Akamai Technologies has launched the industry’s first managed Internet service for optimizing delivery of virtualized applications and desktops.
The new targeted offering leverages core technology from the Akamai IP Application Accelerator solution to help enterprises deliver applications over virtual desktop infrastructure products offered by companies such as Citrix, Microsoft, and VMware.
In a release the company said that the new solution features customized integrations through professional services specific to virtual desktops. The solution is focused on making it easier and more cost effective for enterprises to realize the intended return on investment of their virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI).
Akamai noted Gartner’s February 2009 report “Emerging Technology Analysis: Hosted Virtual Desktops, February 2009.” This report indicates that virtual desktop connected devices will grow to approximately 66 million by the end of 2014, and enterprises are increasingly adopting virtualization as a key component of their cost-containment efforts.
But companies still face major challenges while assuring the performance and scale of their VDI. Akamai said the deployment of virtualized applications and desktops over their globally-distributed network of over 50,000 servers can ensure high performance regardless of a user’s location.
Akamai solutions also help eliminate the need to build out or upgrade private networks limited by preset reach and scale.
In the release, Willie M. Tejada, vice president, application and site acceleration, Akamai, said that they have seen good traction beyond browser-based applications since launching IP Application Accelerator. He added that this customized offering will allow the company to focus even more on virtualization, addressing the needs of their enterprise clients through a user-based pricing model.
The Akamai IP Application Accelerator solution targeted for VDI allows companies to optimize application user performance–anywhere, anytime. The company noted Sumit Dhawan, vice president of product marketing at Citrix Systems who expressed their company’s excitement to collaborate with Akamai to meet the needs of today’s global enterprise.
“Akamai's IP Application Accelerator for VDI is a perfect complement to Citrix desktop virtualization solution and HDX technology. Together with Akamai, Citrix virtual desktop and application customers can provide the best possible user experience using the public Internet instead of building their own proprietary networks,” Dhawan said.
Entisys Solutions is a value-added reseller of the new Akamai solution as part of broader Citrix reference architecture for virtualization. Both Entisys and Akamai have worked to test the impact of the Akamai solution on Citrix Virtual Application and Desktop Infrastructures. The results of these tests have been significant, said officials.
“We see the combination of Akamai and Citrix Delivery Center Infrastructures as a way to extend enterprise virtual desktop and application deployments to a global user base, insuring a consistent, strong performing user experience,” said Mike Strohl, CEO of Entisys Solutions, Inc. and Agile360, a Citrix Platinum Partner and Partner of the Year for North America in 2007, as well as the State and Local Partner of the Year in 2008.
