Nexenta launches Nexenta VSA for VMware Horizon View™

Nexenta Systems, Inc. has released Nexenta VSA for VMware Horizon View™: application-specific storage management and acceleration software that allows Horizon View administrators to auto-configure, tune, deploy and optimise storage for their VDI environment from their management console.

Installed on VMware vSphere®, the Nexenta VSA for VMware Horizon View™ storage optimiser accelerates storage performance even without the use of SSDs in the configuration and does not require additional memory (RAM) to deliver this boost. The net effect is an increase in the number of desktops a given configuration can support even while delivering an improved user experience and offloading traffic from the storage network (tests show up to 38x during I/O storms generated by desktop provisioning for example). The solution drives down the cost per desktop, reduces the amount of storage required for a View deployment and provides real-time visibility and management of individual desktop users using the storage resources.

VDI Proof of Concept Benefits
Nexenta VSA for VMware Horizon View™ allows administrators to profile a VDI deployment before it “goes live” which allows for a full understanding of the performance and efficiency levels that will result. By taking the guesswork out of VDI deployments and allowing the application to uniquely auto-tune and configure the underlying storage, it is expected that Nexenta VSA for VMware Horizon View™ will significantly increase the adoption rate of VDI deployments in enterprise environments of all sizes.

“Nexenta VSA for VMware Horizon View™ takes the promise of Software-Defined Storage and makes it a reality; defined by the application itself, it is storage that delivers real customer benefit,” said Bridget Warwick, Nexenta Systems CMO. “This is software that takes an application’s storage preferences and best practices and uses that knowledge to auto-tune, configure, deploy and accelerate access to whatever storage the system is using.”

“The Software-Defined storage landscape is still forming with many vendors trying to re-cast their offering to fit the evolving definition. In the meantime, Nexenta is actually delivering on the promise with application-defined or, put more accurately, data-defined storage that has tangible, measurable value for VMware Horizon View™ deployments,” said Brian Garrett, VP ESG Lab, Enterprise Strategy Group. “Nexenta VSA for VMware Horizon View™ is not only delivering that value as advertised during ESG Lab testing, it’s also amazingly easy to deploy and use as it cost-effectively addresses the performance and management challenges that are blocking a growing number of organisations from realising the compelling benefits of VDI.”

Certified with Cisco Systems
Nexenta VSA for VMware Horizon View™ has already been certified as part of the Cisco UCS Platform VDI reference architecture whereby up to 1600 desktops can be deployed on a single UCS blade chassis with UCS C240s providing storage. This is the only VDI solution running entirely on a Cisco UCS platform. It provides a comprehensive environment with compute, networking, storage and virtualisation functionality.

“NexentaVSA for Horizon View is purposely designed storage for VMware Horizon View™,” said Mason Uyeda, senior director, technical and solution marketing, End-User Computing, VMware. “The solution, which includes validations from VMware and Cisco and Nexenta, is optimised for the VMware Horizon Fast Track architecture program to enable fast deployment, cost-effectiveness and linear scalability.”

"After extensive research based on the offerings from multiple vendors, a large hospital system selected Nexenta VSA for VMware Horizon View™ for several reasons," said Mark Melvin, CTO at ePlus, a leading Cisco, Nexenta, and VMware Partner. "ePlus consulted with the hospital to develop an architecture for its environment, determining the requirements and the best possible solution. Nexenta offered a highly-competitive licensing model and the potential for large OpEx savings. This was based on the cost per host of VSA that reduced the overall SAN cost. This helped us bring the validated Cisco solution to the customer with a higher degree of confidence.”

“Storage performance and configuration cost per seat are commonly the deciding factor on whether or not a VDI POC is successful and will be rolled out,” said Marc Staimer, founder, senior analyst, and CDS of Dragon Slayer Consulting.“ Nexenta VSA for VMware Horizon View™ can make a huge difference in both meaningfully improved VDI performance and significantly lowering total storage cost. I would recommend anyone implementing VDI take a long look at optimising the storage component of their Horizon View deployment withNexenta VSA for VMware Horizon View™.”