Citrix Systems announced it has closed its acquisition of Kaviza, maker of the all-in-one “VDI-in-a-Box” solution for small to medium-size businesses (SMBs). The acquisition adds a VDI-only solution to the Citrix portfolio, and the Kaviza VDI-in-a-Box product complements the Citrix XenDesktop product line for enterprise-class desktop virtualization. Customers can continue to purchase VDI-in-a-Box from Kaviza resellers, and starting July 1 customers will also be able to buy from Citrix Solution Advisors.
A single all-in-one virtual appliance enables the production deployment of virtual desktops in two hours or less, while additional servers can be deployed and connected to the grid in minutes. VDI-in-a-Box also delivers a high-definition user experience with Citrix HDX technology for complete virtual desktop capabilities to any device, or any network, while minimizing bandwidth requirements.
“For several years, clients have requested all-in-one server appliances to meet the desktop virtualization needs of their small offices and branch offices. In 2009, I called on the vendor community to meet this requirement and several responded,” said Chris Wolf, research vice president at IT analytics firm Gartner. “Here we are, two years later, and there is a bigger need due to the growth in desktop virtualization. Without question, low-cost desktop virtualization in-a-box solutions extend the operational, security and TCO benefits common in large-scale virtual desktop deployments to the small or branch office.”
In addition, the grid architecture delivers a highly available solution with fewer servers than traditional VDI solutions and no shared storage or management servers, while the open architecture provides multi-hypervisor support for Citrix XenServer and VMware ESX, with Microsoft Hyper-V support coming soon.
“Kaviza understands the needs of small and medium businesses and has made great strides in giving these types of organizations a simple, low-cost solution for virtual desktops,” said Gordon Payne, senior vice president and general manager of Citrix’s desktop division. “The Kaviza team and the innovative technology they have built will add significant value to our desktop virtualization product line as more and more SMBs adopt virtual desktops, and it will help us drive continued growth and market leadership in desktop virtualization.”
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