Quest Software, Inc. and Virtual Computer, Inc. announced a technology alliance to deliver a desktop virtualization and management solution that meets the end-to-end computing needs of large enterprises. The technology is intended to provide anywhere, anytime access to both centralized and distributed end user environments through the integration of Quest vWorkspace client and Virtual Computer NxTop 3.0 enterprise platform.
The offering will provide consolidated management across server- and client-hosted virtual desktops, enabling IT teams to build a single virtual desktop image for deployment to both stationary and mobile users. Regardless of the deployment model, IT administrators can efficiently execute updates once in a secure environment. Master image updates are synchronized with linked user desktops-running centrally or locally-while preserving end-user personalization.
Quest and Virtual Computer "have very complementary technologies," Dan McCall, CEO of Virtual Computer, tells 5 Minute Briefing. Quest has been approaching the market from what McCall describes as "the data center-out," by providing solutions that deliver desktops running in a server environment and then remotely presenting the keyboard, the video and mouse, sometimes called VDI or virtual hosted desktops.
Virtual Computer, he says, has built a similar virtualization technology with central management "but we execute them in a distributed fashion with a hypervisor that is inserted between the operating system and the hardware on the endpoint device." The new partnership allows Quest and Virtual Computer to "go into any account and basically satisfy all of the requirements of the account," including support for mobile/laptop users, McCall states. Article continues.
Stationary users in corporate offices or an internet/VPN connection can access server-hosted desktops and applications remotely using the broker technology and high performance Experience Optimized Protocol (EOP) in Quest vWorkspace. Mobile users can use NxTop Engine, Virtual Computer's unique "bare-metal" client hypervisor and remote management technology, to maintain full access to their desktop when disconnected from the network. NxTop Engine enables easy access to server-based resources while online via the integrated Quest vWorkspace connector.
The joint solution will also feature tight integration with Hyper-V and System Center Virtual Machine Manager for virtual desktop creation, management and execution. NxTop Engine's two-way Hyper-V compatibility will allow virtual desktops to execute on local PC hardware, and users of server-hosted desktops will benefit from Quest's EOP enhancements for the RDP protocol, including emerging Microsoft technology such as RemoteFX.
The initial vWorkspace/NxTop integration, including a NxTop Engine and the Quest vWorkspace connector, is now available as a release candidate, with general availability planned for October. Additional integration points and enhancements will be delivered in phases through 2011.
For more information about Quest, go here, and for more about Virtual Computer, go here.