Lew Smith

VMware's vSphere 4 takes virtualization to an entirely new level - into the cloud, to be exact. Originally coined as the Virtual Data Center Operating System, vSphere 4 is more than a simple upgrade from ESX 3.5 to 4.0. It's a transformation of the virtual infrastructure to create a cloud operating system. The release includes a wide range of features that will usher in a new evolution in virtualization technology. Overall performance is improved, thanks to some key VMware partnerships, notably Intel. The release of their Nehalem-based Xeon 5500 processor, which was built with virtualization in mind, is a major game changer. Data center workloads that could not previously be virtualized with the required performance levels are now candidates for virtualization. This is a huge step for VMware, which continues to strive toward their goal of 100 percent virtualization... (more)