Focuses on Powering Existing Systems Management, Security and Help Desk Products with Client Virtualization

Neocleus, a leader in client virtualization, today unveiled the next phase of its corporate strategy focused on enabling existing PCLM, Security and Help Desk solutions to transform PCs into highly manageable, multi-purpose desktop environments, and dramatically improve security and lower total cost of ownership (TCO).

Neocleus’ first phase focused on delivering a bare metal, client-focused type 1 hypervisor and piloting solutions to test this technology. The hypervisor provides a solid technical foundation for evolving client PC architecture, but alone is not enough; only with the ability to manage a client PC hypervisor through enterprise-class tools will the true transformation of the PC be realized.

With its next stage, Neocleus is providing enterprises a way to utilize current systems management infrastructure, protecting process and tools investments. The company is delivering NeoSphere, an extensible client virtualization platform that ties existing PC management systems with advanced virtualization technology. Using NeoSphere, independent software developers can rapidly create a new breed of virtualized client solutions that make it easy for enterprises to control, protect and repair the desktop. The platform enables a new client computing model where, for instance, an anti-virus agent can run in a protected area outside of Windows, where it is impervious to malware attacks, or a help desk agent can troubleshoot Windows even if Windows is inoperable.

“Endpoint management has been evolving from a complex set of steps to manage a desktop, to a complex set of steps to address the desktop along with client virtualization technologies,” said Fred Broussard, Research Director of PC, Device and IT Service Management at IDC. “Products that can allow the development of simplifying solutions, such as Neocleus’ client virtualization platform, can help evolve solutions toward making the management challenge easier.”

NeoSphere provides abstracted management and hardware resource services, exposed through virtualization programming interfaces (VPIs). NeoSphere allows different applications, agents and operating system instances to run in their own protected space, or “virtual machine.” The software agents and applications sit outside the confines and complexities of today’s PC architecture. The core of the NeoSphere platform is its Virtual Runtime Environment (VRE), which sits at the hardware level and transforms the computer resources into a highly flexible execution environment. NeoSphere comes with the Neocleus type 1 client hypervisor (based on XEN); however, it is built so that tomorrow’s client hypervisors will work with it as well. It also includes a Virtualization Developer’s Kit, enabling virtualized client applications that abstract the complexities of the hypervisor and the hardware dependencies, reducing PC control to simple VPIs so that less code is needed.

“In speaking with enterprise customers over the past two years, it’s evident that they are very excited about the coming wave of client virtualization-based solutions – with the promise of reducing their desktop management costs while making it much more secure. However, one overwhelming theme that we’ve heard is ‘don’t make me rip and replace my existing tools.’ We’ve heard this message loud and clear and have created NeoSphere, a platform that makes it easy for PCLM, Security and Help Desk software vendors to easily snap our virtualization solutions into their tools,” said Les Yetton, CEO, Neocleus.

About Neocleus

Neocleus transforms client computing by changing PCs into highly manageable, multi-purpose computing environments. With Neocleus NeoSphere, an extensible client virtualization platform, abstracted management and resource services are exposed through intuitive virtualization programming interfaces, enabling the creation of parallel execution environments where Windows and a new paradigm of external applications can coexist. Developers can rapidly build next-generation virtualized client applications that move PC lifecycle management and security outside of Windows. IT organizations can use NeoSphere-based applications to efficiently control, protect and repair the desktop, run multiple operating system instances on a single PC, and dramatically reduce desktop total cost of ownership. Visit www.neocleus.com for more information and to enroll in the Neocleus Client Virtualization Developer’s Program.