 through the sale of Series A units in 2011.

“This is another vote of confidence for Green Cloud’s strategy from a very savvy and experienced investor group,” said Shaler P. Houser, CEO of Green Cloud. “This financing further enables Green Cloud to help businesses transition to our secure, reliable, and robust Cloud-based infrastructure and increase the efficiency and performance of their businesses.”

Green Cloud’s offerings include VMware-based Virtual Servers, Mirror-Imaged Disaster Recovery, and Hosted Telephone Services.

“We are excited about the opportunity to invest in this area of communications,” added Paul Brown, president of Millry Corporation. “Since 1941, we as a company and family have invested directly in local telephone service, Internet access, cellular telephone service, and wireless digital voice/data services and continue today to search for product offerings that will be required for the marketplace. The platform and services that are being offered by Green Cloud are the latest evolution in the industry and will attract business clients through cost savings and, more specifically, customer service. We look forward to the growth of Green Cloud as its CEO and employees concentrate on providing a best-in-market service offering.”

Green Cloud recently announced expansion plans into the Myrtle Beach – Charleston – Savannah corridor and the Huntsville –Nashville – Chattanooga area. The company is 100% dedicated to Authorized Partner distribution and uses no direct sales force. By partnering with local consultants, IT managed service providers, and PBX distributors, Green Cloud enables its partners to leverage the benefits of Cloud technologies without making the substantial investments necessary to deploy fully-redundant Cloud services.


Dell, Desktop virtualization, M&A Activity, Virtualization, Wyse, Wyse Technology

Acquisition of Wyse Technology to Extend Dell’s Desktop Virtualization

Image representing Dell as depicted in CrunchBase

Dell today announced it has completed its acquisition of Wyse Technology, the global leader in cloud client computing. The combination of Wyse’s capabilities with Dell’s existing desktop virtualization offerings position the company as the leader in the desktop virtualization, enabling it to offer true end-to-end IT solutions for customers and partners.

Dell has made significant strategic investments over the past three years to expand its enterprise technology and services capabilities. The Dell Wyse portfolio with current Dell desktop virtualization offerings, leading data center products such as servers and storage, and Dell’s services division, provides customers and partners with a single vendor that can match the full range of their cloud computing and desktop virtualization needs.

The Dell Wyse solution portfolio includes industry-leading thin, zero and cloud client computing solutions with advanced management, desktop virtualization and cloud software supporting desktops, laptops and next generation mobile devices. Dell Wyse has more than 180 patents, both issued and pending, covering its solutions, software and differentiated intellectual property. Dell’s existing offerings include Desktop Virtualization Solution Simplified and Desktop Virtualization Solution Enterprise.

Dell recognizes it’s critical for the desktop virtualization solutions strategy to embrace simple device management, enhance security, scale, and boost user productivity, while providing the flexibility to support anytime, anywhere access on any device.

Dell plans to preserve Wyse’s channel offerings and all existing Wyse channel partners will be eligible for our PartnerDirect Program. Dell will combine the best of both companies’ channel deal registration programs, extend this new deal registration program to all partners, and introduce a program in which partners can grow and nurture a customer relationship.

“We’re excited to officially welcome Wyse to Dell and help extend its industry-leading efforts to a broader range of customers and partners,” said Jeff Clarke, Dell vice chairman and president, Global Operations and End User Computing Solutions. “We believe the Dell Wyse capabilities, combined with our previous desktop virtualization offerings and the strength of the Dell enterprise portfolio, provides the most comprehensive and competitive DVS solution available today.”

“Wyse and Dell share the vision and passion in helping our customers and partners create a frictionless user experience via the cloud,” said Tarkan Maner, Vice President and General Manager Dell Wyse, Cloud Client Computing.. “Combining our relentless IP innovation and tight operational skills, and most importantly our laser focus on customer and partner advocacy, Dell cloud client computing will develop and deliver the most advanced solutions globally, from the data center to the end user. We are and will be completely focused on the best user experience for any user, for any content, using any app, on any device, anytime, anywhere; without any conflict, compromise and constraint.”

