SAN FRANCISCO — News items started flowing out of VMworld 2010 long before the press room was to open at 2 o’clock Aug. 30.
One of the first was from desktop virtualization management provider Leostream, which introduced a new version of its Connection Broker. Leostream claims to provide the most widely deployed independent virtualization broker software on the market.
Connection Broker 7.0 is a management layer that helps administrators to sort out resources and add policies for computing resources via a hosted virtual desktop using any of the major hypervisors — VMware, Citrix, Microsoft and the open-source Xen.org. The broker also delivers server-based computing resources from Xenapp and terminal services via RDS.
“We allow users to deploy best-of-breed solutions and to not get locked into any of the current virtualization environments,” Leostream CEO Mike Palin told eWEEK.
Connection Broker 7.0 new features include tight integration with VMware View and the provision of high-performance graphics capabilities of the PC over Internet protocol (PCoIP), as well as broad support for mobile devices, including Apple’s iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, Palin said.
The new version also includes additional VMware enhancements, cluster management capabilities, desktop failover plans, and a number of other features designed to streamline management of VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure), Palin said.
“A connection broker is a key element in the management of a VDI, tying desktop images in the data center to end-user devices,” Palin said. “In this way, we are able to help IT administrators earn the trust of end-users and manage VDI more easily. It also gains the support of C-level decision-makers who require the greatest ROI possible.”
“For virtualization growth to continue, end-users need to trust that their virtual desktops will perform reliably and provide the computing performance they require, while IT administrators need streamlined, ‘single-pane-of-glass’ management for VDI,” said Rachel Chalmers, research director, Infrastructure Management at The 451 Group.
“Leostream Connection Broker 7.0 addresses these areas very effectively. Furthermore, Leostream’s vendor-neutral approach can address C-level concerns about achieving ROI in large-scale deployments, while leveraging existing heterogeneous infrastructure.”