[THIN] Microsoft to Acquire Softricity Virtualization Platform
- From: "Jim Kenzig http://ThinHelp.com" <jkenzig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: thin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, windows2000@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, virtualize <virtualize@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 15:36:43 -0700 (PDT)
Here is the official Press release:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2006/may06/05-22Virtualization.mspx
Microsoft Extends Virtualization Strategy, Outlines Product Road Map
Microsoft puts Windows Server virtualization and System Center Virtual Machine
Manager on the fast track, and announces the intent to acquire Softricity Inc.,
a leader in application virtualization solutions within the virtualization
space. SEATTLE, May 22, 2006 ? Virtualization technology continues to be a hot
topic in the industry and is sure to ignite spirited conversations at the15th
annual Microsoft Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) this week.
Virtualization is a key technology for reducing the cost and complexity of IT
management, and Microsoft has committed significant resources to making
virtualization more broadly accessible and affordable for customers.
At WinHEC, which runs May 23-25 at the Washington State Convention and Trade
Center here), Bob Muglia. Microsoft?s senior vice president of the Server and
Tools Business, will provide updates on Microsoft?s new virtualization
solutions. Of special note:
? Windows Server virtualization: Microsoft?s hypervisor-based
solution is on track to be available with the upcoming Microsoft Windows Server
?Longhorn? operating system. Microsoft anticipates having a beta release of
Windows Server virtualization by the end of 2006 and plans to release to
manufacturing (RTM) within 180 days of Windows Server ?Longhorn? RTM.
? Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager: Formerly code-named
?Carmine,? this technology is a centralized, enterprise management solution for
the virtualized data center. System Center Virtual Machine Manager is part of
the System Center family of products and is due for beta release within the
next 90 days. Microsoft anticipates release to manufacturing (RTM) in the
second half of 2007.
? Intent to acquire Softricity, Inc: Softricity?s application
virtualization and streaming technologies provide application compatibility and
accelerate corporate desktop transitions to Windows Vista.
Together, these solutions will provide a comprehensive and well-managed
virtualization solution for customers across servers and desktops.
?Microsoft?s virtualization strategy contrasts with current alternatives for
virtual machine management, which tend to be complex, expensive and require
specialized skills,? says Muglia. ?We look at virtualization as key technology
to help customers achieve self-managing dynamic systems. Across the platform,
operating system, applications and management layers we?re delivering
functionality and capabilities that enable our customers to significantly
reduce operating costs, drive up server utilization and achieve better ROI
through full featured virtualization solutions.?
Server Virtualization
Optimizing the use of physical IT assets is becoming imperative as data
centers reach their capacity for power and space. Microsoft recognizes that the
problem intensifies for companies whose servers run at very low utilization.
Server utilization rates of less than 5 percent are not uncommon, and many
customers usage rates fall into the 10-15 percent range. Hardware
virtualization technology is used to consolidate multiple physical machines
onto a lesser number of physical machines running virtualization.
Virtualization can also be used to rehost legacy environments especially as
older generation hardware becomes more difficult and costly to maintain. And
because software is abstracted from the hardware, virtualization is a good
solution for disaster recovery environments as well.
On track to be available with Windows Server ?Longhorn,? Windows Server
virtualization is part of Microsoft?s ongoing effort to provide the
best-possible server operating system platform for customers. The Windows
hypervisor is a thin layer of software running directly on the hardware which
works in conjunction with an optimized instance of Windows Server ?Longhorn?
that allows multiple operating system instances to run on a physical server
simultaneously. This approach allows customers to experience greater
scalability, higher performance, higher reliability, better security and goes
hand in hand with the evolution of powerful processors.
?As we see higher and higher performance available in the x86 and x64
hardware, customers tell us that they want to get the most performance and
flexibility out of their hardware in order to maximize their server
investment,? Muglia says. ?Windows Server virtualization will enable customers
to increase physical server utilization, reduce costs and create an agile and
dynamic datacenter.?
Since Microsoft made Virtual Server 2005 R2 available for download at no
charge in April 2006, more than 200,000 downloads have taken place. Companies
deploying Virtual Server today can anticipate investment protection as they
move their virtual machines to Windows Server ?Longhorn.? Virtual Server 2005
customers who create virtual machines today can rest assured that those virtual
machines will easily migrate to Windows Server ?Longhorn.? Additionally,
Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 Service Pack 1 is currently in beta release
and adds compatibility with hardware virtualization capabilities developed by
AMD and Intel and will also support Microsoft Volume Shadow Service. Microsoft
expects to make Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 generally available in the first
quarter of 2007 at no charge.
Managing the Virtualized Data Center
Microsoft has developed System Center Virtual Machine Manager, a centralized,
enterprise management solution for the virtualized data center, to meet the
growing customer need for improved physical hardware utilization. As an
integrated member of the Microsoft System Center family of systems-management
solutions, System Center Virtual Machine Manager focuses on the requirements of
virtual machines and is designed to enable increased physical server
utilization, centralized management of virtual machine infrastructure and rapid
provisioning of new virtual machines.
