NexentaVSA for View Debuting

Nexenta Systems, Inc., in open storage solutions, at the start of its OpenStorage Summit EMEA, announced the release of NexentaVSA for View, a solution that expands Nexenta’s proven ZFS-based storage software into virtualised desktop environments.

A result of Nexenta’s strategic partnership with VMware, NexentaVSA for View simplifies the process of configuring and deploying virtual desktops, reducing the storage and management costs that hinder VDI adoption.

The product will be available for download in early June 2012.

It simplifies management of virtual desktops and VDI environments – turning a process that normally takes 150 pain-staking steps into a quick four-step process. Using the ZFS file system with commodity hardware, enterprises can save up to 80% on the management and storage costs associated with VDI. In the last three months, a number of organisations have participated in the beta program, including Clark College. Initial results include up to 10x improvement in the time taken to deploy new virtual Windows desktops.

"When implemented properly, desktop virtualisation can yield savings in management costs and staff efficiencies associated with deploying a large number of machines to end-users," said Patrick Taylor, network systems manager, Clark College. "We tested NexentaVSA for View and found that the implementation was relatively simple. Clark College appreciated the detailed analytics and benchmarking Nexenta provided, which enabled us to easily monitor and make adjustments to our VDI environment after deployment."

Boasting more than 4,500 commercial deployments, Nexenta’s OpenStorage software is a approach for breaking down the barriers that have prevented wide-scale enterprise adoption of VDI.

Benefits of NexentaVSA for View include:

• Fast VDI Provisioning, Configuration and Tuning: it includes a user interface that guides administrators through VDI deployment, benchmarking, calibration and reconfiguration.
• Automated and Intelligent Configuration: it enables VDI deployments and automates the processes of configuring and rebalancing the desktop infrastructure.
• Performance Visibility: Built-in benchmarks measure end-to-end performance, from the client endpoint through storage devices.
• Calibration and Analytics: it automatically modifies configurations based on specified criteria, reducing administrative input.
• Low-Cost, Performance-Optimized VDI: it simplifies deployment of commodity storage as hybrid storage pools, with caching that accelerates write-sensitive VDI performance.

"VDI minimises the headaches associated with desktop upgrades, security patches and software provisioning," said Valdis Filks, research director for storage technologies and strategies, Gartner Research. "Systems and processes that allow enterprises to better implement and manage VDI will further accelerate adoption and allow IT managers to demonstrate the value of this powerful technology."

In a Nexenta survey of 208 IT managers (conducted on a VMware online vForum and through StorageNewsletter), nearly half (44.4%) of all respondents indicated they were currently using or piloting VDI. This survey also covered VDI’s barriers to adoption. 75 respondents (36.1%), for example, said VDI was too complex to deploy; 40 individuals (19.2%) said VDI costs were prohibitive and 25 people (12%) said VDI was too difficult to manage and scale.

"We’re proud to be a key VMware partner simplifying the implementation and reducing the cost of adopting virtualised desktop environments," said Evan Powell, CEO of Nexenta. "NexentaVSA for View helps IT break through the bottleneck of deploying virtualised machines quickly and easily, ultimately improving end-user productivity and accelerating VDI’s return on investment. NexentaVSA for View takes the complexity and guesswork out of implementing this powerful technology."

The solution launched at Nexenta’s OpenStorage Summit EMEA, in Amsterdam. Running from 22-24 May at the Mercure Hotel, Amsterdam, the event is aimed at IT directors, storage administrators, storage architects and storage and virtualisation resellers looking for low-cost, performance solutions to solve the complex storage issues in the virtualisation, VDI and cloud environments.