Riverbed Technology announced the integration of VMware vSphere into its Riverbed Steelhead EX model appliances.

This integration provides organizations with a single platform for simplified, centralized management of distributed virtual services at a lower total cost of ownership.

When combined with the Granite edge virtual server infrastructure (edge-VSI), the integrated solution allows organizations to leverage the investments they have made in the data center and extend control and policy boundaries to the edge of the network. This approach reduces operating costs by centralizing and streamlining management of virtual services and data, and delivering services wherever and whenever needed without compromising performance.

Enterprises are increasingly consolidating and leveraging virtualization and cloud technologies to achieve greater cost efficiency, improve data protection, and manage resources centrally. At the same time, IT teams are challenged to dynamically deliver services to branches and end users as needed, while maintaining performance quality and the end-user experience. They want solutions that allow for the centralization of data with local execution, which Steelhead EX appliances running VMware vSphere and Granite deliver. It also provides a pathway for full virtualization and the realization of the software defined data center.

"Enterprises are building efficient, virtualized data centers to improve business agility in the face of an explosion of users, devices and data. By extending the virtual edge of the data center all the way to the branch, enterprises now have a holistic approach to creating a data center without walls. End users get the speed and performance they require, while IT manages from a simplified consolidated architecture. The result is a leaner, more productive business that enjoys end-to-end performance, reliability and security from the data center to the edge," said Steve Duplessie, Founder and Senior Analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group.

Riverbed is enhancing the Virtual Services Platform (VSP) featured on Steelhead EX appliances through a new integration of VMware vSphere 5. This integration enables applications and services required in branch offices to be operated and managed on the virtual server solution directly on a Steelhead wide area network (WAN) optimization appliance.

Locally executed virtual machines running on Steelhead EX appliances can now be centrally managed by the VMware vSphere vCenter Server, providing organizations with a single platform for simplified, centralized management of distributed virtual services at a lower total cost of ownership (TCO). Combined with the Granite edge-VSI solution, organizations can now consolidate and manage VMware vSphere-based virtual servers in the data center, yet boot and utilize required services across a WAN over distance. This new integration and support enables organizations to instantly provision branch services and storage for increased agility, high availability and improved disaster recovery (DR).

Bringing VMware vSphere to the Steelhead product family will enable customers to use the virtualization investments they've already made in the data center. The ability to project the virtual edge of the data center breaks down the old worldview that infrastructure in the data center was distinct and different than infrastructure in the branch. Now, customers can manage virtualized branch infrastructure as a logical and integrated extension of the data center.