Some Virtualization Announcements at TechEd
A number of suppliers are launching either new virtualization products or updates to current products at Microsoft's TechEd in Orlando, FL. Here's a quick review of a few of those products.
- SteelEye launched SteelEye DataKeeper for Windows. DataKeeper is a WAN-optimized data replication and disaster recovery product the provides continuous data protection. It is designed to work with Windows Server 2008 Failover Clustering. SteelEye is targeting small to medium-sized businesses with this product, but also claims that it is powerful enough to accommodate the business continuity demands of larger enterprise and OEM markets.
- DoubleTake Software announced a number of products to enhance Microsoft's Hyper-V. Support includes real-time physical-to-virtual (P2V) full system replication for migration and failover, and virtual-to-virtual (V2V) replication and failover for maximum uptime. Double-Take Software will release an edition of Double-Take® specifically designed for Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, allowing IT administrators to easily and continuously replicate and failover entire virtual machines between Hyper-V hosts for V2V disaster recovery and remote availability. The company is also adding Hyper-V support to its existing P2V protection and migration products.
It is clear to me that Microsoft has been working with its partners to make sure that Hyper-V will arrive with a complete ecosystem of complementary products and services rather than just being a technology searching for solutions. This combined with Microsoft's plans to just include Hyper-V in many Windows packages means that folks like VMware and Citrix will face stiff competion even within their own installed base.
It appears to me that VMware is likely to weather the Microsoft generated storm with little problem. Citrix, Red Hat, SUSE, Virtual Iron and others are likely to feel the impact of an energized Microsoft a bit more.