For you channel partners out there, if you don't know about the Microsoft and Citrix V-Alliance, then speak with either your Microsoft or Citrix contacts. The program is rolled out in Europe, is rolling out in the U.S., and will kick-off soon in Asia. The website is here.
Here's a brief video that I recorded with Citrix's Klaus Oestermann today from VMworld Europe 2010. If you're a channel partner in Copenhagen, and want to learn more, stop by MIcrosoft booth #69, Citrix booth #80, or tonight at the Microsoft Tweetup here. [note: O’Learys Sports Bar is in Copenhagen’s Central Station. On S Train route maps, look for København H, which is Central Station. Once you’ve arrive Central Station, O’Learys is in the far corner on the right when you enter the main hall from the train platforms.
Patrick
You'll be interested to know that MED-V 2.0 beta is available to download today. Karri blogged about it over at the Windows team blog [here]. Here's an excerpt from Karri's blog:
With MED-V 2.0 Beta, we have been listening to customer feedback to further simplify the MED-V experience by enabling one-time sign on to the MED-V workspace. The only time you ever re-enter your password is when you change your Windows password. In addition, we recognize that more infrastructure is not always better so we’ve enabled you to leverage your existing software distribution system as the delivery mechanism for the MED-V workspaces. This means that System Center Configuration Manager integration was a priority for us as we want to extend the value of the infrastructure you already have. Last but certainly not least, customers told us that they are moving toward virtualization of their applications as their primary strategy for the future. Naturally, they want to be able to use App-V in conjunction with MED-V so that they have a consistent packaging methodology, regardless of the target. Now, App-V and MED-V are fully tested together and virtual apps can be deployed and managed within the MED-V 2.0 Beta workspaces.
For more information about other features, and there are many more, please visit the MDOP Blog. For more on how Harbor Wholesale and other customers are taking advantage of MED-V in their environments, check out the case studies.
I've had the priviledge to attend Citrix Synergy in Berlin last week, and then attend VMworld Europe in Copenhagen this week. 3,500 attendees last week, and 5,700 this week. It's great to see the enthusiasm.
Today's keynote at VMworld Europe 2010 was 95% the same content as the San Francisco show at the end of August. Paul Maritz and Steve Herrod had some subtle shifts in positioning since San Francisco [e.g., now the OS will only "fade away" as opposed to go completely away compared to app frameworks, according to Maritz] and said they announed some deals with Colt and CSC. The latter is focused on building out VMware's public cloud strategy through service providers, and creating a secure VPN between vSphere customers and vSphere service providers. It reminds me of the early days of fax machines when people needed the exact same fax on both sides of the line in order to make the fax magic work. Same goes for VMware: vSphere on both sides and then customers get hybrid cloud.
Like we did in San Francisco [here], today we recorded a brief video post VMworld keynote to share some thoughts on what we heard. The video shows Lucas Searle, virtualization product manager at Microsoft-UK, and Dave Austin, director of product marketing for Citrix-EMEA. Enjoy.
We all love the innovation enabled by virtualization, and the new options of computing form factors is even more interesting (to me). Yesterday saw something cool from LG, the electronics giant who helps me watch hockey, football and MadMen in HD. Allesandro wrote about it yesterday [here]. News coverage provided some context for the development work:
LG and Microsoft will also team up to introduce monitors for cloud computing, a technology that allows users to access data and software over the Internet. The cloud computing market is expected to expand to 12 million units in 2012, LG said.
The alliance will primarily target the market for virtualization solutions for educational institutions, aiming to become a leader in the segment with a 25 percent share in 2012. The segment is expected to grow by more than 50 percent every year, reaching 6 million units in 2012 and 20 million units in 2015, LG said
More technical meat was provided today by Max over at the Remote Desktop Services team blog. Here are some excerpts:
Yesterday, LG and Microsoft announced an agreement to collaborate on the development and marketing of the LG Network Monitor, a multi-user computing solution that will integrate with RemoteFX. Under the agreement, LG will introduce a new line of network monitors with RemoteFX in mid-2011.
An LG Network Monitor is a monitor that connects to a centralized desktop over the network. With a connected LG Network Monitor, all you need to get to your desktop and applications at work is a keyboard and a mouse – no PC. Multiple LG Network Monitor users can remotely access a complete Windows 7 desktop experience, hosted on the same computer enabled by Remote Desktop Services, running somewhere on the network.
If you have been following my blogs in the past, you know that I have been passionate about RemoteFX; however, I have been even more passionate about the excitement of all of our hardware and software partners for this technology and the efforts they are making to enable powerful, end-to-end RemoteFX solutions for our joint customers. With LG, it is no different: the prospect of seeing LCD displays in the market next year that will be enabled for RemoteFX decoding means that customers will have even more form factors to choose from when determining the right access device for a VDI or session virtualization environment: rich clients, thin clients, ultra-lightweight clients, and now also network monitors (did anybody say no clients ? ;-)).