VMworld: VMware simplifies virtualisation and management for SMBs

COPENHAGEN: VMware has added new tools for SMB users, designed to entice these customers into virtualisation by making it as easy as possible to get started and manage virtual machines.

At VMware's VMworld conference in Copenhagen, the firm announced VMware vCenter Protect Essentials Plus, while adding new capabilities to its VMware Go Pro cloud service announced in January.

VMware Go Pro makes it easy for small businesses to manage and monitor their IT infrastructure by providing a single console for both physical and virtual machines.

Now, VMware has added an IT Advisor that can examine the infrastructure and see what can be virtualised, while Go Pro can deploy VMware's hypervisor if customers decide to follow its recommendations, according to VMware technical marketing engineer Bruce Ward.

"VMware Go Pro scans the network, sees what can be converted and can install our hypervisor. It reaches out to the machine, asks for the password, and in a short while you have ESX where once was Windows Server," he said.

VMware also announced vCenter Protect Essentials Plus, which it claims brings enterprise-class IT management to SMBs.

The suite includes asset discovery, configuration, power management, antivirus and endpoint security. It also has scripting capabilities that allow customers to manage and execute scripts across machine groups or the entire network, plus a Power Status scan to discover the power status of machines across the network and generate a report.

VMware vCenter Protect Essentials Plus is set to be available by the end of the year for an annual subscription of $57 (£36) per server per year and $36 (£22) per workstation per year.

Meanwhile, VMware Go Pro will be available from VMware's site later this year, with pricing from $12 (£7.60) per managed system per year.