Recently 2X released new version of its excellent 2X ApplicationServer and 2X VirtualDesktopServer products. Version 8 incorporates a number of new and interesting features such as: Managing Client Settings: Administrators will now have the ability to control user settings directly from the management console. Zero-Management Thin Clients: Includes all components necessary to convert any device to a thin client. Management of 2X SecureClientGateways: Allows administrators to remotely install and manage multiple 2X SecureClientGateways. Windows CE Clients: Ensures that Windows CE clients will have the same functionality as standard XP and Vista clients. Scanner (TWAIN) Redirection: TWAIN redirection, similar to the 2X Universal Printing feature, allows all devices using TWAIN technology to use hardware connected to client devices, including scanners and digital cameras. 2X published a screencast for those who might be interested in evaluation and deployment of the new version. The screencast can be accessed via this URL: http://www.screencast.com/users/Software2X/folders/Default/media/057007a7-6dc6-45db-9a5f-077c8692b46e
REDMOND, Wash. — March 11, 2010 — According to a recent survey from Microsoft, remote-working programs can benefit employees and employers alike through increased productivity, reduced overhead and happier workers. Sixty percent of respondents to the Microsoft Telework survey — conducted among 3,600 employees in 36 cities nationwide — say they are actually more productive and efficient when working remotely. With less time spent commuting and fewer cubicle "drive bys" causing distractions, respondents say, more time can be spent on the task in front of them. The catch? By and large, employers aren't catching on. Only 41 percent of those surveyed work for companies with established remote-working policies, and just 15 percent believe their company supports flexible work arrangements. Despite a wealth of new technologies that can facilitate collaboration among workers no matter where they are, employers are still concerned about whether they're getting the most from employees. But the reality today, according to many experts, is that an employee in a coffee shop in Sri Lanka could be nearly as visible and even more productive than the one sitting in an office. And indeed, there is growing evidence that remote work forces provide real business benefits. Christine Durst, founder and CEO of Staffcentrix and author of two books on the subject of telework, says the benefits start with basic cost savings from travel, real estate and utilities. But they also include less quantifiable areas such as recruiting and retention — and, yes, productivity. "Telework allows you to expand your talent pool beyond the 20-mile radius that most companies hire in, to literally anywhere in the world," Durst says. "That alone can lead to a productivity benefit, since you now have people working in different time zones and can cover more hours in a day. Add in the fact that more people want to work this way, and you have a powerful recruiting tool." Durst's company, Staffcentrix, special
SolarWinds, Inc. (NYSE: SWI), a leading provider of powerful and affordable IT management software to more than 88,000 customers worldwide, today announced that it has acquired certain of the assets of Tek-Tools, Inc., a privately-held company with offices in Dallas, TX and Chennai, India, with a combination of cash and stock for up to $42 million. Tek-Tools' Profiler suite of products gives users visibility into the performance of storage and virtualized server infrastructures. The addition of Tek-Tools' offerings to the SolarWinds Orion product portfolio will add management of enterprise storage infrastructure to existing network and applications management capabilities, delivering an end-to-end IT management solution. "As the need for comprehensive management of highly networked physical and virtualized IT resources becomes more and more critical to enterprises of all sizes, we believe that this transaction uniquely positions us to provide a more complete solution that IT teams need to support their environments," said Mike Bennett, SolarWinds' Chairman and CEO. "Over the past 10 years, we've proven that our technology solves complex problems in very simple ways and that our business model of delivering powerful, easy to use, low-cost management solutions can succeed for a wide range of customers. The integration of Tek-Tools' storage and virtualization management products is an important addition to our product portfolio that will allow us to respond to customer demand for an end-to-end IT management solution that offers deeper visibility into networked storage and virtualized environments." The SolarWinds Orion product family has long offered companies of all sizes network, systems and application management through products such as Orion Network Performance Monitor (NPM) and Orion Application Performance Monitor (APM). Tek-Tools' products will add deeper storage and virtualization management to the SolarWinds portfolio, delivering broader IT management capa
The release of 2X VirtualDesktopServer Version 8 makes remote virtual application and desktop delivery to thin clients and PCs a truly seamless experience. Dallas, TX, February 1, 2010 – 2X Software announced today the release of Version 8 of its 2X ApplicationServer and 2X VirtualDesktopServer products. To meet the growing needs of businesses of all sizes, Version 8 not only includes the ability to publish applications and virtual desktops, but also allows the management of user thin client configurations from within the application console, creating an all-in-one application for remote publishing and device management. The new release will further reduce IT administration hassles, by allowing centralized control of both device groups and published resources. "Version 8 of the 2X VirtualDesktopServer and 2X ApplicationServer allows administrators, for the first time, to deploy and manage VDI sessions and thin clients using a single management source," explained Nikolaos Makris, CEO of 2X Software. "We've also included additional features, such as Universal Scanning, and continue to focus upon building reliable, innovative and cost-effective solutions serving businesses of all sizes." About the 2X VirtualDesktopServer2X VirtualDesktopServer v. 8 publishes any Windows application or virtual desktop to remote devices, including thin clients and Windows, Mac and Linux PCs, without the need to install applications or desktops to local machines. The 2X VirtualDesktopServer also serves as a connection broker for the Microsoft Hyper-V, VMware ESX, Parallels Containers and Windows Terminal Server virtualization platforms, offering significant administration and support savings. The 2X VirtualDesktopServer is designed to be highly cost-effective from the beginning of implementation, with a pricing structure based upon the number of agents (servers) installed, rather than the number of concurrent users, creating a favorable combination of pricing and features for businesses o
Today, SQL Server 2008 R2 received an official release date. It will be listed on Microsoft's May price list, and will be available by May 2010. SQL Server 2008 R2 showcases Microsoft's continued commitment to business intelligence and mission-critical workloads. Since we made this release available as a Community Technology Preview (CTP) in August 2009, it has been well-received by the community with more than 150,000 downloads. Key customer benefits include: A trusted and scalable platform with high availability, Master Data Services supporting data consistency across heterogeneous systems, StreamInsight enabling high-scale complex event processing, and support for high scale applications with up to 256 logical processors. IT and developer efficiency through central management of multiple database applications, instances or servers, accelerating the development and deployment of applications and providing improved support for virtualization and Live Migration through Hyper-V™ in Windows Server 2008 R2. Managed self-service business intelligence empowering a new class of business users to build and share powerful BI solutions with little to no IT support, while still enabling IT to monitor and manage end-user generated BI solutions with the new PowerPivot for Excel and PowerPivot for SharePoint "SQL Server 2008 R2 is freeing up our IT departments to focus on bigger challenges while keeping control of our most valuable asset, our information," said Fabio Catassi, CTO Mediterranean Shipping Company. "Using Excel and PowerPivot as an interface for Self-Service BI, we are modeling, analyzing and pivoting millions of records in memory and publishing our BI solutions to SharePoint in few minutes. This also allows our geographically remote office branches to access them from a URL at a fraction of the time, and our IT department to centrally manage and monitor information." Customers with Software Assurance can upgrade to SQL Server 2008 R2 and take advantage of the