Virtual Bridges launches VDI management platform

As we near the end of 2010, one can only wonder if the desktop virtualization market will finally take hold in 2011 as the pundits have been predicting.

What does seem clear is that a battle for control will continue to escalate in 2011 for virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) dominance. While the VDI market is trying to “find itself,” companies from the very large to the very small are attempting to make a name for themselves in this space while also establishing that VDI is ready for prime time and can be implemented in a cost-effective manner.

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One of those smaller companies going up against giants like Citrix, Microsoft, and VMware is an Austin-based startup called Virtual Bridges. The company has been focused on constructing a purpose-built VDI solution since its inception back in 2006, long before the term “VDI” was even coined.

What’s holding back the VDI market? According to Jim Curtin, CEO of Virtual Bridges, VDI has been too expensive, too complex, and an incomplete solution.

Curtin adds, “Traditional virtualization vendors have tried to take solutions that have been successful for servers and retrofit them for the desktop. It hasn’t worked and as a result, they’ve given VDI a bad rap.”

Because of that, something Virtual Bridges is calling VDI Gen2 was born. Curtin said VDI Gen2 solutions offer a fresh approach to VDI, solving the cost, coverage, and complexity pitfalls of the past and delivering to the consumer a VDI solution that is affordable, adoptable, and adaptable.

To help push its version of desktop virtualization, Virtual Bridges announced a new version of its flagship offering, VERDE (Virtual Enterprise Remote Desktop Environment) 5, a platform that makes it easier to manage VDI deployments installed locally, in branch offices, or in the cloud.

Virtual Bridges has been moving at a fairly fast pace innovating and enhancing its VERDE solution. Version 3 launched in December 2009, and version 4 debuted four months later, improving on the previous release by upgrading the command-line management interface to include a much needed Web interface. It also added multiple display protocol options and RDP connection brokering to help deliver a better end-user experience. VERDE 5 builds on those previous additions with further enhancements and a few new key features that help make the new product stand out even more.

New features in this version include:

• Support for the SPICE protocol: A high-definition multimedia protocol from Red Hat designed to deliver a high-quality user experience, similar to that of a local machine, but in a LAN environment
• SmartCast: A feature that provisions the appropriate protocol (SPICE or RDP) based on the user connection and the type of desktop being delivered
• An integrated management console: Combining online, offline, and branch VDI; facilitates granular role- and task-based provisioning; provides centralized visibility and reporting
• Full USB 2.0 support: Offering support for a wide array of USB devices, such as keyboards, mice, USB drives, printers, scanners, and cameras across online, offline, and branch VDI scenarios

VERDE 5’s VDI Gen2 capabilities include unified monitoring and management of desktops across online, offline, and branch environments; high-definition multimedia support; automatic bidirectional sync for true mobility; and advanced cloud branch capabilities, including disaster recovery and business continuity.

It also adds a feature called Zero-Admin Cloud Branch, which promises to deliver LAN-like VDI performance for branch users so that they can ensure disaster recovery and business continuity. When asked, Curtin described Cloud Branch to InfoWorld by saying, “It’s all about freeing your branch offices from slow, unreliable WAN connections.”

He continued, “Simply put, our server connects directly to the VERDE Cluster and Gold Master Image repository, ensuring IT services are up and running for every employee at every branch — delivering a native-PC experience all the time, even over choppy, unreliable networks. Organizations benefit from higher performance and response times while maintaining centralized control of desktop images in the data center.”

But technology isn’t this startup’s only weapon in this battle for VDI market dominance. The company is also working together with an industry giant of its own: VERDE 5 is available as an integrated offering with IBM’s Cloud Service Provider Platform, supplying virtual desktop management and provisioning capabilities. Service providers can use VERDE to accelerate the delivery of cost-effective cloud-based VDI workloads to businesses of all sizes.

According to Curtin, “The combination of IBM’s Cloud Service Provider Platform and VERDE delivers a powerful service provider-ready solution that not only provisions the cloud infrastructure but also the integrated virtual desktop ‘workload’ on top of it.”

This seems like a good partnership, especially with both companies betting on KVM technology.

This article, “Virtual Bridges launches VDI management platform,” was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Follow the latest developments in virtualization and cloud computing at InfoWorld.com.