ALISO VIEJO, Calif.--BUSINESS WIRE--Quest Software, Inc. Nasdaq:
QSFT today announced strategic moves as its presence in the desktop
virtualization market strengthens. Quest has entered into a licensing
agreement with Liquidware Labs
for its Stratusphere Fit™ and UX™ products. The company also has formed
a technology alliance with Virtual Computer for open support of
client-side hypervisors. In addition, Quest today released vWorkspace
ThinShell, a zero cost application for Windows PCs, which enables them
to operate as “kiosks.” The moves are part of the company’s greater
virtualization and cloud strategy, which will be formally unveiled
tomorrow, Aug. 31, at a breakfast event for media and analysts at
VMworld. Media and analysts interested in attending this invitation-only
event should contact Daphne Kent at daphne.kent at quest.com
or Ken Montgomery at ken.montgomery at quest.com.
“The combination of vWorkspace and NxTop
will help IT teams dramatically reduce the cost of deploying and
managing their corporate desktops, while providing a high performance
user experience for both stationary and mobile users.”
Quest License Agreement with Liquidware Labs
The agreement with Liquidware Labs enables organizations to carry out a
comprehensive assessment of the suitability of desktop virtualization in
their environment, and perform ongoing user experience monitoring and
reporting for proactive troubleshooting, improved user experience, and
increased uptime. Quest will announce availability of an assessment tool
based on Stratusphere Fit in the next 90 days, and will incorporate
elements of Stratusphere UX into future versions of its vWorkspace
product line.
“This agreement with Quest further validates the innovation that
Stratusphere, and Liquidware Labs as a whole, delivers to the market by
helping speed the adoption and easing the management of VDI projects,”
said David Bieneman, CEO, Liquidware Labs. “Stratusphere was designed to
help organizations plan, assess and help ensure a quality user
experience in desktop virtualization projects for maximum return on
investment.”
Quest Alliance with Virtual Computer
Quest has formed a technology alliance with Virtual
Computer as part of a new initiative to provide open support for
distributed desktop virtualization technologies based on client-side
hypervisors. No single desktop virtualization technology meets all needs
– VDI is best suited for some, Terminal Server/Session Host for others,
while distributed virtualization also known as “offline VDI” is often
the appropriate technology for mobile and traveling workers.
This initiative extends the platform-agnostic approach that vWorkspace
brings to the choice of server-side hypervisors, access devices and
virtualization platforms to client-side hypervisors. The debate around
type 1 versus type 2 hypervisors continues, and Quest is partnering with
leading vendors of both to provide choice and flexibility to its
customers. The first is Virtual Computer’s NxTop, an industry-leading
type 1 hypervisor-based environment which, together with its NxTop
Center management system, creates a secure computing environment on
distributed computers aka offline VDI.
“Quest has long been a company to watch in desktop virtualization, and
these latest bold moves demonstrate their commitment to addressing the
diverse needs of enterprise customers,” said Peter Marconi, senior vice
president, Virtual Computer. “The combination of vWorkspace and NxTop
will help IT teams dramatically reduce the cost of deploying and
managing their corporate desktops, while providing a high performance
user experience for both stationary and mobile users.”
Quest Launches vWorkspace ThinShell
Finally, Quest today announced the availability of vWorkspace ThinShell,
a zero cost application for Windows PCs that enables them to operate as
“kiosks” for connecting to virtual desktops and applications through the
vWorkspace platform. This new solution dramatically simplifies the
interface for users connecting to desktops that have been virtualized
into the data center, reducing help desk calls and enabling enterprises
to derive greater value from their investments in Windows desktops. It
is also ideal for environments with shared kiosk PCs, such as libraries,
hospitals and student labs.
“Our approach to desktop virtualization has always been to provide
choice and flexibility to our customers,” said Simon Pearce, vice
president and general manager, Desktop Virtualization Group, Quest
Software. “We are expanding our footprint in the desktop virtualization
space with new offerings for assessment, experience monitoring, offline
workers, and Windows kiosk PCs. These announcements demonstrate Quest’s
growing profile as we anticipate and listen to our customers’ needs, and
make strategic choices to deliver them best-of-breed solutions.”
About Quest Software, Inc.
Quest Software simplifies and reduces the cost of managing IT for more
than 100,000 customers worldwide. Our innovative solutions make solving
the toughest IT management problems easier, enabling customers to save
time and money across physical, virtual and cloud environments. For more
information about Quest go to www.quest.com.
About Liquidware Labs
Liquidware Labs is the leader in Assessment and User Experience
Management for next generation desktops including Quest vWorkspace,
VMware View, Citrix XenDesktop, and Microsoft Windows 7. The company’s
Stratusphere™ and ProfileUnity™ solutions have been described by
analysts as the industry’s first “On-Ramp to VDI” by providing complete
methodology and software that enable organizations to cost-effectively
plan, migrate, and manage their next generation desktop infrastructure
with best practices in mind. LWL’s comprehensive solutions provide
Assessment, Personalization Management, User Configuration, and Service
Level Assurance. Visit www.liquidwarelabs.com
for further information.
About Virtual Computer
Virtual Computer is the market leader in distributed desktop
virtualization. The company’s flagship product, NxTop®, enables desktop
IT professionals to create flexible, reliable, and secure end-points for
any combination of laptops, desktops, VDI or cloud computing. Fully
managed from a single console, NxTop dramatically lowers the cost of
deploying and maintaining personal computers in organizations of any
size. www.virtualcomputer.com
Quest, Quest Software and the Quest logo are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Quest Software in the United States and certain other
countries. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property
of their respective owners.
Web Links Referenced in this Release:
Quest Software, Inc.: www.quest.com
Liquidware Labs: www.liquidwarelabs.com
Quest vWorkspace: www.quest.com/vworkspace
Virtual Computer: www.virtualcomputer.com
