VMware gears up for remote working

New tool could also support disaster recovery plans

VMware has made available a public beta of an updated version of VMware ACE, a tool that lets IT departments deploy locked-down virtual machines to workers. The new version supports operation of virtual machines from USB storage devices and includes a central management server to control them.

VMware ACE 2 Enterprise Edition, due to ship in the second quarter of 2007, enables IT managers to create managed virtual machines using VWware’s Workstation 6.

Firms can deploy critical applications onto systems they do not control, such as an employee’s own home PC, according to Jerry Chen, director of enterprise desktop platforms and solutions at VMware.

“As an admin, I don’t want to manage your home PC. Instead, I can give you a ‘virtual laptop’ that you can take away,” he said.

The new version includes the ability to put a virtual machine on a storage device, such as a USB Flash disk or portable hard drive. This feature, Pocket ACE, could be used as part of a disaster recovery plan, allowing staff to carry on working if a desktop is unavailable.

Another key feature is VMware ACE Management Server, which allows administrators to track and manage virtual machines centrally. They can control which USB devices a virtual machine can use and what IP ports are open, and use packet filtering to control the IP addresses virtual machines can communicate with. They can also change policies on the fly.

“I can expire your virtual machine if you quit the company or are fired,” Chen said. The management server can be downloaded as a pre-built virtual appliance from VWware’s site.

The beta of VMware ACE 2 Enterprise Edition is a free download. The cost of the release version is likely to be higher than the $99 (£52) per client of VWware ACE 1, Chen said.