“As a current customer who has deployed Wyse cloud client computing solutions with Dell PowerEdge servers and Dell EqualLogic storage, Western Wayne School District is excited about the combination of Dell and Wyse,” said Brian Seaman, Network Administrator at Western Wayne School District in Pennsylvania. “Like most school districts, Western Wayne operates in a budget constrained environment and our move to desktop virtualization technologies supported with strong enterprise infrastructure has enabled us to do more with less in service of our students and community. In working with Dell and Wyse to scope and deploy our computing environment, Western Wayne now has the right technology to help us achieve our vision of educating our students of today to become the productive citizens of tomorrow.”

“End point computing models continue to evolve and are accelerating tremendous innovation and efficiencies across enterprise desktop and personal computing,” said Bob O’Donnell, vice president, Clients and Displays, IDC. “One area of strong customer growth is in the desktop virtualization space and we expect to see adoption rates continue to grow over the next several years. As use models continue to mature, so do the vendors who offer solutions in this product space. Dell’s acquisition of Wyse results in an industry-leading solutions and services provider with a formidable end-to-end technology stack from the end point to the datacenter to the cloud.”


Featured, Virtualization

Cloud Corner Series – Dissecting Virtualization



www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL29FHWXa3U

 

In this segment of Cloud Corner, we bring on Solutions Architect Chris Chesley to discuss various aspects of virtualization. Chris also gets quizzed on how well he knows his fellow Journey to the Cloud Bloggers. Let us know if you agree or disagree with the points Chris makes. We asked Chris the following questions:

1. If I’m virtualized, am I in the cloud?

2. How virtualized would you recommend organizations become?

3. What is the biggest aspect organizations misunderstand about virtualization?

4. What is the single biggest benefit of virtualization?

5. What does it mean to be 100% virtualized, and what are the benefits?

6. Where should companies who have not virtualized anything start?

Check out Episode 1 and Episode 2 of Cloud Corner!

CRN, Marketing, Vendor, Virtualization

CRN Names Parallels in 2012 Virtualization Who’s Who

 

 

CRN.com, leading source of news, analysis and perspective for VARS and technology integrators, recently published their 2012 Virtualization 100 list. With the number of businesses in the virtualization industry increasing year over year, Parallels is honored to be named among the ‘who’s who of virtualization players’. Parallels is a global leader in hosting and cloud services enablement and desktop virtualization software. Whether you’re looking to virtualize Windows on your Mac without rebooting and access everything from your iPad or migrate your business to the cloud, Parallels offers a solution. 

 

CRN previously named Parallels in their list of 20 Coolest Cloud Platforms & Development Vendors.

 

Computer Hardware, Data center, Hardware, InfiniBand, Mellanox, Mellanox Technologies, Virtualization, VMware, VMware vSphere

Mellanox Releases InfiniBand Driver for VMware vSphere

Image representing Mellanox Technologies as de...Mellanox Technologies, Ltd., a supplier of high-performance, end-to-end interconnect solutions for data center servers and storage systems, today announced the availability of InfiniBand driver support for VMware vSphere® 5, providing IT end-users the compelling choice of deploying field proven InfiniBand-based interconnect in virtualized data center and cloud environments. Running with Mellanox’s industry-leading ConnectX®-3 FDR 56Gb/s InfiniBand adapter cards and SwitchX® FDR 56Gb/s InfiniBand switches, the InfiniBand software driver for VMware vSphere 5 helps bring high throughput and low latency to virtualized IT deployments.

The InfiniBand driver for VMware vSphere 5 along with features like VMware VMDirect Path I/O, vMotion® and VMware High Availability (HA), leverage InfiniBand’s advanced built-in reliability and performance capabilities to help bring high performance and cost-effective solutions to IT end-users.