?Customers tell us they?re not looking to bring in specialized tools and
skills to handle their virtualized elements of their data center,? Muglia says.
?They want to make use of the people who are already trained on Windows. With
System Center Virtual Machine Manager, IT administrators can extend the
investments and skills they?ve already developed in their physical
infrastructure management to manage their new virtual infrastructure.?
Virtualization also offers benefits in terms of business responsiveness.
Currently, when a business owner calls in for a new service that requires a new
server to be deployed, it typically takes two weeks to three months to bring
that new hardware online. Virtual Machine Manager can bring a new virtual
server online in just a few minutes.
Application Virtualization
Microsoft also announced today the intent to acquire Softricity Inc.
Softricity offers the SoftGrid Desktop Virtualization Platform, which turns
almost all Windows applications into a service using application virtualization
and streaming software technologies.
Softricity technology provides customers with application virtualization
solutions that are expected to allow Windows customers the ability to reduce
the TCO of desktop deployments. Applications are installed and managed
centrally and then delivered directly to the user?s desktop in a contained,
virtualized image that does not interfere with or require interaction with the
operating system itself and other applications present on the desktop.
In addition, the Softricity technology provides application streaming which
should enable end-users to get access to the applications they need faster than
ever before.
Collaborating to Take Virtualization to the Next Level
Microsoft?s efforts to accelerate the delivery of virtualization solutions
also includes engaging with industry partners, such as AMD and Intel to bring
customers hardware-assisted virtualization in Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1.
Microsoft is also collaborating with Intel on the design and specification of
Intel Virtualization for Directed I/O (Intel VT-d), as well as working closely
with AMD to help pave the way for a new class of innovation, such as AMD?s I/O
virtualization technology.
On the OEM front, system manufacturers Dell, HP and IBM all have voiced their
support for Microsoft?s virtualization strategy. Microsoft is also working with
other leading vendors to define a standard management application programming
interface (API) through the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF).
To foster interoperability of virtualization technologies and encourage
innovation around new virtual machine solutions, Microsoft continues to license
the Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) file format for virtual machines compatible with
both Virtual Server and Windows Server ?Longhorn? hardware virtualization
products royalty-free. More than 45 vendors have signed up for this licensing,
including Akimbi, Brocade, Diskeeper, Fujitsu-Siemens, Network Appliance,
Platespin, Softricity, Virtual Iron and XenSource.
Industry Support
?AMD and Microsoft are working closely together to move businesses to a
dynamic 64-bit computing world in which IT resources are intelligently and
flexibly assigned as business needs change. Leveraging AMD innovations such as
dual-core computing, Direct Connect Architecture and AMD PowerNow!? technology,
AMD and Microsoft are set to deliver solutions that provide the performance
needed to make virtualization an indispensable part of the IT landscape. The
Windows platform, running on the AMD64? processors with AMD Virtualization
Technology, will help businesses consolidate resources and experience an
efficient and versatile virtualization environment while helping to reduce the
total cost of ownership of computing resources.?
? Terri Hall, vice president, Software Alliances, AMD
?In numerous customer engagements, we?re beginning to see increasing value
from virtualization. Our customers are achieving not only better resource
utilization and cost reduction through consolidation, but also greater agility
and flexibility in their operations. And because Microsoft has designed a
smooth transition from today's Virtual Server technology to Windows
virtualization, we anticipate customers will be able to maximize their
operating system investments.?
? Christopher Burry, technology infrastructure practice director, Avanade Inc.
?Dell believes virtualization and systems management are key to the
datacenter of the future due to their ability to provide cost-effective
scaling, flexibility and better resource utilization. We are working closely
with Microsoft to drive these technologies mainstream by taking the complexity
out of deploying and managing virtualized devices while making it more
affordable.?
? Subo Guha, director, Dell enterprise software
?As enterprises move towards a 24 by 7, lights-out computing environment,
virtualization will continue to be an area that helps reduce costs and increase
agility. Building on HP?s long-standing collaboration with Microsoft, the
introduction of System Center Virtual Machine Manager complements HP?s Systems
Insight Manager for heterogeneous virtual and physical server management.?
? Nick van der Zweep, director of Virtualization and Utility Computing, HP
?Intel's platform direction and Microsoft's virtualization strategy are very
consistent. By taking advantage of Intel?s Virtualization Technology (VT) for
Windows Server Virtualization, Microsoft will be able to deliver a thin,
efficient hypervisor that will provide the end user with improved performance
in virtualized environments while still being able to meet IT?s increasing
expectations for security and manageability in the datacenter?, said Diane
Bryant, VP & GM of Intel?s Server Platform Group. ?And to further evolve these
capabilities, Microsoft is also working closely with us on our latest VT
solution called Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O which will
address some of the challenges IT managers face on I/O virtualization today.?
? Diane Bryant, vice president and general manager, Server Platform Group,
Intel
Jim Kenzig
CEO The Kenzig Group
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