VMware releases virtualization tool for PCs

Computerworld - VMware Inc. today released a virtualization tool for PCs that it says will cut hardware and maintenance costs for users such as independent contractors that support third parties on their networks.
The VMware product, ACE, installs a second operating system in a "container" that isolates a laptop's host environment from a corporate network, removing the risks of a virus infection from a third-party machine.
Financial services firm A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc. is already testing the product. Chris McClanahan, the company's desktop product manager, said it has cut administration and setup time.
Previously, A.G. Edwards issued laptops to contractors with a software build configured for the St. Louis-based company's corporate network. Now, McClanahan gives contractors a disc to load the VMware environment on their PCs. The user machine boots into their host-operating environment and then double-clicks on the VMware ACE environment to launch it. That environment can run the Windows or Linux operating system as well as applications.
The ACE container has an expiration date set by the systems administrator, "so essentially when they leave the company, taking their personal laptop with them, it [the container] self-destructs," said Michael Mullany, vice president of marketing at Palo Alto, Calif.-based VMware.
The ACE container can also be configured to prevent copying of data on, for instance, a floppy drive or Universal Serial Bus-connected device. It can also limit access to a corporate network.
If the contractor has specialized software needed for a job, that software can be reinstalled in the new operating environment. Otherwise, the contractor can switch back and forth to the host system.
McClanahan said it would previously take three to four weeks to prepare and set up laptops, work he can now accomplish in about a week. One limitation of the VMware product, he noted, is that it works best with newer PCs with fast processors.
VMware sees a number of uses for its product, including telecommuters who connect to a corporate network via their home systems.
VMware has released a beta today, which can be tested without cost. General release is expected in the fourth quarter.

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