FalconStor NSS SAN Accelerator for VMware View

FalconStor Software, Inc. announced FalconStor Network Storage Server (NSS) SAN Accelerator for VMware View, an SSD-enhanced storage solution that increases the performance of VMware virtual desktop environments while delivering integrated, multi-tier data protection. FalconStor NSS SAN Accelerator for VMware View performs backup and recovery for the entire virtual desktop environment and for each virtual desktop – and, for the first time, enables integrated self-service file recovery for individual virtual desktop users.

VMware View delivers efficiencies in the deployment and management of enterprise users’ desktop and laptop computers. Virtual desktop operation and management can be enhanced by storage capabilities to maximize performance, availability and efficiency. FalconStor NSS SAN Accelerator for VMware View enhances the efficiency of virtual desktop management throughout the virtual desktop lifecycle – accelerating virtual desktop booting, login, operation, logoff, patch/update and security management through 10x storage performance improvement.

Virtual desktop deployments also require advanced data protection and storage efficiency features for storing desktop images, user data and settings that need to be backed up and recoverable in the event of a system failure, user error or data center disaster.

The FalconStor NSS SAN Accelerator for VMware View employs snapshots, thin clones, replication and file-level protection to enable a three-tier data protection service:

• Entire VMware View environment – comprehensive, enterprise-class continuous data protection that allows IT managers to recover locally or from a DR site in the event of system-wide failure.
• All VMware View user data repositories – complete data protection for user data located within the VMware View environment and redirected folders on a separate NAS appliance.
• Self-service file-level recovery – users can recover their own individual files as needed, saving storage administrators significant time and expense.

"Virtualization in general and virtualization of desktops in particular have amplified I/O unpredictably as read/write I/O storms occur frequently without warning; the only solution to date has been to add more disk drives," said David Vellante, chief research advocate, Wikibon. "Wikibon has been emphasizing the requirement for different architectures to exploit the potential of flash to improve I/O performance. We are very pleased with the innovation that FalconStor has shown with its flash-on- storage-controller implementation, which is much more efficient for VDI than SSDs. The FalconStor NSS SAN Accelerator neatly exploits the VMware I/O separation improvements to offer a solution that combines low-cost SATA with 2 to 3 percent high-performance flash as a cache that can adapt in real-time. Wikibon believes this is a best-of-breed solution for high-performance workloads."

"The rapidly adopted paradigm shift of virtual servers and desktops ushered in by VMware’s innovation has created the need for storage environments with integrated data protection designed for the new virtual data center," said Jim McNiel, chief strategy officer for FalconStor. "Virtual environments not only demand flexible, scalable virtual storage, but also require backup and DR systems that work with the unique characteristics of virtual machines. We designed the FalconStor NSS SAN Accelerator for VMware View to deliver the kind of storage environment that virtual desktops require – improving performance and data protection in one elegant solution."

Pricing and Availability
The FalconStor NSS SAN Accelerator for VMware View is available immediately through FalconStor’s network of channel partners. The average cost for an implementation of up to 5,000 users is $35 (€29) per virtual desktop.