Introducing Virtual Access Suite

By VSM News Staff
published: Wednesday, May 07 2008

PG: Absolutely. Quest software is a leading enterprise systems management vendor that delivers innovative products allowing organizations to seamlessly manage their physical and virtual desktop environments. Through our deep expertise in systems management and operations, and a continued focus on what works best, Quest helps more than 90,000 customers worldwide meet higher expectations for enterprise IT. As you may have seen, Quest has been pretty acquisitive recently. Quest has acquired almost a dozen companies in the last year with technologies that are complementary to Quest’s core business and some that position us for leadership in adjacent markets. Of note are ScriptLogic, a leading provider of systems lifecycle management solutions for Windows-based networks; PassGo, a leader in access and identity management solutions; Vizioncore, the leading provider of disaster recovery and virtual infrastructure management for VMware environments; Invertus, a provider of virtual machine optimization, conversion and automation products; and, of course, Provision Networks, the leader in virtual desktop infrastructure and management solutions. It is also important to highlight some of Quest’s internal and organic innovations, such as our expanded offerings for Microsoft SharePoint Server 2007, which Gartner predicts that 80% of organizations will be using by 2010; our new tools that embrace and extend Microsoft’s Systems Center Family, and the new release of FogLight which now supports VMware and has the unique ability to monitor the impact virtualization changes can have on databases, applications and end users while simultaneously correlating the usage of resources on both physical servers and virtual machines. So the company has been quite busy. We see virtualization as the next great frontier within IT, and Quest’s investments position us as one of the leading pioneers in this emerging space by delivering the same kind of innovative management products we’ve delivered for years in the database, application and Windows infrastructure areas.

PG: The Virtual Access Suite, or VAS as we affectionately call it, is the most comprehensive and encompassing multi-platform server-based desktop virtualization provisioning and management solution. It encompasses support for Presentation Virtualization, or terminal services, VDI and blade PC management in a single enterprise management solution. We look at various use cases within an enterprise and see typically  three classes of workers: task workers --  those that work day in and day out with one or two applications and have simple application delivery requirements; knowledge workers – those, probably like you and me, who need the full desktop experience that is familiar,  fast, personal and customizable; and power users --  those that require a powerful and consistent user experience. No one technology is a best fit for these different use cases. The Virtual Access Suite is the only commercially available desktop management solution that is able to consolidate application delivery and desktop management and deployment, from VAS-enabled terminal servers, Virtual Machine Hosted Desktops or VDI, and blade PCs. So, in essence, it’s and end-to-end application delivery and desktop deployment and management solution all in one. When I say “end-to-end” I refer to three main components: First, the infrastructure, which needs to support a multitude of access and client models – Web-based thin clients, including Windows CE and XP embedded as well as, LINUX with integrated security, such as an SSL gateway, and support for various authentication technologies. The infrastructure support also refers to the platform itself, whereby our solution seamlessly supports and integrates with multiple platforms, ensuring that we are truly future-proofing our customers’ desktop infrastructure needs without massive rip and replace efforts. So if the customer may be running one virtualization platform today and choose to go with another tomorrow, there’s no need to replace the desktop management layer as well. Customers look at it like a Network Management System -- just because they decide to choose a different server or router vendor, or have multiple vendors in the network, this would not necessitate a change in the network management vendor.

 

 

The second component is the desktop brokering and management. With the advent of VDI, many vendors have rushed to offer connection brokers. All the ones available, or about to be released on the market, are basic first-generation solutions, regardless of what version number they put on them. In its simplest form, a connection broker really provides arbitration and responds to connectivity requests from users. Our solution is on its fifth generation, or fifth release now. It is the most widely deployed VDI solution and customer-proven solution around. We offer the most scalable and optimized brokering infrastructure with integrated load distribution and support for an unlimited number of connection brokers to manage the load of hundreds of thousands of requests simultaneously. We offer the most comprehensive set of desktop provisioning and management and automation, bar none. Not just brokering, but a complete set of desktop lifecycle management, including automated provisioning, sysprep editing, directory integration, policy-driven power management and access control, session and workspace management, desktop persistence, pooling, dynamic pool expansion, and last, but not least, a complete framework for scheduling and automation whereby every single feature of the Virtual Access Suite can be scheduled for automated execution.

