Thursday, June 28, 2007 Microsoft, Packeteer announce Windows branch office solution
* Technology, marketing partnership to help customers reduce costs, intelligently accelerate applications and increase remote office productivity
MICROSOFT Corporation and Packeteer announced a joint product strategy to deliver the industry’s first comprehensive, Windows-based branch office IT solution: the Packeteer iShaper.
Building on an existing partnership, the two are collaborating on the engineering and marketing aspects of this new “Branch Office Box” to make computing faster, more secure and cost-effectively managed for employees in branch office locations. iShaper’s initial release becomes available later this quarter, with subsequent versions available by fourth quarter of this year.
By combining Packeteer’s Wide Area Network (WAN) optimization, application visibility and prioritization technologies with Microsoft technologies like Windows Server, Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server, and System Management Server (SMS), iShaper users will now be able to accelerate the delivery and use of applications over the WAN. It also allows users to take advantage of the full range and ease-of-use of Windows services for file, print, Active Directory, networking, and more.
Combining WAN optimization, prioritization and visualization technologies in one box with native Windows services is a milestone in Microsoft’s strategy to deliver branch IT solutions that unify security and management technologies.
“In addition to its leadership in WAFS and WAN optimization solutions, Packeteer gives customers unique insights into the state of applications and their performance while running in the branch,” said Rakesh Narasimhan, general manager of the Enterprise Access and Security Products at Microsoft. “Customers benefit from having the best application visibility and monitoring tools to manage their widely adopted Windows infrastructure in branch locations.”
“Packeteer is about intelligent application acceleration and Microsoft Windows is the application platform in the enterprise,” said Lawrence YEE, Regional Sales Director of Packeteer South East Asia Region. “By marrying Microsoft’s server, security and application functionality and Packeteer’s WAN and application intelligence and WAN optimization, we will provide customers with an ideal branch office infrastructure solution.”
Expanded Partnership to Reduce Branch Office Cost and Complexity
Packeteer’s current iShared products combine the acceleration of Packeteer wide area file services (WAFS) and WAN optimization with Microsoft Windows Server and ISA Server technologies for branch office print, authentication, and web caching.
Later this quarter, Packeteer will deliver iShaper, the industry’s first truly comprehensive Windows-based Branch Office Box. iShaper will allow for the security-enabled, intelligent acceleration of more than 600 applications, without the need to deploy multiple products to separately solve branch office challenges. Packeteer will also be licensing widely deployed Microsoft protocols to develop advanced classification and acceleration technologies for its full line of solutions. In Q4 2007, Packeteer plans to deliver the next version of iShaper, integrating additional ISA Server technology for advanced firewall protection, virtual private network services and secure web (HTTPS) application acceleration capabilities.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
Packeteer is the global leader in WAN Application Delivery. Packeteer’s solutions provide an intelligent, unified and adaptive approach to monitor, shape, and optimize applications, delivering the best user experience for any application to any location. For more information, contact Packeteer at +1 408 873-4400 or visit the company's website at http://www.packeteer.com. (Press release)
