VMware was busy May 2, releasing the latest edition of VMware View, launching a new version of its Horizon Application Manager cloud platform, and upgrading its end-user computing catalog.
The most important aspect of all this for enterprises is that VMware View 5.1 now has new storage capabilities for virtual desktop deployment enabled by VMware’s View Storage Accelerator, which optimizes shared virtualized capacities.
No. 2 most important news item: VMware View 5.1 can be deployed in mobile devices.
The View Storage Accelerator allows IT administrators to cache the most frequently read data from disks inside the hypervisor memory, enabling in-memory-type performance for disk access, Vittorio Viarengo, VMware’s vice president of marketing, end-user computing, told eWEEK.
The View 5.1 virtual desktop package now features upgraded USB connectivity, which improves USB device support within virtual environments.
VMware also has added improved security with Radius two-factor authentication. It also has included PCoIP, a new protocol that provides users with customized desktop environments across LANs (local-area networks) and WANs (wide-area networks).
Some Storage Administration Duties Automated
Another new storage-related feature, VMware View’s Composer Array Integration (VCAI), offloads and automates storage administration and makes for more efficient provisioning by using native cloning abilities within the storage array.
From one Web-based management screen, IT administrators using VMware View can perform their routine IT administrative tasks, such as patch management, connection brokering, policy enforcement, performance monitoring and applications assignment.
View 5.1 may be a mere point solution, but it’s a major point solution.
Here’s a summary of the updates in VMware’s Horizon end-user computing products:
VMware Horizon Application Manager features centralized policy and entitlement management to broker user access to apps, virtual desktops and data resources.
VMware vCenter Operations for View provides insight into desktop performance, allowing IT to efficiently detect and troubleshoot issues.
VMware Project Octopus allows IT to enable data and collaboration from any device as well as govern usage and set policies for data access and sharing.
VMware Zimbra 7.2 is part of VMware’s personal cloud application offering. It now features support for Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME), an encryption technology often required for government organizations.
VMware View 5.1 and the other updated VMware products will be generally available by June 2012, Viarengo said.
Chris Preimesberger is eWEEK’s Editor for Features and Analysis. Twitter: @editingwhiz