VMWorld 2012: Dell and VMware Expand VDI Solutions

News announcements from VMware, Dell, EMC and HP as VMWorld 2012 continues this week in San Francisco.

Dell and VMware expand VDI solutions. VMware (VMW) and Dell announced the expansion of their joint efforts on desktop virtualization solutions. Together the two companies will offer turnkey virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) bundles based on VMware View. The joint solutions will provide customers and channel partners with tested and validated hardware configurations and vertically optimized reference architectures, along with new fulfillment mechanisms and enhanced incentives for joint channel partners.Dell's vStart for VDI will combine preconfigured and tested server, storage and networking hardware that has been validated and optimized for VMware. It will also include Wyse cloud clients designed for VMware View.

"Dell vStart for VDI, with VMware View, is an exciting development for MCPc in our efforts to help customers design, implement and manage next generation workspaces," said Jed Ayres, SVP Partner Management & Marketing, MCPc, Inc.  "Our customers, especially small and midsize organizations, are asking for simple and cost effective VDI solutions, and we expect this initiative to be particularly attractive to our customers in the mid-market as well as healthcare and education."

EMC deduplicates Server Flash Cache. EMC announced that it has set a new benchmark for enterprise Flash efficiency by delivering in-line cache deduplication on EMC VFCache, a server Flash caching solution that turbo-charges performance in mission-critical Oracle, Microsoft and SAP application environments. VFCache is now more deeply integrated into all levels, and can automate vSphere vMotion environments, provide EMC VMAX storage administrators greater visibility into operations, and will support Cisco's upcoming offering of LSI's customized PCIe Flash mezzanine cards for UCS B-Series Blad Servers.

"Since 2008 EMC has led the market in enterprise Flash innovation—setting in motion the industry's move to Flash enabled storage arrays," said Mark Sorenson, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Flash Business Unit, EMC. "EMC is uniquely positioned to help customers take advantage of Flash technology, and we continue to invest and innovate to offer purpose-built solutions for specific use cases and deployment options. Our approach is 'no-compromise'—offering hybrid Flash enabled storage arrays, Flash in the server, and Flash via the network. With the addition of deduplication, VMware interoperability, and performance enhancements to VFCache, we're yet again setting the pace for the industry—and delivering customers—the most optimized and efficient offering."

HP optimizes for vCloud Suite. HP announced it is expanding its HP Converged Cloud portfolio with new solutions for VMware vCloud Suite 5.1, enabling clients to transform traditional virtualization deployments into open private and hybrid cloud environments with less risk and complexity. The expanded portfolio has been optimized for VMware vCloud Suite 5.1, and includes new capabilities to reduce complexity, fast-track cloud adoption with comprehensive security and compliance controls, and decrease the risk of data loss with automated policy-based data protection.

“As organizations move from a virtualized environment to a private or hybrid cloud, they may face significant challenges with security, performance and the management of multiple, heterogeneous computing models,” said Stephen DeWitt, senior vice president, HP Enterprise Group. “Extending HP Converged Cloud with comprehensive, integrated solutions for VMware vCloud Suite 5.1 enables clients to embrace secure cloud computing with less risk and greater choice.”

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