VMware updates vFabric Suite for cloud automation: News roundup

VMware updates vFabric Suite to simplify app management on cloud
VMware released vFabric Suite 5.1 with an in-memory distributed SQL database and features that automate the deployment and management of complex applications on VMware cloud infrastructure.

These capabilities will provide the core application services required to build, run and manage Java applications whether on-premises or in the cloud. They also address the cost and complexity of traditional Java platforms, VMware Inc. said.

VFabric Suite 5.1 is based on Spring development framework, which VMware acquired when it bought SpringSource in 2009. It also features the latest generation of vFabric application services and a per-Virtual Machine (VM) licensing model.  

In addition to automating application deployment, vFabric Suite 5.1 will also allow users to maximise data scalability, reduce database costs, and support open source technologies.  

The product will be available in Q2 2012 and be licensed per VM with prices starting at $1,500 (£950) per VM.

Equinix buys ancotel to boost its presence in Europe
Equinix, a data centre service provider, is acquiring ancotel GmbH, a European company for carrier-neutral colocation services.  

The acquisition, when completed in Q3 2012 will provide Equinix Inc. with additional data centre capacity as well as a network-dense colocation and connectivity campus in Frankfurt, a busy data hub in Europe.

The acquisition provides its customers, looking to expand their data centre foot print, with access to over 400 networks from across the Europe.

Although the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed,  “the valuation paid is in line with Equinix’s 2012 adjusted EBITDA trading multiple based on projections for the business,” according to Eric Schwartz, president, Equinix EMEA.

SME cloud adoption in the UK fuelled by flexibility and mobility
Britain’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) implement cloud computing to function in a more mobile and flexible way, a YouGov study found.

The research firm surveyed over 500 senior IT pros in SMEs on why they will adopt cloud technologies. Nearly 40% of respondents said implementing cloud will help them provide greater mobility and flexibility for employees. Another 33% of respondents cited cost efficiencies as a reason to adopt cloud computing.

This suggests that SMEs are now looking beyond just cost and IT efficiencies that the cloud brings and focusing instead on how cloud can improve business outcomes and align with the company’s strategies, said a spokesperson from IBM, which commissioned the study.  

Of those who had not yet moved towards the cloud, 38% said the main reason for the delay was the inability to devote sufficient time to fully investigate the technical and business implications of moving to a cloud-based infrastructure.