“Virtualization is proven to be the most effective technology to drive lower data center total cost of ownership and improve the cost-effectiveness of cloud computing SLA,” said David Barzilai, vice president of marketing at Mellanox Technologies. “Mellanox’s InfiniBand driver leverages the advanced data center virtualization and high availability features of VMware vSphere 5 to help bring new cost-effective system architectures for the next generation of flexible, reliable IT services.”

 


6fusion, IT Management, Virtualization, VMware, VMware vSphere

6fusion Cloud Resource Meter for VMware vSphere Now in Public Beta

Image representing 6fusion as depicted in Crun...

6fusion, a provider of utility metered public, private, and hybrid cloud infrastructure management solutions, today announced that Cloud Resource Meter for VMware vSphere has achieved public beta and is now available for sign up. Cloud Resource Meter for VMware vSphere allows users to meter resource consumption in any VMware vSphere 4.1 or 5.0 environment providing unparalleled insight into resource consumption – all for free and all right from the VMware Console. Cloud Resource Meter for VMware vSphere product joins the existing family of Cloud Resource Meter for Windows, and Cloud Resource Meter for Linux already available from 6fusion.

“Utility metering with the Cloud Resource Meter gives us the ability to profile our environment in a way we never have before,” said Graham Brown, Director, Business Technology Consulting, Gyrocom, “which gives us accurate data to make informed decisions on workload allocation and deployment.”

Using 6fusion’s unique Workload Allocation Cube technology with a connection to the UC6 Cloud Management Platform, Cloud Resource Meter provides an industry standard unit of measurement allowing you to meter resource consumption across physical, virtual, and cloud infrastructure. This standardized approach to metering allows IT departments to improve ROI analysis, optimize resource consumption, build the business case to migrate to cloud, or simply improve IT distribution processes.

“Universal metering is foundational to any utility,” said John Cowan, 6fusion Co-founder and CEO. “Cloud Resource Meter for VMware vSphere allows any VMware user in the world to quantify their cloud requirements and determine the best location to run those workloads going forward – maximizing efficiency of IT spend and ROI.“

Cloud Resource Meter is available in two models – Free and Pro. Cloud Resource Meter Free provides the ability to meter and view the last 28 days of data directly in the vSphere interface or in the 6fusion UC6 Console. The Pro version provides the full capabilities of the tool, including unlimited metering, expanded reporting capabilities, technical support as well as the ability to access 6fusion’s enhanced analytics tools.

To learn more about Cloud Resource Meter or to sign up for access to the beta product, visit www.6fusion.com/products/cloudresourcemeter, or stop by booth 618 at Citrix Synergy in San Francisco or booth 311 at Interop Las Vegas.


APEX 2800, Desktop virtualization, Hardware, Teradici, Virtualization, VMware, VMware View, VMware vSphere

Teradici APEX 2800 Server Offload Card Now Supporting VMware View 5.1, vSphere

Image representing Teradici as depicted in Cru...

Teradici, the developer of the PC-over-IP (PCoIP) protocol that enables a true PC experience for desktop virtualization, today announced the compatibility of the APEX 2800 server offload card with the latest release of VMware View 5.1, continuing full compatibility with all current VMware View and VMware vSphere releases.

“As organizations of all sizes accelerate their journey to cloud, and adopt desktop virtualization, businesses are looking for solutions that can provide a rich, flexible and secure experience for end-users,” said Vittorio Viarengo, vice president, End-User Computing, VMware. “VMware cloud infrastructure is built to support active end-user demands and we welcome products that can provide exceptional benefits for VMware View™ environments. The Teradici APEX 2800 server offload card is an important tool for IT managers trying to reclaim CPU cycles while leveraging their existing virtual desktop infrastructure.”

The Teradici PCoIP server offload card dynamically offloads the most active 64 displays on the server, improving the consolidation ratio by up to 2x and reducing the cost per virtual desktop. The card also helps reduce the CPU buffer put aside in View deployments for “just-in-case” graphic peaks. The card can easily be enabled in VMware View Administrator.

