Fusion-io Launches ioVDI Software to Speed the Deployment of VMware Horizon View Persistent Virtual Desktops

Fusion-io today announced the general availability of Fusion ioVDI software  for VMware Horizon View  hosted virtual desktop environments. Fusion ioVDI software speeds the deployment of VMware Horizon View virtual desktops by intelligently combining the stateless cost economics of server flash performance with the manageability benefits of installed shared storage required for persistent desktops.
"We're committed to bringing a great user experience to our increasingly mobile workforce," said Paul Tradewell, senior systems engineer at National Marrow Donor Program. "Fusion ioVDI helped us solve this challenge with its cost-effective server-side approach that worked with our existing storage in a solution that our desktop team could manage."

Fusion ioVDI software is a virtual desktop solution that offers Write Vectoring, a patent-pending technology that monitors and directs session-based desktop writes uniquely to server-side flash. By limiting shared storage interaction to the small number of writes that persist between login sessions, Write Vectoring preserves the use of VMware value-added features such as vMotion, HA, DRS, and SRM that require shared storage while substantially reducing SAN or NAS performance dependencies.
"Many customers would prefer the performance and flexibility of persistent desktops if they could solve the cost and complexity involved with shared storage," said John Webster, senior partner at Evaluator Group. "The idea of viewing a desktop operating system as a unique application opens up some intriguing possibilities for supporting shared storage without being held hostage to it."

Fusion ioVDI software also accelerates reboot times with a patent-pending technology called Transparent File Sharing, which allows many hosted virtual desktops to simultaneously share common files. As VMware Horizon View Storage Accelerator can use up to 2GB of RAM, Transparent File Sharing optimizes performance by rapidly sharing common files throughout the VDI infrastructure. Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) testing  of ioVDI found that caching further offloads shared storage by up to 87 percent so that VDI success no longer requires expensive storage or network upgrades.
"In many ways, virtual desktops are the litmus test of application acceleration expertise," said Lee Caswell, Fusion-io vice president, Virtualization Products Group. "Every desktop user is a hypercritical judge of performance, and every desktop administrator is looking to simplify the scaling of centralized desktops to minimize both capital and operating expenses."

The ESG Lab Validation testing of Fusion ioVDI  also reported that the solution delivered consistent microsecond response times for workloads of one thousand data-intensive VDI desktops, as well as fast, consistent boot times averaging less than ten seconds. With its unique approach to integrating with existing shared storage, Fusion ioVDI software is complementary to any storage products and allows resellers to eliminate shared storage cost and complexity as a selling obstacle.
"Fusion ioVDI with VMware Horizon View™ can help simplify and accelerate the adoption of hosted virtual desktops," said Mason Uyeda, senior director, technical marketing, End-User Computing, VMware. "We are pleased to work with Fusion-io to help our customers speed their deployment times in a cost-effective manner."

Fusion ioVDI software is available now as stand-alone software and as an integrated solution featuring ioVDI software and Fusion ioMemory flash through Fusion-io channel partners at a manufacturer's list price of $50 USD per desktop. Fusion-io will be exhibiting in booth 409 during the VMware Partner Exchange Summit at the Moscone Center in San Francisco from February 10 – 13, 2014. Visit Fusion-io at the Partner Exchange Summit or on our website to learn more about transforming virtualization with flash-optimized performance.