Avastu Blog: Sustainable Global Clouds

BM has jumped onto the cloud computing bandwagon. The company launched Bluehouse, a Web-based social networking and collaboration service designed for business. It incorporates social networking for business, contact sharing, online meetings, joint projects, and many other online community features. Bluehouse is intended as a way for businesses to connect with partners, agencies, suppliers, customers, and outside experts. Source

While HP makes like its rival Virtual Connect management software is now at the sundae stage lacking only the sprinkles and a cherry, Egenera CTO Peter Manca says HP is “still out milking the cow” and that IBM, which invented virtualization for its mainframes, is “still calving.” Manca calls HP’s approach “disjointed” and “not integrated,” requiring manual intervention to achieve any, say, SAN failover – and then only on its blade servers, not on the many rack servers it sells.HP can’t treat physical and virtual servers as if they were the same either, Egenera says; PAN can. It’s supposed to have anywhere from a two- to four-year lead on the market. Egenera, which continues to sell and enhance its own Pan-integrated BladeFrame servers, decided to port its infrastructure virtualization magic toother people’s x86 machines late last year. But we shouldn't forget that... Dell’s deal is obviously not exclusive. PAN could still wind up on IBM and HP gear but both are closer rivals of Ege...

It all depends how you control your lover. They say in relationships: "If you love somebody, set them free!". Well Sting said that, remember? VMware is on a totally different boat, they have a totally different destination. EMC has done a great job as a parent but this kid has now graduated out of the best of the colleges and wants to explore the world. I personally think, EMC has been a wonderful parent and VMware has been a great kid! Have you ever wondered what would have been VMware's fate if Microsoft had been the acquirer (devourer?). Anyways our friends at Reg have long promoted the idea of spinning off VMware and someday they surely will fly. And that time is not far away... Well, I've heard rumors that VMware CEO Diane Greene and EMC CEO Joe Tucci already have a strained relationship. These are only rumors, mind you, and nothing more. Even if things have yet to reach Tension Point, however, they almost certainly will in the coming months should VMware's s...

DarkReading thinks its security, methinks its still figuring out whether to go full ahead with its expansion plans OR do another acquisition and position itself as "acquirable", again! Citrix isn't ready to divulge its plans for XenSource, but it's still fun to conjure up a few of the possibilities that could change traditional approaches to enterprise security: Virtual data centers could be used to protect the data. Citrix can lessen its dependency on VMware with a XenSource-based virtual data center. Organizations can keep the data in the data center, where it belongs, allowing the customer to dynamically choose among accelerated SSL, virtualized presentation services, or streaming applications. This approach could clear the way for customers to place more applications, and sensitive data, in secure data centers. Endpoint security won't matter. Using Intel hardware capabilities for isolation, businesses could shield sensitive data and user information from m...

As Diane Greene had said in the past. She means it too. VMware is also using the conference to reveal details of a contract it has been awarded by the US National Security Agency. Under the deal, the company will provide its software in government workstations so that officials can access information requiring different security clearance levels from a single physical machine. The process of virtualisation, which makes a single computing resource, such as a server, appear to function as multiple resources, is expected to rise in popularity owing to the savings businesses can make, said analysts attending the event. "More than 90% of users deploying virtual machines are doing so to cut back on x86 servers, space and energy costs," said Gartner vice-president Thomas Bittman. Check it out.

In the hotter than hot sector that is virtualisation software, Vmware may be the Ace but Swsoft is the Joker in the pack. The company is led by Sergeui Beloussov, a CEO with that rare gift for the role - a sense of humour. Beloussov disclosed that he is closing on "several" acquisitions, one of which is likely to be announced early next week. This will be a company analogous to Opsware, the automation outfit that recently agreed to sell out to HP. Beloussov wouldn't name the company but Israel's The Marker is reporting the target as Sphera, a company that specialises in management tools for software-as-a-service firms. "Virtualisation is just an ingredient but automation and provisioning are bigger," he said, justifying plans to make multiple deals. How many deals? "128," he deadpans. We told you he was a card. With nigh on $100m in revenues from the Virtuozzo server virtualisation program and Parallels desktop virtualisation sibling, Swsoft is bul...

XenSource, based on the open-source Xen software, bridges a gap between Microsoft and open-source software on virtualized servers. They're working together to be sure that Xen works well with Windows, yet Microsoft doesn't actually touch the open-source software, avoiding any cloudy licensing issues. That benefit would be lost if Microsoft buys Citrix. Microsoft is also putting virtualization features similar to Xen's into its own products. Customers will then have a choice to use either Windows or Xen, since they're compatible. Won't that snuff XenSource? Artale said no, because it will add features and stay ahead of Microsoft's offering. With an open-source development process and a smaller product, "we can release the product somewhat faster," he said. The trick is to work closely with Microsoft and provide extra value to its platform, he said. Artale, 42, said it feels like the early days of Windows NT that precipitated a wave of startups and new e...

