VMware Seeks ‘Virtual’ Success with New Software

After a four-month beta run, VMware is preparing to release the full version of its Converter 3 virtualization software Jan. 29.

The Palo Alto, Calif., company, the leader in x86 server virtualization software, is releasing the full version of its product after beta testing the software since Oct. 2. The software allows automation of physical-to-virtual servers without having to shut down the physical server, as well as virtual-to-virtual conversion. The software also allows users to clone machines from a remote console.

The race to offer better, more versatile and easier-to-use virtualization software has only increased as enterprises look to contain server sprawl, reduce the use of power in the data center and save on cooling costs. In an Aug. 31 report by Enterprise Management Associates, researchers found that deployment of virtualization is growing by about 26 percent annually.

Timothy Happychuk, regional IT director for Montreal-based Quebecor-Sun Media Group, one of Canada’s largest media companies, has been dealing with these type of issues—power, cooling, sprawl—for years, and he first started looking at various virtualization tools about three years ago.

Part of the problem at Quebecor-Sun is that IT has been saddled with legacy systems that still run mission-critical functions, such as taking video and news feeds from satellites for the company’s newsrooms.

Read the full story on eWEEK.com: VMware Seeks ‘Virtual’ Success with New Software