 

And the third and final component is the user experience. Unlike most vendors which rely on the native functionality of the transport protocol, we have done extensive work around the Microsoft remote desktop protocol to extend its feature set and optimize the user experience with functionality, such as true multi-monitor support, not just monitor spanning, application publishing and seamless Windows latency reduction, and two-way audio for supporting applications such as dictation, collaboration and Voice over IP. By doing this, we are the only vendor able to truly deliver a user experience that’s practically indistinguishable from that of a local PC, while enabling customers to leverage their  virtual desktop infrastructure for remote access, telecommuting, business continuity and disaster recovery.  

 

PG: Yes, we’re very excited about this new release. We’re coming out early of the gate with full integration Hyper-V. We’re actually the first and only vendor to provide a VDI solution integrated with Hyper-V. We’re seeing a great amount of interest and pent up demand for Hyper-V from existing customers as well as prospects. What this means is that we’re enabling platform portability for virtual desktops. Virtual desktops may be moved seamlessly from one virtualization platform to another without disrupting worker productivity. Virtual desktops on various platforms that we integrate with, such as VMware, Virtual Iron and now Hyper-V, may run side by side and continue to be managed through a single desktop management framework, that being the Virtual Access Suite. We’re providing customers with more choices for platform support and always improving their return on investment in Quest technologies by future-proofing their desktop infrastructure and management investments.

PG: Well, we believe that Hyper-V will be pervasive. Its adoption will be broad and brisk. You have to run where you think the ball will be, not where it is today. So, supporting a platform that we expect will be commoditized is very important for us as a vendor and for our customers. We will be able to instantly provision and manage new desktop infrastructures for our customers without additional massive investments in separate virtual infrastructure platforms. Again, it’s about giving customers choices, giving them a future-proof desktop management framework, and maximizing their return on investment in Quest technologies.

PG: Working together with Microsoft to deliver compelling solutions for our joint customers certainly was a key factor in Quest being named Microsoft Global ISV of the Year in both 2004 and 2007. So, obviously, our strong relationship with Microsoft is very beneficial. However, remember that Quest is an agnostic provider of enterprise systems management solutions and we have strong partnerships with other platform vendors, such as VMware, Oracle, Sun, Virtual Iron and several others.

PG: We are showcasing the new version at the Microsoft Management Summit, starting on April 28 in Las Vegas and the GA release will be available for general consumption a few days after the end of the show.

 

PG: Well, certainly virtualization, as we view it today, has been game-changing.  But when I hear about virtualization becoming more ubiquitous and going beyond server consolidation, application and desktop virtualization, I think to myself that it’s been around us for many years, but we either didn’t call it virtualization or it just wasn’t cool enough to gain attention until VMware introduced x86 virtualization. But think about hosted PBX services -- those are virtual; Web-based meetings and collaboration -- those are virtual; our companies’ Web sites -- that’s our virtual presence. Even something as simple and ubiquitous as an email address, in essence, that’s our virtual address and identity. So what I’m saying is that yes, virtualization as we see it today will proliferate a lot more and will become something that’s so normal, that we wouldn’t think twice about it.  But also new forms of virtualization will be on every gadget from cell phones and PDAs to your cable box at home -- not just within the confines of the corporate environment. From there, I see an emergence of new management solutions to centralize the command and control and the emergence of new services enabled by different types of virtualization available on-demand to both corporate and individual consumers.

 

 

PG: This is tricky question because you’re asking me to reveal our strategic direction.  The company’s tagline had been, “With Quest software, you get more.” So what I can tell you is that if you’re already impressed with Quest’s market-leading portfolio of innovative technologies, expect to get even more and be wowed again and again.

PG: You can learn about Quest’s virtualization portfolio at www.quest.com/virtualization.

 

Related Links:

Quest Software , Provision Networks , Microsoft Global ISV