Leostream Connection Broker 6.3 Makes Enterprise Desktop Virtualization Easier to Deploy Through Greater Flexibility and Simplified Management

WALTHAM, Mass., Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Leostream Corporation, a leading developer of virtual hosted desktop software, today announced that its industry-leading, vendor-neutral connection broker now provides greater flexibility, simpler deployment and more efficient management of hosted virtual desktop infrastructures (HVDI). The most effective connection management technology of its kind, the Connection Broker enables companies to deploy enterprise-class virtual desktop environments while minimizing complexity.

The Leostream Connection Broker is the software management layer that ties desktop images in the data center to the appropriate end user devices -- thin clients, laptops, workstations, or Web pages -- delivering an end-user experience as good as or superior to that of a conventional desktop. The Connection Broker is vendor-independent, providing HVD support for VMware, Citrix, Microsoft, and Xen.org hypervisors, as well as for hosted applications and sessions, physical desktops, dedicated blades and other systems.

For IT managers, the Connection Broker deploys quickly, provides a rich set of policies for the exact implementation of business rules for users and machines, and consolidates resources into a "single-pane-of-glass" view. The Connection Broker 6.3 is a major point release with features that continue to streamline the deployment, scaling and ongoing management of HVDs. It integrates easily with existing management infrastructure and adds only the HVD-specific policies necessary to complement established corporate policies. No changes to certified systems such as authentication services and SSL VPNs are required.  

For IT decision makers, the Connection Broker provides key strategic flexibility to mix and match various solutions within their HVDI without fear of vendor lock-in. This flexibility is becoming increasingly vital as HVDI technologies develop and mature, and as new vendors continue to enter the rapidly expanding market.

"By 2015, new deployment techniques and alternative delivery models will radically change the way organizations perform major upgrades to their environments," writes Michael Silver, vice president distinguished analyst, and Stephen Kleynhans, research vice president, of Gartner, Inc.(1) "Organizations will be more likely to slipstream new technology into their environments and leverage virtualization techniques to run multiple environments (including OSs) concurrently."

New features in the Leostream Connection Broker version 6.3 include:

• Web Client: A separate Leostream Web client allows users to access their desktops and applications via the Web, and simultaneous access to the Connection Broker Administrator Web interface, as dictated by user's role and permissions.
• Roles and Permissions
  • End user functionality: Roles and policies now work together to provide fine granular control over end user actions including restarting and releasing desktops or managing another users' sessions.
  • Administrative functionality: Expanded permissions levels can match the "separation of tasks" to user roles by providing or limiting administrator access to individual pieces of the Connection Broker Administrator Web interface.
• Increased Platform Flexibility: Support for the Xen.org centers adds to Leostream's existing range of support for the leading virtualization platforms. A Leostream Java Agent installs on the Xen hypervisor to provide inventory and power control for Xen virtual machines. This integration provides enterprises with a wider range of platform choice and enables efficient and effective management of HVDs built on the Xen open source hypervisor platform.  
• Enhanced Remote Access Support for Sun Environments: Tight integration with Sun Secure Global Desktop Software builds upon the Leostream Connection Broker's existing support for best-in-class gateways and SSL VPNs, and the Connection Broker's long-standing support for the SunRay/SRSS/Sun ALP environment. With SSGD integration, the Connection Broker now provides secure Web access to Sun environments from any client device.
• Expanded Support for Hardware PCoIP: Enables quad-monitor layouts for hardware PCoIP, as well as seamless single sign-on for PCoIP clients. Includes automatic binding for PCoIP cards in Amulet Hotkey devices and "follow-me" mode for all PCoIP clients.
• Optimized End-user Experience:
  • Protocol plans make the hosted virtual desktop infrastructure "protocol-aware." System administrators can maintain granular control of remote viewing sessions in multiple protocol environments by specifying exactly which protocols to try and in which order. The protocol plans also allow an available protocol to be skipped. If, for example, all the virtual machines in a VDI have RGS senders installed and there is a group of task workers (i.e. non-power users) connecting, protocol plans can be set up to ensure these users never connect using RGS. For another group, consisting of power users, a second protocol plan could be configured to use RGS.
  • Registry plans allow for the setting of registry keys on remote desktops based on the client device the user logs in from, providing location-based tuning of the end user's experience.
  • Dynamic CD and DVD drive redirection ensures that CD and DVD drives are redirected correctly regardless of the drive letter or client in RDP. Dynamic tags allow IT to specify which, if any, drives to redirect to a user's remote desktop, further locking down the user's environment.
• Ericom Blaze RDP Acceleration and Compression: Support for Ericom Blaze adds another high-performance protocol to Leostream's extensive portfolio of supported clients and protocols. Leostream users can now choose the Blaze technology as one option to overcome RDP performance issues and accelerate the delivery of end user computing resources.

"Our goal is to make VDI work for enterprises so they can realize the full benefits of desktop virtualization," said Michael Palin, CEO of Leostream. "As virtualization technology has matured, enterprises and solution providers have come to recognize that a vendor-neutral approach which incorporates best-of-breed technologies is essential for large-scale deployments. This validates the approach Leostream has always taken and continues to pursue with Connection Broker 6.3."

About Leostream

Leostream (http://www.leostream.com) provides the critical connection-broker technology required for enterprises to achieve successful large-scale desktop virtualization implementations. The Leostream Connection Broker is the industry's most widely deployed vendor-independent connection broker, enabling enterprises to integrate the complex array of clients, back-end systems and protocols required for successful virtualized desktop deployments. Hundreds of large enterprises in financial services, healthcare, government and other sectors rely on the Leostream Connection Broker to "make desktop virtualization work" and deliver the best end-user experience. Leostream is based in Waltham, Mass.

(1) Gartner. "Predicts 2010: PC End-User Issues." ID Number: G00172206. 4 December 2009.

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SOURCE Leostream Corporation