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VMware Unveils Next Wave of Innovation for Applications and Desktop Virtualization in Horizon 6

Enhanced Application Publishing, Rich Graphics, Network Virtualization Benefits With VMware NSX and Features for U.S. Federal Government Customers Expand Use Cases for Virtual Applications and Desktops; Technology Previews Showcase Future Capabilities in Application Delivery; Early Access Program Highlights Support for Linux Desktops

March 12, 2015 8:01 AM EDT

PALO ALTO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/12/15 -- VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), the global leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure, today announced a new release of VMware Horizon® 6 featuring advanced capabilities for application publishing, 3D application support through high-performance virtual desktops, enhanced Chromebook support, software-defined data center optimizations including network virtualization benefits from VMware NSX™, and new features for U.S federal government customers. VMware Horizon 6 is the industry's most comprehensive desktop and application virtualization solution to deliver and manage any type of enterprise application and desktop, including physical desktops and laptops, virtual desktops and applications, and employee-owned PCs. 

"VMware disrupted the industry when it offered a compelling option to application publishing with VMware Horizon 6, and we are pushing the innovation envelope again with new application and desktop virtualization capabilities in this latest release," said Sumit Dhawan, senior vice president and general manager, desktop products, End-User Computing, VMware. "Customers can benefit from capabilities that are unique to VMware's unified platform that will help transform their desktops into more secure virtual workspaces, as we leverage the power of virtualization to flexibly deliver any application to any device, anywhere with security and management that is simple and unified. In addition to the advanced capabilities in Horizon 6, the technology previews offer a sneak peek at possible new capabilities to come and represent our relentless focus on delivering value and innovation to customers."

Transforming Desktops and Applications On the Journey to Business Mobility
This release of VMware Horizon 6 introduces new capabilities integrated into a single solution that can empower IT with a streamlined approach for managing Windows applications and desktops. Innovations in application publishing, device support, application and desktop management, and storage and network support can help make managing mobile end-users easier and more cost-effective. Customers can use VMware Horizon 6 to leverage the power of virtualization and transform their desktops into secure virtual workspaces on their way to embracing business mobility.

Key enhancements within VMware Horizon 6 include:

  • Application Publishing and 3D Graphics Support - VMware Horizon 6 offers comprehensive support for applications, from simple to complex. Port level redirection of local USB storage devices enables access to files through published applications and virtual desktops. NVIDIA GRID™ vGPU™ technology, VMware vSphere® 6 and Horizon 6 combined can deliver a great end-user experience for rich, 3D graphics on high performance virtual desktops for the most demanding end-users and scalability that IT teams require.

    "Our experience with NVIDIA GRID vGPU and VMware Horizon on vSphere has been incredibly positive," said Michael S. Goay, executive director, Information Technology, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California. "We look forward to sharing a single GPU across multiple users without any sacrifice in compatibility or user experience. Plus, we'll be able to better allocate computer resources to drive higher user density on each vSphere host."
  • Software-Defined Data Center Optimizations with VMware vSphere 6, VMware NSX, and VMware Virtual SAN™ 6 for Enhanced Security and Lower Costs - Innovations within VMware's unified platform for virtualized compute, networking and storage for the hybrid cloud can help drive down costs, reduce complexities and increase the scalability of virtual applications and desktops using VMware Horizon 6.

    VMware NSX, when deployed with VMware Horizon 6, will bring push-button simplicity for networking and security to VDI deployments. Within seconds, IT administrators can create networking and security policies that dynamically follow Horizon 6 virtual desktops and applications. VMware NSX will eliminate the need for manual network and security configuration to support VDI, which is time-consuming and prone to errors. Through micro-segmentation and integration with leading third party security solutions, Horizon 6 combined with VMware NSX can extend security policy from within the data center all the way to the device.

    The combination of VMware Virtual SAN 6 hyper-converged storage with Horizon 6 offers out of the box integration and enables increased scale and lower total cost of ownership (TCO) for virtual desktops. Horizon 6 has been validated to support up to 4,000 desktops per cluster on a 20-node cluster.

    Enhancements to the VMware Horizon 6 cloud pod architecture enables IT administrators to federate desktop deployments across multiple data centers and geographies using a single interface for management and monitoring. Lastly, support for Windows Server 2012 R2 provides an affordable choice for virtual desktops to help further drive down TCO.
  • New Features for U.S. Federal Government Customers - Support for the IPv6 network address protocol enables government agencies to integrate VMware Horizon 6 into an updated network or seamlessly transition existing Horizon deployments from an IPv4 to IPv6 network. Common Access Card (CAC) support offers simple and secure access to virtual desktops and applications for uniformed service personnel, and efforts to achieve Common Criteria certification are underway. These new features enable VMware Horizon 6 to assist customers with compliance to strict security and privacy standards of the U.S. Federal Government.

