Embotics Corporation announced the upcoming availability of the latest version of Embotics V-Commander, to enable the provisioning of IT-as-a-service (ITaaS) using private Clouds.

Embotics V-Commander’s provisioning capabilities have been significantly expanded with an enhanced service catalogue and support for deploying virtual machines (VMs) as linked clones.
End users are now able to provision anything from VMs to IT services through the service catalogue’s user friendly app store interface.

Users can create a service that includes several VMs that make a multi-tiered application or even unmanaged components such as a desktop phone, completely automating the provisioning process through completion workflows. Linked clones, also referred to as delta disks, have the dual benefit of conserving disk space and enabling much faster provisioning time, and are an especially important component of lab management and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) deployments. Service catalogue entries can be now be deployed as linked clones and at the same time users can manually deploy a VM as a linked clone.

Embotics V-Commander will also be introducing support for Microsoft Hyper-V from early 2013.

Embotics V-Commander can be installed and configured in a matter of minutes, offering businesses rapid provisioning, self-service, service catalogues, IT costing and chargeback, workflow automation, resource optimisation and lifecycle management capabilities. It also keeps private cloud resources optimised by providing a 360-degree view of the entire virtualised environment: eliminating virtual server sprawl, ensuring operational efficiency and thereby delivering cost and resource savings.

“As businesses have accelerated their march to the cloud over the past few years, IT management requirements have evolved at an equally fast pace,” said Colin Wright, Vice President for EMEA, Embotics. “IT administrators need a solution that enables them to provision virtual and physical infrastructure and services from a centralised management platform. With Embotics V-Commander enhanced service catalogue and linked clone capability IT service provisioning can be both simplified and speeded up. For example, IT administrators can create a new hire procedure, automating the provision of everything a new employee needs to get up and running, such as a desktop machine, software applications and a phone. With planned support for Microsoft Hyper-V, Embotics V-Commander offers an all-in-one cloud management solution for the majority of IT departments.”

Other key updates in Embotics V-Commander 4.6 include:

• Support for vApps as a vehicle for deploying multiple VMs, setting expiry dates and owners, cloning and powering on and off

• Self-service provisioning of unmanaged assets as services, such as desktop phones and database instances

• Faster provisioning and deployment with manual and automated service requests for multi-component services; Administrators can configure services for individual users or groups, setting conventions and automating post-deployment tasks such as setting-up firewalls

• Fully customisable service catalogues and service request forms, alongside a new icon view interface and search and category filtering enables users to find and provision the services they need quickly, through service catalogues branded in-line with the corporate image

• Shopping cart style service catalogue interface enables users to request multiple instances of a service as well as multiple services in a single request; Aggregate service costs provide greater visibility into the true business impact of complete service requests

• Service request tracking monitors the progress of each item in a service request, enabling IT administrators to quickly and easily identify where their attentions are needed

“Embotics V-Commander gives IT administrators a greater degree of control than ever before, whilst significantly reducing the management burden upon them,” added Wright. “By enabling self-service provision of practically any of an end-user’s IT needs, Embotics V-Commander provides IT departments with a more holistic view of their infrastructure, enabling them to make smarter, more strategic decisions that benefit the overall business. Embotics V-Commander has the capability to work alongside existing IT service management tools or can be implemented easily for businesses with no prior management systems in place.”

Embotics V-Commander 4.6 will be available from the end of December 2012.

Embotics is currently offering Managed Service Providers (MSPs) free access to the latest version of Embotics V-Commander to enable them to offer a white-labelled cloud management platform to their own customers. MSP subscriptions last for a duration of six months, and include full support.