Iomega introduces revolutionary v.Clone technology: lets you take your PC virtually anywhere

Iomega, an EMC company and a global leader in data protection, has announced the launch of Iomega v.Clone software, an application that empowers individuals to create and carry on an Iomega hard drive an image of their primary PC, which can be run on virtually any PC in the world.

Iomega's groundbreaking v.Clone technology, as demonstrated at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, will be available later this month as download for purchasers of Iomega portable and desktop hard disk drives. In addition to being available by download, v.Clone software is expected to begin shipping with Iomega USB 2.0 portable hard disk drives beginning the first quarter of 2010.

“Iomega's v.Clone technology represents the first time virtualisation has been made easy-to-use and extremely convenient for consumers and small offices,” said Michelle Kasselman, Key Account manager for Iomega in South Africa.

“With v.Clone software, you can carry your PC in your pocket and access your files, e-mail and applications on almost any computer anywhere, including netbooks. Taking the files on your PC or laptop with you wherever you go is simple with v.Clone technology and an Iomega portable hard drive. v.Clone is the perfect application for individuals with multiple computers, as it allows you to use a virtual clone of your primary computer with your other computers, ensuring access to your digital content wherever you go.”

Developed in conjunction with EMC and incorporating VMware virtualisation technology, v.Clone makes a virtual clone of a primary computer's operating system, applications and personal settings and stores that content on an Iomega external hard drive (USB interface only). Attach the Iomega external drive with v.Clone software to virtually any PC and the user now has access to everything that was on the primary computer. Data is not left behind on the secondary computer when the user is finished (only the application itself), and v.Clone also syncs the data back when the user returns to their primary computer.

What makes Iomega v.Clone software novel is its ability to keep the virtual image updated with changes made to the user's primary PC, and to synchronise changes back to the primary PC when the Iomega USB hard drive containing the v.Clone image is reconnected. These capabilities give users the freedom to move between the physical computing environment on their primary PC, and a virtual computing environment virtually anywhere they connect their Iomega external hard drive with Iomega v.Clone software.

“Whether you're using your friend's computer or a family member's netbook, at the office or even flying 35 000 feet over the ocean,” says Kasselman, “v.Clone technology gives you computing advantages you've always wanted when you're separated from all your data on your primary computer. Now you can have it with you with your Iomega hard drive.”

According to Kasselman, netbooks - popular as they may be - lack onboard storage and are considered by most as not powerful enough to run more than simple Web-surfing tasks.

“This is not true. The dirty little secret is that netbooks are capable of running a virtual image of a fully-featured PC using Iomega v.Clone technology,” she says. “Connecting an Iomega USB hard drive with a v.Clone image to a netbook turns it into an ultra-portable version of the user's primary PC, complete with all of the applications, data and files that are typically used on the main computer. This capability provides an astounding level of flexibility for individuals who prefer the convenience of travelling with a netbook. Now they can do so without sacrificing the capabilities of their more powerful PC.”

Security is always important. To protect a user's information and critical data stored in an Iomega v.Clone image, two levels of security are employed. The first level of security is password protection built into the v.Clone application. Individuals who cannot enter the proper password are prevented from gaining access to the virtual environment of the primary PC. For security, v.Clone can be used in conjunction with an Iomega eGo Encrypt or Encrypt Plus Portable Hard Drive, which safely encrypt data stored on them. Security measures aside, because the user's environment is virtualised and stored on their Iomega external hard drive, personal data is not left behind on a computer used to run the v.Clone image.

In case of emergency, in addition to its primary functionality as a supremely portable backup of a primary computer, an Iomega v.Clone image also provides a “never down” benefit. Should the user's primary PC fail, the Iomega USB hard disk drive containing the v.Clone image can be used immediately on virtually any available PC. And because the v.Clone image is kept updated automatically, the user will have access to their latest documents, e-mail, settings, etc, and can even migrate documents and settings from their v.Clone image to a new computer.

“With v.Clone technology, you can run your virtual PC on another PC until you remedy the new OS or upgrade issues with your primary PC,” concludes Kasselman.