MS server gets virtualisation boost

Microsoft is updating the server version of its Windows operating system to give the OS more virtualisation capabilities, writes PC World.

The company has posted a release candidate, a post-beta-but-not-yet-production-ready version of Service Pack 1 for Windows Server 2008 R2. The service pack can also be applied to Windows 7 as well. This service pack is a compilation of previously released updates, as well as, in the case of Windows Server, a number of new features.

The new Windows Server Service Pack will feature a number of new technologies to help organisations virtualise both their servers and desktop OSes.

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) 2.0 clarifies the one-function-per-server rules to allow PCI compliant systems to run on virtual machines, writes eWeek.

New data security guidelines for processing credit card payments clarifies the virtualisation questions that have stymied organisations trying to move ahead with their cloud strategy, says HyTrust.

The first major change to the PCI DSS since July 2009, the new rules are more explicit about protecting cardholder data on virtual machines, says Hemma Prafullchandra, chief technology officer of HyTrust and a member of the PCI Virtualisation Special Interest Group.

Chip manufacturer Intel has outlined its vision for the future of cloud computing and managed hosting, states One Stop Click

The firm's Cloud 2015 report has singled out a number of key elements that will drive forward next generation server virtualisation adoption.

Intel claims that fully featured cloud computing solutions that offer small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) an 'automated', 'client-aware' approach will pave the way for widespread uptake of managed hosting on a grand scale.