“Teradici has a commitment to ensure full compatibility for all its products in the growing PCoIP and VMware End-User Computing ecosystem, so we’re happy to support VMware View™ 5.1 and VMware vSphere® with the APEX 2800,” said Trent Punnett, vice president of marketing, Teradici. “As the developer of the industry’s only server offload card designed to maximize the benefits of VMware View PCoIP deployments, we are dedicated to ongoing development of the APEX 2800 to ensure the best end-user experience for virtual desktop deployments.”

The Teradici APEX 2800 PCoIP server offload card is available through distributors worldwide, as well as from HP and Dell websites as a peripheral at the list price of $1,995 in the US. For more information, please visit www.teradici.com/APEX.


Infinitely Virtual, VCloud, Virtualization, VMware, VMware vSphere

Infinitely Virtual Announces VMWare vCloud Director Capability, Giving IT Pros Greater Control and Flexibility in Managing Applications

Infinitely Virtual, a provider of virtual server cloud computing services for businesses, today announced it has added VMWare’s vCloud Director to its hosting platform, giving IT managers more “self-service” options when needing to quickly reconfigure networking resources, move data between different clouds, or change virtual applications.

Integrated with Infinitely Virtual’s upgrade to VMWare’s vSphere5, VMware vCloud Director saves IT managers time and money by giving them more autonomy and control over important aspects of their virtual infrastructure.

“We recognize that IT managers want the scalability and relative low investment cost of employing cloud-hosted services,” said Adam Stern, Infinitely Virtual founder and CEO. “At the same time, we know they sometimes want the ability to make quick changes to applications or to migrate workloads between different clouds without having to go to the cloud service provider.

“Adding VMWare’s vCloud Director continues Infinitely Virtual’s mission to deliver the most flexible, cost-effective cloud-hosting services to our customers,” Stern said. “We host and manage the secure, cloud platform while our IT customers have increased autonomy to make application and networking changes as they wish. It’s a smart division of labor that advances our goal of enabling clients to use their virtual infrastructure as a growth engine.”

Customers deploying vCloud Director benefit from an exceptionally user-friendly interface that provides end-users with the tools to foster a self-service networking and creative cloud environment. The product saves IT professionals precious time, which they can then devote to other business-critical tasks.

Infinitely Virtual’s vCloud Director integration offers these advantages:

  • Gives IT professionals the ability to self-manage virtual applications
    (vApps) without the assistance of the cloud service provider,
    facilitating quick changes, or changes on short notice due to current
    business needs
  • Allows IT to upload vApps into a catalog which can be used at a later
    date, without involving the cloud service provider
  • Enables greater control in moving and distributing workloads between
    different clouds
  • Cuts network configuration time down to a matter of minutes, using
    automated features
  • Provides the ability to power up or power down at will – without the
    need to contact the cloud service provider every time
  • Manages the end-user’s own firewalls and allows them to change ports
    without requiring any workload from the cloud service provider
  • Facilitates changes in security due to changing department needs –
    changes that can be made on the fly.

“Businesses that move resources and retool network configurations on a regular basis will find vCloud Director to be exceptionally well designed for that purpose,” said Stern.


Network Infrastructure, Networking, Virtualization, VoIP

Virtual Appliances and the Networking Team

Over the last few years there has been a lot of progress made towards virtualizing a decent amount of the traditional, network-centric appliances that used to be just hardware based. Why are some companies still resistant to this software-based approach?  Is it because that’s the way it has always been, or is it inherent to the networking geeks who may be less virtualization-savvy than some of their cohorts in the other technology silos?  It reminds me of the days when VoIP was first being introduced and the subsequent lack of acceptance that some of the old-school, traditional telephony engineers fueled.  Some of them accepted it and others retired.  The point is though that it makes sense and those who accept it will be much the better for it.

