Matthew Weinberger

September 1, 2011

2 Min Read
VMworld: VMware, Symantec Partner for Desktop-as-a-Service

I may be at Dreamforce ’11 in San Francisco this week, but I’m still keeping an eye on Las Vegas as VMware’s VMworld conference continues to build cloud chatter. This time around, VMware and Symantec have announced a partnership to deliver desktop-as-a-service solutions for both enterprises and the IT service provider channel.

These new solutions will leverage wide swaths of both VMware and Symantec’s portfolio, with VMware View, VMware vShield, VMware vCloud Director 1.5 and VMware vSphere 5 combining with Symantec Endpoint Protection and the Altiris Client Management Suite for a “secure, manageable and cost-effective DaaS solution,” according to the press release.

The goal is apparently to provide IT service providers an affordable way to combine the good parts of legacy virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) approaches with the benefits of cloud computing. VMware brings its virtualization mojo, Symantec calls on its security and endpoint management mojo, and you have a best-of-both-worlds scenario, according to VMware.

To wit, here’s VMware and Symantec’s bullet-pointed list of benefits to this DaaS solution, straight from the press release:

  • Service Driven Cloud Infrastructure: Building on existing vCloud and vSphere infrastructures from VMware, the DaaS solution will provide the agility, efficiency and choice to quickly provision, manage and track all aspects of a multi-tenant, virtual desktop environment.

  • Security Protection from the Cloud to the Endpoint:Delivered with Symantec Endpoint Protection and VMware vShield, DaaS delivered virtual desktops are protected from internal and external threats emanating from email, web and storage vectors.

  • End-to-End Configuration and Control of Applications: The day-to-day demands of managing virtual desktops in addition to the applications that reside within them are made easier through centralized control using Symantec Client Management Suite.

There’s a definite trend at VMworld toward the popularity of virtual desktops and VDI. Are service providers embracing the technology, or are cloud-delivered desktops just a lot of hype? Stay tuned to TalkinCloud for clues.

 

 

 

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