Scalent Systems today announced general availability of Scalent Virtual Operating Environment(TM) (V/OE) version 2.0, the industry's next-generation server infrastructure repurposing technology. Scalent is the first company to deliver comprehensive data center virtualization technology, addressing not only individual servers, but also the entire related network and storage environment. Scalent V/OE 2.0 enables enterprises to radically increase data center flexibility and asset utilization, while combating spiraling IT costs.

Today's enterprise data centers face escalating costs stemming from out-of-control server sprawl, fluctuating server utilization and rapidly changing operational demands. These challenges result in lower business efficiency, a lack of IT agility and reduced bottom-line success. Unlike traditional virtualization solutions, Scalent V/OE can meet all of these challenges. Scalent's solution addresses the entire data center environment, not just the individual server "box." Serving as "virtualization middleware," V/OE enables data center operations owners to rapidly change entire systems and associated topologies -- which servers are running, what software is running on them and how they're connected to network and storage -- without altering physical infrastructure.

"Scalent is the first company I've seen successfully take virtualization to the next level, going beyond server virtualization to address the entire infrastructure -- servers, LAN, and SAN access," said Ken Schuelke, vice president of enterprise architecture for Ameriquest Mortgage. "Scalent V/OE helps Ameriquest drastically increase server utilization by repurposing our idle disaster recovery servers for test and development. Scalent helps us save over a million dollars annually."

With Scalent V/OE, infrastructure repurposing becomes nearly instantaneous. Changing system function and topology doesn't require touching physical cables or machines. Instead of spending hours or days reloading software, changing configurations and even moving machines and cables, IT teams can rack once, cable once, then reconfigure repeatedly, in minutes, effortlessly. Failover is automatic, and data center functionality matches the data center schematic -- what you see is what you get.

This infrastructure flexibility results in a dramatic increase in server utilization. Instead of provisioning each application silo for peak demand, IT organizations can provision for average demand and shift spare resources to match business needs. Specific business systems can be dynamically redeployed as dictated by real-time business priorities, time of day, or other policy-based criteria -- so fewer hardware, software and other resources are needed. Scalent V/OE thus delivers higher IT asset utilization, less costly failover and disaster recovery alternatives, rapid and efficient test and lifecycle processes and a more easily managed infrastructure.

"The ability to coordinate virtualization across the LAN and SAN environments is critical for customers to capture the value of dynamic systems," said John Humphreys, program director, IDC. "Scalent Systems is bringing a new approach through its server infrastructure repurposing software that can help make policy based automation a reality."

Scalent V/OE 2.0 extends Scalent's broad hardware and OS support, with the introduction of additional enterprise extensibility, including:

-- Support for Solaris 10 on x86 and SPARC

-- Support for enterprise-class bladed Ethernet switches (for example, the Cisco 65xx)

-- Addition of a programmatic interface for third-party systems integration

"The modern multi-tier architecture depends on multiple interdependent and interconnected machines, and physically altering this infrastructure to meet ever changing demands is too expensive, time consuming, and risky," said Ben Linder, CEO of Scalent Systems. "Scalent makes infrastructure repurposing rapid, reliable, and practical. With Scalent V/OE 2.0, companies can virtualize their entire existing data center infrastructure and quickly implement cost-effective disaster recovery, IT consolidation, and other initiatives without making any physical changes or disrupting business processes."

For more information, visit http://www.scalent.com.