By Charlene O'Hanlon

Extending the trend of virtualization beyond its current boundaries, Blue Coat Systems has announced its ProxySG line of virtual appliances, a software-only version of its WAN optimization offering that runs on top of industry-standard servers running VMware vSphere.

ProxySG is designed to optimize the delivery of advanced business applications and streamline the consolidation of branch office IT infrastructure, according to the company. Servers running ProxySG also can support Microsoft Windows Server 2008, as well as networking and locally run applications.

As more businesses make the move to virtualization, delivery optimization of applications is becoming more important. Most companies don’t take into account the amount of bandwidth needed for virtualized environments, running ever-more virtual machines over the same amount of bandwidth. As a result, applications can run slowly. ProxySG, however, enables companies to prioritize which machines can access the network, reducing the strain on the network and allowing applications to run faster.

For remote office environments, ProxySG accelerates centralized enterprise applications as well as remote file access, e-mail and backups.

The ProxySG line has been rated VMWare Ready, which indicates the software is optimized for VMware vSphere, helping to ensure “ready-to-run” reliability and security. The VMware Ready program is a validation program designed to provide the best possible user experience among virtual appliances being deployed in production.

ProxySG comes in four models: the VA-5, which supports up to 10 concurrent users; the VA-10, supporting up to 50 concurrent users; the VA-15, which supports up to 125 concurrent users; and the VA-20, supporting up to 300 concurrent users. It is slated for availability at the end of March with a list price starting at $1,110 a year for the VA-5 model.