Virsto develops MS Hyper-V add-on

A storage virtualisation start-up called Virsto Software has developed a Microsoft Hyper-V add-on that speeds up access to data in virtualised data centres, states DABCC.

Virsto was founded in 2007 by former executives of Sun and Veritas Software who wanted to eliminate the bottlenecks caused when virtual servers try to access storage systems. Virsto's first product, Virsto One, focuses on Microsoft's Hyper-V rather than VMware because VMware already has some functionality improving storage performance, says Virsto CEO Mark Davis.

"Microsoft needs more help" because its virtualisation technology is newer than VMware's, Davis says.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) plans to invest in virtualisation technology, writes

Global Gold.

A large-scale overhaul of the government department's IT and telephony infrastructure is planned, and the first part of this will see the running costs of 140 000 PCs "significantly reduced" across 1 000 locations nationwide.

Joe Harley, IT director-general and CIO at the DWP, said the department was looking to replace its existing IT by 2015 and would be using virtualisation technology to modernise its systems.

Cyberoam has integrated its SSL VPN solution on a virtual platform, says Secure Computing Mag.

The company claimed its SSL VPN solutions allow clientless browser-based access to geographically-distributed networks through common Web browsers, with an 'in-office' experience for internal applications including Microsoft Outlook, intranets, Web applications and FTP.

Also, local desktops and laptops can securely traverse existing UTM firewalls in the network to access remote data services, without any risk of exposing the confidential information to hackers.