VMware Horizon for Linux Early Access Program
VMware also announced today an early access program for its VMware Horizon for Linux virtual desktop solution. Committed to customer choice, VMware is expanding its virtual desktop capabilities to include support for Red Hat and Ubuntu based Linux desktops. This will enable customers to simplify desktop management using the VMware Horizon platform to access Windows and Linux applications. In addition to centralized management capabilities and 3D graphics acceleration, this solution will allow end-users to remotely access Linux desktops and applications from mobile devices without compromising security while fostering collaboration. To participate in the early access program, register here.

Technology Preview: Enhancing Speed and Flexibility for Application Delivery Including Enhanced Chromebook Support
Demonstrating continued commitment to application and desktop innovations, VMware revealed today two new technology previews -- Project Local and Project Ark. Project Local showcases the ability to deliver greater speed and efficiency for application delivery to end-users by providing virtual applications access to files on local hard drives and folders. Project Ark demonstrates the flexible delivery of published applications to Google Chromebooks through two separate methodologies -- a clientless approach via an HTML5 browser and a client approach using a new lightweight Chrome client.

"Advancements in application publishing and virtual desktops are offering compelling reasons for organizations to switch from physical to virtual systems," said Robert Young, Research Manager at IDC. "VMware offers more than just new features in their new release of VMware Horizon 6 with additional benefits coming from integration with its software-defined data center solutions. This can be an important decision-making factor for customers."

Availability and Pricing
The new release of VMware Horizon 6 is expected to be generally available this week. Contact VMware sales or a local VMware partner for pricing. A free trial is available for download by visiting the VMware website

Additional Resources

  • Read the solution brief for VMware Horizon 6 for a complete list of new capabilities and features
  • Read a blog post by Shankar Iyer, vice president, product management, desktop products, End-User Computing for an overview of VMware Horizon 6
  • Read a blog post by Tony Paikeday, senior product line manager, desktop products, End-User Computing, VMware for more information on the benefits of VMware Horizon 6 with VMware NSX
  • Read a blog post by Will Wade, director, NVIDIA GRID, NVIDIA for more information about VMware Horizon 6, vSphere 6 and NVIDIA GRID™ vGPU™
  • Register for a webinar featuring Sumit Dhawan, senior vice president and general manager, desktop products, End-User Computing, VMware
  • Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

About VMware
 
VMware is a leader in cloud infrastructure and business mobility. Built on VMware's industry-leading virtualization technology, our solutions deliver a brave new model of IT that is fluid, instant and more secure. Customers can innovate faster by rapidly developing, automatically delivering and more safely consuming any application. With 2014 revenues of $6 billion, VMware has more than 500,000 customers and 75,000 partners. The company is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the world and can be found online at www.vmware.com.

VMware, NSX, VMware Virtual SAN, Horizon and vSphere are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiary in the United States and other jurisdictions. The use of the word "partner" or "partnership" does not imply a legal partnership relationship between VMware and any other company.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements including, among other things, the expected benefits to customers of product features available in Horizon 6, the expected availability of features in the technology preview and early access programs and their benefits to customers and the expected 2015 technology trends. These forward-looking statements are subject to the safe harbor provisions created by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain risk factors, including but not limited to: (i) adverse changes in general economic or market conditions; (ii) delays or reductions in consumer, government and information technology spending; (iii) competitive factors, including but not limited to pricing pressures, industry consolidation, entry of new competitors into the virtualization software and cloud, end user and mobile computing industries, and new product and marketing initiatives by VMware's competitors; (iv) VMware's customers' ability to transition to new products and computing strategies such as cloud computing, desktop virtualization and the software defined data center; (v) the uncertainty of customer acceptance of emerging technology; (vi) rapid technological changes in the virtualization software and cloud, end user and mobile computing industries; (vii) changes to product and service development timelines; (viii) VMware's relationship with EMC Corporation and EMC's ability to control matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of VMware's board members; (ix) VMware's ability to protect its proprietary technology; (x) VMware's ability to attract and retain highly qualified employees; and (xi) the successful integration of acquired companies and assets into VMware. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and are subject to uncertainties and changes in condition, significance, value and effect as well as other risks detailed in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including VMware's most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K that we may file from time to time, which could cause actual results to vary from expectations. VMware assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this release. 

   Contact:Louis ChengVMware [email protected] 

Source: VMware, Inc.



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