Virtual Iron and rPath Team to Deliver Ready-to-Run Virtual Appliances
rPath to Host Virtual Iron Appliances on rBuilder Online
Lowell, MA, January 24, 2007 – Virtual Iron Software (www.virtualiron.com), a provider of server virtualization and virtual infrastructure management software solutions, and rPath (www.rPath.com), the provider of the first platform for creating and maintaining software appliances, today announced that the two companies have entered into a technology partnership to facilitate application providers to convert their applications into ready-to-run virtual appliances. Application providers can now use rBuilder Online to assemble community versions of virtual appliances that run on the Virtual Iron platform.
In a separate announcement, Virtual Iron also announced the launch of its own Virtual Appliance Exchange where users can download certified Windows and Linux-based virtual appliances.
rPath enables Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to combine their software applications with Linux and related open source components to create virtual appliances. ISVs can now create virtual appliances that are optimized for the Virtual Iron platform with zero incremental engineering costs. Virtual Iron leverages the Microsoft Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) format to provide the ability to create virtual servers from a single file. The end-customer solution is ideally suited to the needs of IT departments who want to simplify the error-prone and time-consuming process of installing and deploying complex enterprise applications. Sample appliances for Virtual Iron are available now for download at www.rpath.com/virtualiron.
“rPath provides the first and only platform for creating and maintaining virtual appliances in all of the industry leading virtualization formats”, said Keith Boswell, vice president of marketing of rPath. “We are pleased to work with Virtual Iron to deliver the many benefits of an advanced virtualized environment, including improved server utilization, business continuity and automated capacity management.”
“Virtual appliances represent a breakthrough approach that has quickly captured the attention of both ISVs and their corporate IT department customers,” said Mike Grandinetti, chief marketing officer for Virtual Iron. “The clear ROI will rapidly change the way in which software is distributed and deployed. We are excited to work with rPath in delivering a powerful solution that extends the power of Virtual Iron to run pre-configured virtual appliances directly on top of our virtualization stack.”
About Virtual Iron Software, Inc.
Virtual Iron provides enterprise-class software solutions for creating and managing virtual infrastructure at a fraction of the cost of comparable alternatives. Its software enables companies to dramatically reduce the complexity and cost of managing and operating their enterprise data center. Virtual Iron delivers advanced virtualization capabilities that exploit industry standards, open source economics and built-in hardware-assisted acceleration. Organizations use Virtual Iron’s software for server consolidation, rapid provisioning, business continuity, capacity management and policy-based automation to deliver significant improvements in utilization, manageability and agility. Virtual Iron is privately held and based in Lowell, Massachusetts. For more information, visit http://www.virtualiron.com or email info@virtualiron.com.
About rPath, Inc.
rBuilder and rPath Appliance Platform transform applications into software appliances. Software appliances simplify server applications by eliminating the hassles of installation, configuration, and maintenance. Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) can expand their markets and simultaneously reduce development and support costs by adopting the software appliance approach. rPath is also the first and only company to automate support for all the major virtualization formats. The company is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information, visit http://www.rpath.com.
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