Thinking of how Dell is penetrating into the consumer segment, reminds me of my Fe 10 2007 post: But if you look at the consumer, you'll find yourself in a huge sea of unmeasurable but endless possibilities. Mass commoditization is the mantra but achieving it or pushing it too hard too early is the danger. But the consumerism (people blogging, people deciding , people influencing the developments) is on the rise. Its a massive market space. Look at the mobile telephone market. Its huge. Apple wants to have 1% of that share and its already considered to be too ambitious by some. Anyways they have got the guts to go for it. Search on my blog for "Virtualization consumerism", here let me do it or you , or go directly to the link Somehow Dell know how to reach all these markets, it just knows. Like it did back then and Michael knows that he knows it. They will bring the hypervisor to your PC. All kinds of hypervisors to your PC. Dekstop virtualization will become a reality, a...

This is not what I am predicting and this is NOT going to threaten VMware. By no chance! But anyways, people are suggesting to me that Microsoft is considering to buy XenSource for around $1-1.2 Bn dollars. I personally don't think that this may happen and without Citrix, and it somehow JUST does not fit in well with it's penguin cousin. But you just don't know! Updated: This news article seems to suggest that too: As the dust settles on an active week in virtualization software, some observers speculated that Microsoft Corp. could attempt to top Citrix Systems Inc.'s $500 million bid for virtualization specialist XenSource Inc. Citrix announced Wednesday, Aug. 15, it would buy XenSource, a Bellevue, Wash. provider of open source server and desktop virtualization software, for $500 million in cash and stock. That deal, scheduled to close in the fourth quarter this year, followed the public debut Aug. 14 for VMware Inc., the clear leader and a XenSource and Microsoft riv...

Quoting CRN: Should solution providers expand into virtualization and product lifecycle management software [PLM]? Executives from VMware and Siemens UGS made pitches for reseller recruits in those rapidly growing markets in a Tech Symposium session during the opening day of the XChange '07 conference. With more than 1 million small and midsize businesses in the U.S. running 14 million servers, the potential market for VMware's server virtualization products among SMBs is $6.5 billion, said Carl Eschenbach, VMware executive vice president of worldwide field operations. For every dollar of VMware software licenses sold there are $5 to $8 in additional high-margin service, training, software and storage revenue opportunities, he said. "It's not just about selling this technology to the high end, to the enterprise accounts." Although 75 percent of VMware's business is already conducted through channels, Eschenbach announced that VMware is launching a new "Pr...

You know, this CSO is more liek something I ought to be gunning for ;-) Anyway here's what he has to say: Why does acquiring XenSource make sense to Citrix right now? We believe that virtualization as an enabling technology to really make the entire IT infrastructure far more dynamic and agile and the ability to move around the various components parts of applications is going to be hugely important aspect of IT infrastructure going forward. We see it as a key component of application delivery. Our whole vision at Citrix is about providing infrastructure to customers that can deliver any kind of applications in any kind of condition in a very dynamic and volatile world with great performance, great security and great cost savings. That is point number one. We believe this technology is a key enabling part of that. There are very few of these assets out there because this is deep science. And if it were not, you would see 40 companies out there trying to compete for it because it is...

There was also talk about VMware releasing an open source version of ESX. I did blog about it in the past ( do read it if you are the CEO or even an influencer who wants to tap on a crazy but dedicated blogger's advice ) as so why should VMware not turn from being a "only proprietary" into a firm with an open source appendage. While statements that I make will not directly suggest what Citrix ought to do, they do tell us how things move in the markets and what open source's role is in the emerging market. What are the challenges of a firm which continues to lend an open source arm: I let you fork on my dinner plate : Look at ditributions of the likes of CentOS, Whitebox and the latest inclusion of Oracle who forked into the source code and developed its own Enterprise Linux version. Redhat continued to shown, and to the investors surprise, increased revenues but in the long run, this is going to take a beating. Unless Redhat takes a serious stance, and calling the le...

Yet another view here. Interesting to note, however, how suddenly the market is alive again. Well that WAS the whole point of going public. Although EMC still holds some 87% (approximately $17 Bn worth) of VMware. The events of last week showed, if nothing else, that virtualization is a market worth fighting over. VMware's stock price was up more than 90% above its IPO price by week's end, buying into a profitable company with revenue on pace to pass $1 billion this year. XenSource drew its premium price despite being an unprofitable startup with only a few hundred customers. The reason both companies are popular is growth: Virtual software and services will amount to an $11.7 billion market by 2011, more than twice the $5.5 billion in 2006, predicts IDC. Does this also include the desktop market? Tom Petry, director of technology for Collier County School District in Florida, moved into server virtualization 18 months ago, then desktop virtualization six months later. Using VM...

