JumpBox, Inc. (www.jumpbox.com), an innovative provider of virtual appliances, today announced the launch of the JumpBox Proving Grounds, its invite-only beta testing community. The JumpBox Proving Grounds will provide members with access to new JumpBoxes, special offers and news that otherwise is not available to the public. There are eight new applications available, including: Alfresco, Bugzilla, Joomla! 1.5, Mantis, Silverstripe, OTRS, Project Pier and OpenLDAP.

JumpBoxes allow for quick and simple deployment of server-based applications A JumpBox bundles the entire application stack into a turn-key, pre-configured unit that runs on top of virtualization software such as VMWare, Xen, Parallels Virtual Iron, and Microsoft Virtualization. Where typical deployment of a server-based application would take a technician several hours or even days, a JumpBox takes just minutes.

"Our goal is to get solid feedback from our users and accelerate the pace at which we can release new applications," said Sean Tierney, Co-founder and COO of JumpBox. "The Proving Grounds allows us to put experimental and beta products in the hands of our most passionate users early and often, creating a flow of new applications that eventually graduate to production status."

The JumpBox production library currently contains virtual appliances for a number of popular Open Source applications, including: Drupal, Joomla!, MediaWiki, DokuWiki, PunBB, Wordpress, SugarCRM, TWiki and Trac/Subversion. Deployment is quick and requires minimal technical skill. Value-added features such as automated backups and a consistent web based control panel also simplify usage for users. By facilitating faster deployment, lower costs and overhead and fewer headaches, JumpBoxes let people focus on their jobs, not worrying about getting software to work properly.

"JumpBoxes already provide an easy way to use a great selection of open source software," said Kimbro Staken, Co-founder and CEO of JumpBox. "With the Proving Grounds, we will be able to effectively release and test many new applications, reinforcing our position as the destination for ready-to-run virtual machines."

If you are interested in being a JumpBox Proving Grounds member, you can request an invitation by visiting http://www.jumpbox.net.