Virtualization: 10 major events of 2012

10. The interstine conflict continues

The Microsoft company makes even more efforts to convince the world of IT that costs for Windows Server and Hyper-V much less, than on VMware, at comparable - and in certain cases higher - productivities. Within several years VMware kept cool, but in 2012 at last began to answer.

In August, 2011 Microsoft provided Ted, the amusing character from the 1970th, and continues to use this lucky marketing find to give to persuasiveness to the arguments. And VMware organized the Get The Facts website and derided Microsoft for the exaggerated praises to yet not released products. There are all bases to believe that in 2013 we are waited by continuation of series: on the horizon of the IT industry Windows Server 2012 appears.

9. Citrix transfers XenDesktop and XenApp to a cloud within the Avalon project

In May, 2012 the Citrix company announced the Avalon project, the platform for start of "desktops" and Windows applications - through XenDesktop and XenApp - in a public, private or hybrid cloud. Citrix calls Avalon top of the large engineering project which purpose - to achieve excellent job of XenDesktop with Apache CloudStack and Amazon Web Services.

"We found out the following: the existing workload of the enterprise can be transformed for accomplishment in a cloud. In it an entity of cloud conversion", - Shen Liang, the technical director of Citrix Systems, in May, 2012 in the blog said, announcing the Avalon project.

8. Bromium uses virtualization for fight against harmful programs

Bromium startup loudly declared itself in June, having offered the security technology called by the cofounder of the company Simon Crosby "fantastically successful" and, perhaps changing rules of the game.

Bromium uses virtualization on the basis of hardware of Intel to isolate each system task before its accomplishment - for example, click on the URL address to open the new document - guaranteeing that it is not infected with the malware.

In December Bromium complemented the main product vSentry with the new LAVA component (Live Attack Visualization and Analysis, dynamic visualization and the analysis of the attack) which monitors suspicious actions in networks and reacts to them in real time.

7. Dell shows activity in the market of virtualization of a desktop

In April, 2012 the Dell company purchased the supplier of thin clients of Wyse Technology. Transaction value - from 300 to 400 mln. dollars. In the fourth quarter 2011 Wyse Technology was the leading supplier by the number of the sold thin clients. At that time IDC predicted that the size of the market of infrastructure of DPCs for these solutions by 2015 will exceed 15 bln. dollars.

In August, 2012, before holding the conference VMworld, Dell released new zero clients and reference architecture on the basis of Wyse for implementation of virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). Despite slow implementation in the companies, VDI uses attention of many IT vendors, and according to the forecast of Gartner in 2015 the market share of virtual desktops can make from 8 to 10 percent.

6. Citrix purchases technologies of virtualization of a desktop, management and BYOD

Citrix company, carrying on tradition of the previous years, purchased a startup of Virtual Computer before the annual Synergy conference and positioned its programs of virtualization of desktops and management as the Citrix XenClient expansion for the enterprises. Acquisition allowed Citrix to eliminate the competitor, but Citrix also the investor who is taking part in the second round of attraction of the capital for a startup (15 mln. dollars).

For strengthening of positions of Citrix in the market of mobility in December the supplier of management programs for the mobile devices Zenprise was purchased. The transaction will promote achievement of the planned Citrix of the purpose - to construct a full range of mobile applications (there is already safe e-mail, the browser and programs of synchronization and shared access to files). Zenprise fills the most important niche of device management.

5. Be the focus of attention - network virtualization

In April, 2012 the VMware company began to show interest to programmatically to the defined networks (i.e. network virtualization), having sponsored for the research center Open Networking Research Center. In July VMware took really serious step, having purchased the Nicira company which drafted the OpenFlow protocol for programmatically the defined networks (SDN) for 1.2 bln. dollars.

Meanwhile Cisco confirmed old rumors about investments into the Insiemi startup working with SDN. "Approximately a year ago we saw the opening possibilities of networks with programming and accounting of features of the used applications and networks having support of applications, - the general manager John Chambers said in April. - These opportunities will be implemented in a set of forms".

In November the Brocade company purchased Vyatta startup implementing open approach to SDN. The transaction with 100 percent payment in money should support own investments of the company into architecture of Ethernet Fabrics and SDN.

4. VMware refuses licensing of vRAM

The decision of VMware made in August, 2012 to change an order of licensing of vSphere, having connected cost with selection of a virtual memory instead of server sockets, caused a noisy protest in all IT industry. Therefore the consent of the company to refuse the scheme known as vRAM, and to return to the previous model caused a general stir. Partners and consumers of VMware welcomed this course. The decision is made to explain with emergence of Microsoft Windows Server 2012 though representatives of VMware deny it.

3. Management of virtualization surely walks through limits of platforms

In 2012 management of virtualization became even more important part of IT infrastructure of the organization. Cross-platform management was the most considerable moment. Microsoft underlines it in Windows Server 2012, and VMware at last decided to go in the same way after DynamicOps acquisition.

2. Microsoft opposes to iPad the license of VDI Windows 8

The solution of Microsoft to levy additional fee for access to virtual desktops of Windows 8 from users of iPad and Android devices demonstrates that the vendor intends to protect Windows as a source of income more resolutely.

The license Companion Device License (CDL) of Microsoft company for the first time applied in Windows 8 allows the organizations to provide access for employees to corporate desktops through infrastructure of virtual desktops on four personal devices. After the declaration about CDL heads of Microsoft firmly insist on the intention to force the organizations to pay for the benefits received from Windows.

"We in the war, - the CEO of Microsoft Steve Ballmer in an interview to the correspondent of CRN at a July conference for partners told.

1. Change of the chief executive of VMware: Gelsindzher instead of Maritts

In July VMware made the declaration which made an impression of the exploded bomb. Paul Maritts, the chief executive of the company since 2008, will become the chief specialist on the strategy of EMC, having given way to Peta Gelsindzhera, to the president and the general manager productive activity of division of Information Infrastructure Products of EMC company.

At that time the chairman and general manager Joe Tucci told that the purpose of replacement of the chief executive - to strengthen positions of VMware in programmatically the defined networks, Big Data, automation and management for support of future applications. Gelsindzher's experience in x86 ecosystem accumulated in 30 years of work in Intel will be useful to own partner ecosystem of VMware, Tucci is sure.

Now Maritts voglavlyat the EMC joint venture and VMware which is referred to as Pivotal Initiative which is engaged in the platform as service, Big Data, databases placed in memory, etc.

Source: Kevin Maklokhlin, CRN/USA