Web hosting automation software provider SWsoft (sw-soft.com) announced on Monday that more than 30 Web hosting providers in China, including the largest, HiChina (net.cn), have launched virtual private server services in the last six months using SWsoft's Virtuozzo virtualization software.

"Internet addresses, dedicated servers and VPSs are very rare in China and as a result, the costs are much higher as compared with Europe and the United States," says Silen Zhang, CEO of SWsoft China. "Virtuozzo operating system-level technology provides a cost-efficient alternative that enables VPS hosters like HiChina to provide better customer service and tap into the needs of one of the fastest growing segments in China, small-to-medium size businesses."

According to analyst firm IDC, worldwide industry sales of virtualization software topped $560 million in 2005 and are expected to grow to $15 billion by 2009. The report says Virtuozzo is growing fastest among vendors in the market for virtualization technology.

SWsoft says hosting providers need solutions that maximize server resources in China, where dedicated servers are expensive. Virtuozzo virtualization technology creates multiple virtual environments on a single physical server, enabling users to share hardware, licenses and management effort.