Riverbed optimises WAN performance for Microsoft RemoteFX

Riverbed Technology (NASDAQ: RVBD), the IT performance company, today announced that Riverbed Steelhead appliances have been optimised for Microsoft RemoteFX - a new set of graphic capabilities delivered in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1. Support for RemoteFX delivers the full benefits of an enhanced virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) user experience over a wide area network (WAN). For customers with distributed infrastructures and mobile workers, Riverbed offers a solution for VDI environments that enables organisations to overcome WAN performance issues when they deploy VDI solutions over the WAN. The result is improved employee productivity.

Microsoft RemoteFX introduces a new set of end-user experience enhancements to the Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). These enhancements enable a rich, local-like desktop environment over the network. With RemoteFX, users can work remotely in a Windows Aero desktop environment, watch full-motion video, enjoy Silverlight animations, run 3D applications, and use USB peripherals, just as they do on a local desktop.

RemoteFX virtualises the GPU (graphics processing unit) and utilises advanced codecs to enable an enhanced user experience for VDI; RemoteFX has been optimised for low-latency LAN environments. For customers that want to deliver a rich user experience over a WAN with limited bandwidth or high traffic, Riverbed Steelhead appliances optimise RDP traffic over the WAN; this helps ensure optimal performance for RemoteFX so that end-users can realise the full benefits of enhanced desktop virtualisation.

“As today's enterprises demand a seamless, full-fidelity virtual desktop environment, Microsoft customers can use RemoteFX to deliver rich graphical experiences that match the experience on a local desktop,” said Manlio Vecchiet, Director of Product Management for Windows Server, Microsoft. “Riverbed optimises network traffic over a WAN so that Microsoft customers can extend the benefits of a virtual desktop infrastructure enhanced by RemoteFX to use cases beyond the traditional LAN environment.”

Riverbed Steelhead appliances are positioned to enhance network traffic over the WAN by using a combination of scalable data referencing (SDR), compression and TCP streamlining to allow the RDP protocol to fully utilise the available WAN bandwidth and significantly increase the amount of frames per second of a RemoteFX session. This results in a smoother, higher fidelity user experience.

“The promise of desktop virtualisation is to provide users with seamless, anytime access to their applications and data while simplifying compliance and management through a centralised infrastructure. As data and applications move away from users, network bandwidth and latency significantly impact virtual desktop performance. Riverbed WAN optimisation solutions improve desktop virtualisation performance, helping organisations realise the business benefits of deploying virtual desktops over a distributed infrastructure,” said Venugopal Pai, vice-president, global alliances at Riverbed.

More than 13 000 organisations worldwide, across a wide range of markets, depend on Riverbed to understand, optimise and consolidate their IT infrastructure. Riverbed delivers appliance-based and virtualised solutions that overcome performance issues caused by distance, distributed computing, and ever increasing amounts of data. Virtualisation, consolidation and cloud computing promise huge cost savings and improved efficiencies, but as users move farther from their data, slow applications and file transfers can stall these strategic initiatives. Riverbed delivers to the remote office and mobile workers the same “LAN-like” performance, no matter where the private data centre or public cloud may be. Riverbed continues building on its success in the WAN optimisation and network application performance visibility markets with new and innovative solutions for accelerating cloud storage and access to applications and data deployed in the public cloud.

For additional information on Riverbed solutions, visit www.riverbed.com.

Forward-looking statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements relating to the expected demand for Riverbed's products and services, and statements relating to Riverbed's ability to meet the needs of distributed organisations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they do not fully materialise or prove incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties that could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include our ability to react to trends and challenges in our business and the markets in which we operate; our ability to anticipate market needs or develop new or enhanced products to meet those needs; the adoption rate of our products; our ability to establish and maintain successful relationships with our distribution partners; our ability to compete in our industry; fluctuations in demand, sales cycles and prices for our products and services; shortages or price fluctuations in our supply chain; our ability to protect our intellectual property rights; general political, economic and market conditions and events; and other risks and uncertainties described more fully in our documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. More information about these and other risks that may impact Riverbed's business are set forth in our Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 8, 2011. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Any future product, feature or related specification that may be referenced in this release are for information purposes only and are not commitments to deliver any technology or enhancement. Riverbed reserves the right to modify future product plans at any time.