The Leostream Connection Broker, which is delivered as a virtual appliance, is the software management layer that ties desktop images in the data center to users’ thin client, laptop, desktop or Web interfaces. With it, enterprises can provide end-users with a virtual desktop experience equal or superior to that of traditional desktops. End-users can access their virtual desktop from any machine, no matter where they are located, due to the Connection Broker’s ability to direct users to their own virtual desktop image.

For IT, the Leostream Connection Broker allows managers to maximize the virtualization of existing resources by easily integrating an array of clients, back-end systems and viewers. In addition, management can rest assured that its virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is secure. The Leostream Connection Broker integrates with existing authentication and security protocols without changes, providing a rich set of policies for exact implementation of business rules for users and machines.

With its new version, the Leostream Connection Broker 6.0 offers native support for Citrix XenServer, easily installed as a virtual appliance on Citrix XenServer 5. As a result, enterprises can now create a VDI entirely on XenServer. This new capability builds on Leostream’s previous Citrix offerings. This includes Leostream’s long-standing Citrix Ready verified support for XenServer Centers and the more recent addition of XenApp Integration for delivering desktops and applications side-by-side. With Leostream, organizations can deliver Citrix desktops simultaneously with other virtual, physical or bladed desktops or Terminal Server sessions, create pools of Citrix desktops or applications for delivery to different groups of users, and assign desktop and application pools based on end-user policy and location.

The Leostream Connection Broker 6.0 also provides extended monitor support. Virtual desktops can be split or spanned across multiple screens with no degradation of performance. This enables IT to provide virtual desktops to end-users accustomed to multiple monitors.

Additional enhancements in the Leostream Connection Broker 6.0 include:

• More Powerful USB Device Management: End-users can attach and employ USB devices on virtual desktops with the same ease-of-use as physical desktops, while IT management has complete visibility and control over which USB devices are permitted;
• Enhanced Reporting: IT can now monitor resource usage; and
• New Integration with Syslog Servers: New integration features allow for more effective compliance and auditing.

“Leostream is a leading provider of connection broker technology and Butler Group is of the view that the solution is unmatched in platform integration and interoperability with existing IT infrastructure,” said Stephen Mann, a Senior Research Analyst with Butler Group, Europe's leading IT research and advisory organization. In an independently-written Technology Audit, Mann continued “the Connection Broker 6.0 is well suited to its target market. It can bring maximum value to medium and large-sized enterprises with heterogeneous multi-vendor, multi-technology environments, looking to integrate their IT infrastructure and provide end users with remote access to desktops hosted in data centers.”

“When it comes to large-scale virtualization deployments, a heterogeneous connection broker is a ‘must’ in order to ensure end-user satisfaction and the greatest ROI on technology investments,” said Michael Palin, CEO of Leostream. “The Connection Broker sits at the heart of any VDI, and with XenServer support, we’ve furthered our position as offering the most robust, vendor-neutral solution on the market. With the Leostream Connection Broker 6.0, IT departments at large organizations can confidently deploy their VDI knowing it will fulfill their business needs and surpass end-users’ expectations.”