Saw this blogpost from the 450Group and got me thinking , when I read this: So why should Citrix and XenSource abandon aspirations of virtualization with Linux servers, which continue to grow? Will VMware up its Linux game seeing an open opportunity in virtualization with the open source OS? Projects such as OpenVZ and Virtual Box, as well as their commercial backers SWsoft and innotek, aren’t likely pausing much to ponder such questions since they are more focused on moving ahead on virtualization and VM management for Linux and Windows and, most importantly, getting it into customers’ hands. I am predicting a criss-cross, musical chairs game. VMware is watching XenSource is watching Microsoft. So what should we do? Where is he planning to go? Where can I put my R&D budget in? Googlogic : "Forward Thinking, Detour ridden, Continuity Development" Model I have always compared VMware to Google, the way they do what they do. How they gauge the markets and how they know when...

The bigger acquisition(s) is yet to come. I can bet you this time that this prediction of mine will come true! Although I suggest that Microsoft will acquire Citrix, the answer maybe written in blue letters. OK think like a "good integrative strategist", this one time, with me. Phase I: Have someone buy Xen who is complementary to our business This doesn't work as easy as it may seem, Citrix is a complementary to Microsoft's business but also is a challenger. A subdued one in the past but a stronger one now. A curve-ball trick and also a newer, possibly, a better way to slow down VMware's growth. VMware has already a 85% lead and is on its way to its own next-level strategy, that could be building "ESXpress for Mobile Devices", "ESXlite, ESXStandard and ESXtreme versions for desktops" . ESXlite was my prediction long before you really heard of ESXlite. This following poll is a lot older than the first news when Dell's VESO (which is what yo...

ZDnet guys report (and not totally unexpected actually, the move to push VMware Server into SMB that is). Like I said in my previous Strategy Article about fighting the Low-Cost Rivals, the strategy must revolve around something more concrete than just plain fending off the rivals. And a move to the SMB market is indeed the most logical one. The bundle from VMware includes VirtualCenter for VMware Server and support for $1,500. VMware Server is available for free and anyone can download it. VMware's SMB bundle will enable companies to monitor virtual machines and setup alerts for computing thresholds, provision servers and cut hardware costs. Read the rest. PS: Coming back to another news article and my take on it: View 1: "That's the key. ESX is a big nut to swallow for small businesses," said Marc Mangus, vice president of practice development at MTM Technologies, a Houston-based solution provider. "This is something new for VMWare outside their traditional s...

Our Avastu Associate in India has launched his blog . Watch that space for a lot of news on not just Virtualization but lots more! Here he's talking about Versatilists! (We did cover that in our podcast) It is to the advantage of an organization to employ versatilist because an enterprise will be able to easily redeploy this type of employee based on changes in business requirements or strategy. To illustrate this using a math term, the versatilist has a higher area under the curve rating. Think of a person having some level of knowledge/experience in 15 knowledge areas. That person may have a very high competency (score 5) in 3 areas, a medium level of competency (score 3) in 5 areas an introductory level of competency (score 1) in 4 areas and no competency (score 0) in 3 areas. This creates an area under the curve of 34. This is different from a specialist who may score very high in 1 area and have no competency in others. This breadth of knowledge and experience is what enables ...

Who are my loyal customers? Do I let them also stand behind the stalls so they can play the co-designers? Do they get to be the hero? Do they get to be our heros? What kind of market segmentation should I focus on (age groups, classes, too many level, too few segmentation levels) These (and more) are typical questions that any emerging and established firm might ask itself. We will try to examine what this can mean for Virtualization market. VMware has done some really cool things to keep its customer base happy and loyal. Its like having customers truly feeling the friendship from the supplier, all marching together hand-in-hand. That is when loyalty begins to show! Keep watching this space. I'll publish it within 3-4 days.

I think it has a lot more to do than just dethroning Microsoft. Microsoft has to come up with a different strategy as well. I welcome Microsoft to use my advice freely to contend into the space as a low-cost innovative rival. But the sad part is that even devoted Microsoft folks are beginning to feel rather disappointed about the Virtual Server offerings from Microsoft. The fact that VMware's offerings are changing the face of the IT infrastructure and even the work-ethics is something we are experiencing. But it has nothing to do with any dethroning practices like that of Java against ASP. Java is here for being Java and ASP is there for its purpose within the Microsoft environment. I must honestly say, Microsoft has just about too much in its hands. A columnist also mentioned that its time for deconstruction. And rightly so. The death of Windows was last prognosticated with the advent and meteoric rise of Java, which had many of the potential landscape changing characteristics of...

In a memo to their employees, the CEOs of two leading virtualization companies recently revealed that their companies have merged. Specifically, Serguei Beloussov, of SWsoft Inc. and Nick Dobrovolskiy of Parallels Inc. acknowledged that SWsoft now owns Parallels. According to a source close to the companies, SWsoft bought Parallels "about a year ago -- but kept them very separate and very quiet." Moving forward, the CEOs said that "Parallels and SWsoft have continued to grow and succeed independently in the marketplaces in which they participate." Really! And why keep a secret for that long! We were so anxious to know--NOT! Anyways we'll try to analyze in the coming days what this means for the virtualization arena. None to the server market (for now, till Parallels does something with its server edition), some to the desktop market (which VMware will soon gobble up). More later, read this for now ...