Parallels, worldwide leader in Cloud services automation and virtualization software, today announced that it is extending its server virtualization offerings for Apple environments with the introduction of the world’s first bare metal hypervisor solution for the Apple Xserve:Parallels Server for Mac Bare Metal Edition.
The new edition offers greater performance for applications running in virtual machines on the Xserve, enabling businesses to standardize on the Apple platform, and opening a new opportunity for cloud services providers to offer profitable Mac OS X services. The addition ofParallels Virtual Automationprovides comprehensive management tools for monitoring and maintaining the virtual environment.
“The 33% year-on-year increase in sales of Macintosh computers reported by Apple this quarter indicates a growing interest in Apple hardware. Virtualization solutions can help make this a practical reality for users, giving them the ability to run the Windows and Linux applications they need on the Apple system they want,” said Serguei Beloussov, CEO of Parallels. “Parallels Server for Mac Bare Metal Edition provides a high performance solution that enables IT professionals and developers to capitalize on the power of Mac OS X Server while having the flexibility to run Windows and Linux workloads both on-premise and through the Cloud.”
“The Xserve offers unbeatable performance, and Mac OS X Server is the world’s easiest to use server operating system,” said Ron Okamoto, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “With the Mac more popular than ever, and Parallels’ new virtualization tools, there has never been a better or easier time for entire organizations to switch to Mac.”
Parallels Server for Mac Bare Metal Edition builds on Parallels’ market leading virtualization portfolio for Apple environments, most notably the existing server virtualization solution,Parallels Server for Mac.Launched in June 2008, Parallels Server for Mac brought virtualization to the Apple Xserve for the first time, enabling organizations to standardize on the Mac platform and integrate into existing IT infrastructures. The new edition builds on this with a new architecture that represents the first ever “bare metal” hypervisor for Intel-powered Apple systems, offering users greater performance and the ability to migrate systems without needing to go completely offline (“hot migration”).
Hypervisor server virtualization enables users to create multiple simultaneously executing, isolated virtual machines on the same physical server, each of which runs its own operating system. With Parallels Server for Mac Bare Metal Edition users can run Windows, Linux and Mac OSX operating systems side-by-side. For end-user organizations, this provides the ability to standardize their IT environment on the Apple platform, consolidating their server resources, consolidating and supporting legacy OSes and applications and streamlining server and application operations. This reduces the maintenance and management burden, which is further simplified with the management capabilities of Parallels Virtual Automation.
Micah Baker, District Technology Coordinator at Oregon City School District deploys Parallels desktop and server virtualization solutions to provide a mixed Windows and Apple environment across the schools in his district. He is excited to see the introduction virtualization solution designed for large scale projects: “With the integration of Parallels Virtual Automation Server and its true enterprise capabilities Parallels Server Bare Metal Edition is taking Apple virtualization to a whole new level.”
Parallels Server for Mac Bare Metal Edition is not only suitable for on-premise deployments; it also represents an opportunity for cloud services providers to diversify their offerings into new growth areas, capitalizing on Apple’s increasing popularity. The new solution integrates seamlessly with Parallels other technologies, creating an easy addition to existing Parallels environments. For Parallels’ service provider partners, this means they can quickly and easily offer profitable Mac OS X services, including Virtual Private Servers and application hosting as a cloud service.
Hosting company Go Daddy has announced plans to offer Mac OS X services based on virtual private servers built on Parallels Server for Mac Bare Metal Edition. “Go Daddy is always looking for ways to enhance our customer experience, and provide simple solutions,” said Go Daddy Chief Operating Officer and President Warren Adelman. “We do this by offering the products our customers want and need. Together with the innovative minds at Parallels and the usability experts at Apple, we have opened the door to a line of Mac OS X hosting products.”
Further information on the features and capabilities of Parallels Server for Mac Bare Metal Edition is available atwww.parallels.com/products/server/mac