Launch of Horizon Application Manager 1.5 and VMware Project Octopus Beta provides an easy and secure way for employees to access applications, share data and collaborate from any device

VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), the global leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure, today unveiled VMware View 5.1 and an updated portfolio of end-user computing solutions designed to empower a more agile, productive and connected enterprise.

"Customers are looking for solutions that break down current technology barriers and shift the focus to delivering services that can be accessed anywhere, on any device," said Boaz Chalamish, senior vice president and general manager, End-User Computing, VMware. "VMware View 5.1 and our growing portfolio of personal cloud solutions will address the needs to simplify technology, manage more efficiently and better connect employees."

The VMware end-user computing portfolio seeks to free employees and IT organizations from more than two decades of complex, device-centric computing, and delivers a more user-centric experience for the connected enterprise. In this new model, organizations leverage hybrid cloud resources - while maintaining a managed, secure environment - to provide new ways for employees to collaborate across applications and data from any device, where and when a user needs it.

"As the reign of the personal computer as the sole corporate access device comes to a close, a new era is emerging," said Stephen Kleynhans, research vice president, Gartner. "The personal cloud era provides users with a new level of flexibility with the devices they use for daily activities, while, at the same time, leveraging the strengths of each device. This flexibility will ultimately enable new levels of user satisfaction and productivity. However, it will require enterprises to fundamentally rethink how they deliver applications and services to users."

Your Personal Cloud: Enabling a New Way to Work

All built upon the foundation of VMware vSphere, VMware is bringing to market a comprehensive portfolio of technologies that will help IT organizations empower a more agile, productive and connected enterprise:

 VMware View 5.1: Simplifying the Delivery of a Better Desktop - VMware View 5.1 will continue to enable the industry's best end-user experience while simplifying IT management for large-scale deployments and reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO) associated with a virtual desktop infrastructure by up to 50 percent.

o Reduced TCO - New storage capabilities in VMware View 5.1 enabled by VMware View Storage Accelerator will reduce shared storage costs by optimizing shared storage loads. A Tech Preview of VMware View Composer Array Integration (VCAI) will leverage the native cloning abilities in the storage array to offload storage operations to improve provisioning speeds. In addition, VMware View Persona Management will extend to physical desktops, preserving user settings across all Windows devices and streamlining the migration from physical to stateless virtual desktops.

o Simplified Management and Increased IT Control - Enhancements to VMware View 5.1 will enable IT organizations to streamline key IT processes such as provisioning, configuration management, connection brokering, policy enforcement, performance monitoring, and application assignment from a single management console. VMware View also enables IT organizations to increase security and compliance by moving data into the datacenter, centrally enforcing endpoint security and policy configuration and streamlining antivirus processes.

o Industry's Best Virtual Desktop Experience - VMware View 5.1 features a new USB stack that will improve device support, while integration of RADIUS two-factor authentication will provide users and organizations greater security choices. VMware View with PCoIP® adapts to the end user's network connection to provide a high-quality, customized desktop experience over the LAN and WAN. Users can connect to their VMware View desktop from a variety of mobile and fixed endpoints with updated clients for Mac, Windows and Linux desktops, thin or zero clients, and Apple iPad, Android and Amazon Kindle Fire tablets.

Additional information can be found in the VMware View 5.1 media backgrounder.

 VMware vCenter Operations for VMware View: Cloud Infrastructure Insight - To be offered as a new add-on to VMware View, VMware vCenter Operations for VMware View will enable administrators to have broad insight into desktop performance, quickly pinpoint and troubleshoot issues, optimize resource utilization, and proactively address potential issues in real time.

 VMware Horizon Application Manager: Your Personal Cloud Broker - To be offered as an on-premise virtual appliance, VMware Horizon Application Manager 1.5 is a centralized policy and entitlement engine that will broker user access to applications, virtual desktops and data resources. Integrating the application virtualization capabilities of VMware ThinApp®, the VMware Horizon Application Catalog will benefit both IT and end users by consolidating diverse application types into a single, unified catalog. In addition, the VMware Horizon Workspace delivers a simple, seamless end-user experience when accessing work resources across private and public clouds on whatever device a user chooses. Additional information can be found in the VMware Horizon Application Manager media backgrounder.

 VMware Project Octopus: Your Personal Data Cloud - Available later this quarter as a beta for qualified customer trials, VMware Project Octopus will enable IT organizations to provide employees with an easy and secure way to share data and collaborate with anyone from any device. Deployed on-premise or accessed via a VMware service provider, VMware Project Octopus will provide the ability for IT administrators to govern usage and set policies for data access and sharing within their organization or with external contributors. Additional information can be found in the VMware Project Octopus media backgrounder.

 VMware Personal Cloud Applications: Share More, Send Less - Composed of VMware Zimbra and VMware Socialcast, VMware cloud applications connect employees to the knowledge, ideas, and resources they need to work smarter. As part of today's announcement, VMware Zimbra 7.2 will support Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) for government deployments requiring encryption. Additional information can be found on the VMware Zimbra 7.2 data sheet.

Empowered IT, Delighted End Users

With approximately 2,100 employees, Foley & Lardner LLP is a global law firm that provides business and legal insight to clients. Looking to support its highly mobile workforce of lawyers and support staff, the company implemented VMware View as part of its Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program. VMware View enables the employees of Foley and Lardner to access their virtual desktops and critical applications from their mobile device of choice, including iPads and laptops.

"VMware View is a key component of our Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program with more than 1,200 virtual desktops in production today and we expect to have 2,000 deployed by the end of the year," said Linda D. Sanders, chief information officer, Foley and Lardner LLP. "Today, our lawyers and staff can access their virtual desktops at the office on thin clients, in the courtroom on their iPads or anywhere on their personal PCs. As we look beyond desktops, we see an opportunity to offer our employees a secure way to access their applications, share data and collaborate from any device based on the VMware end-user computing portfolio."

Charting the End-User Journey: Professional Services

Helping customers chart their journey to a new model requires a plan. VMware Professional Services offers on-site, end-to-end consulting services to help customers who are interested in beginning the journey to a user-centric application and data delivery model as well as those who are well on the path. Visit VMware Professional Services for more information.