With the dynamic today moving towards private and public cloud offerings, the virtual appliance marketplace will most certainly continue to grow and mature.  There are many reasons why this makes a lot of sense.

Take a look at the time it takes to implement a physical network appliance.  Let’s use an application delivery controller – or load-balancer if you prefer that term.  How long does it take to implement a physical box into an existing environment?  Between ordering the unit(s) which usually come in pairs, shipping, and installing, it takes some time.  The cables need to be run, the box racked and stacked and then physically powered on and provisioned.  We have been doing this for years and this used to be standard operating procedure. Now that works well and good, kinda, in your own data center.  What about a public cloud offering?  Sorry, you don’t own that infrastructure. How about downloading a virtual appliance, spinning up a VM and you are off to the races. Again, this happens after provisioning the unit, but there is a lot less moving parts going that route.  Cloud or not – either way it still makes sense.  There will be less infrastructure requirements: power, rack space, cabling etc.

There are some other tangible benefits as well.  From a refresh perspective it just makes sense to upgrade a virtual appliance with a newer image – or adding memory –rather than a hardware-based forklift upgrade every five years (with potentially more downtime required).  The ability to shrink or grow a virtual appliance is one of the things that set it apart.  We don’t have to repurchase anything – other than license keys and annual service contracts.  Regrettably, those won’t go away.  But coupled all together with the flexibility to move your virtual appliances along with your data from one environment to another is key.  We will see more and more network-centric appliances become virtualized.  There will most assuredly always be some physical boxes that the network folks can get their hands on, but that will be for access purposes only.

The companies/manufacturers/network-engineers who don’t embrace this trend could quickly find themselves behind the eight ball. Analog phones anyone?

Caringo, Free, Storage, Virtualization

Caringo Offers VMs of Market Proven Cloud Storage Architecture for Rapid Evaluation

Caringo Inc., a provider of object storage software, today announced virtual machine editions of their CAStor object storage engine, and Content File Server (CFS), instant access to CAStor via standard file protocols (CIFS, NFS, FTP, and WebDAV). The VMs can run on any Windows server via VMware ESX and VMware Player, on Mac via VMware Fusion, and the CFS VM can also run on Oracle VirtualBox (Windows or Mac). The Virtual Editions were designed to enable the quick and easy evaluation of Caringo object storage software, which is ideal for cloud storage architectures. The VMs are available immediately for download with a free 2 TB license, bringing the benefits of object storage and cloud storage architecture to ANY organization within minutes.

“Cloud storage services built upon object storage provide scalability, ease of management, responsiveness and affordability,” said Mark Goros, CEO at Caringo. “With our Virtual Editions we are bringing the same technology to any company or individual to install and try in less than 30 minutes. Now anyone can easily experience the power of object storage and cloud storage architecture quickly and securely.”

Caringo’s object storage software Virtual Editions delivers cloud storage architecture and instant access by providing:

Data access and portability using HTTP 1.1, and customizable metadata that is stored with each object, enabling data mobility based on business value with content moving freely and securely system wide – even across different locations.

Automatic data protection driven by an integrated health monitor that continuously checks and fixes any issues encountered. All servers participate in recovery so as the system grows, recovery times decrease; even petabyte-size stores can be automatically protected without backups or RAID.

Zero provisioning scale-out and zero downtime servicing with automated, system wide optimization and balancing. Combined with rolling software and hardware upgrades results in no-downtime servicing, no single points of failure and no bottlenecks.

Secure multi-tenancy and multi-site storage in a single system with 128-bit unique universal identifier obfuscating all stored data; all account information is stored with an object allowing support for an unlimited number of tenants, employees, or subscribers on the same infrastructure.

Cloud economics using any x86 server hardware, any combination of servers, or even any size drives at up to 98 percent utilization.

Instant access for legacy applications or devices via CIFS, NFS, FTP, and WebDAV.

Both VM Editions are available now at http://www.caringo.com/virtual-editions