PALO ALTO,
Calif., April 24, 2006 — VMware, Inc., the global leader
in virtualization software for industry-standard systems, today
announced the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Alliance. The Virtual
Desktop Infrastructure Alliance is a technology alliance of
hardware, software and service providers for building joint
virtual desktop offerings.
Desktops
are the most underutilized and most difficult to manage IT asset
in the enterprise. Today's business and technology climate has
created a new set of desktop management problems such as ensuring
data security and privacy within outsourcing and off shoring
arrangements and with remote workers as well as ensuring desktop
standardization, security and compliance. Using VMware Virtual
Desktop Infrastructure, IT administrators host and centrally
manage desktop virtual machines in their data center while offering
end users a full desktop experience that can be accessed anytime
and anywhere.
"Now
with VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure in place, anytime
someone needs a new computer, it is easy and inexpensive to
create a thin client," said Jim Jones, network administrator
for WTC Communications. "A new user, even one with an old
laptop, can remote desktop protocol (RDP) to a virtual XP box,
and it works beautifully."
"Enterprises
have been using VMware virtual infrastructure to host desktops
on their servers for more than four years for increased security
and manageability and we continue to see strong customer interest
for VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure. Just as the Web has
transformed many applications into a hosted service, virtualization
is transforming the entire desktop into a server hosted environment
that is always on, dynamically scalable and centrally secured
and managed," said Brian Byun, vice president of products
and alliances at VMware. "Today we are excited to announce
the formation of the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Alliance
to accelerate the development and adoption of desktop virtualization."
As part
of the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Alliance, VMware plans
to collaborate with each member to create, test and integrate
joint desktop hosting offerings based on VMware virtual infrastructure
and the partner's hardware or software product. Customers will
have the freedom and flexibility to choose their preferred partner
and deploy a best in class enterprise desktop solution that
meets their business needs.
VMware has
engaged a number of technology vendors to form this alliance
including Altiris, Appstream, Ardence, ATOS Origin, Check Point
Software Technologies, Citrix, ClearCube Technology, Devon IT,
Dunes Technologies, Fujitsu, Fujitsu-Siemens, Hitachi, HP, IBM,
Leostream, NComputing, NEC, Platform Computing, Propero, Provision
Networks, Route1, Softricity, Sun, Wyse Technology and Zeus
Technology.
"We
believe that the VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure creates
a vastly more flexible working environment than the traditional
static systems," said Srinivasa Venkataraman, AppStream
COO. "AppStream's on-demand application streaming platform
builds on this advantage by applying similar flexibility to
the next layer up - the applications. We also improve disaster
recovery by removing applications from the equation, significantly
reducing recovery time. This cohesive, layered approach greatly
enhances the total value of VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure."
