Virtual Iron partners with Platespin, IBM, HP and Dell for SMB opportunities
November 24th, 2007 | 
Author: Packages including server hardware, Virtual Iron 4.0 and implementation services are now being offered from IBM and HP. Virtual Iron has also signed a reseller agreement with Dell. The combination of these new partnerships is positioning the VMware alternative as a highly visible choice for SMBs looking to migrate to a virtual datacenter.
An article from SearchServerVirtualization.com, Virtual Iron, IBM, HP package virtualization on blades for SMBs, reports on Virtual Iron’s new SMB strategy:
“The preconfigured virtualization and management offerings are available on platforms best suited for the SMB space to bring server virtualization and management software to an underserved market, said Mike Grandinetti, chief marketing officer at the Lowell, Mass.-based virtualization software company.
“SMBs have not been able to enjoy virtualization benefits as much as the enterprise-sized businesses have because they are price-sensitive, Grandinetti said, “but they need the same management and technology capabilities. Two-thirds of our customers are SMBs, and we wanted to make a product on reliable platforms those customers can afford.”
Virtual Iron’s software is comparable to VMware Inc.‘s virtualization software and is a fraction of the price, Grandinetti said.”
Virtual Iron’s partnership with Platespin is also leveraged in these packages to add X2V migration capabilities for companies planning to migrate to VI.
“Virtual Iron’s bundles include LiveProvisioning, a “zero touch” automated deployment capability that eliminates the need for physical installation or management of virtualization software on virtualized physical servers. Virtual Iron 4.0 also includes LiveConvert, automated “X2V” (physical-to-virtual or virtual-to-virtual) conversion software from PlateSpin Ltd. for easy migration of workloads. Virtual Iron’s software is based on the latest version of the Xen open source hypervisor and includes automation capabilities from Virtual Iron such as LiveMigrate, LiveRecovery and LiveCapacity.”
Virtual Iron has also announced that it has teamed with Dell to potentially provide similar packages. In the eweek.com article Virtual Iron, Dell Sign Reseller Pact the same SMB strategy is evident.
“The agreement with Dell will give customers, especially SMBs (small and midsize businesses), greater access to virtualization technology, as well as management features, at a lower cost than enterprise-class offerings, according to John Kelley, Virtual Iron’s product marketing manager. “
In my opinion this is a smart move to gain access to many companies looking to virtualize their server infrastructure. As the alternatives to VMware increase, partnerships with hardware vendors will ultimately help IT decision makers feel safe using Virtual Iron.
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Posted in blades, hp, ibm, platespin, virtual iron, virtualization | 
Tags: blades, dell, hp, ibm, platespin, virtual iron, vmware, Xen
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