Virtualization Technology from Swsoft Helps Software Maker Save Money, Improve Service

HERNDON, Va., September 21, 2007 — System Automation Corporation is using SWsoft Virtuozzo to save money, while providing a very flexible testing platform that is easy to convert into production for the government agencies that purchase its MyLicense Suite software. Now, it takes minutes to set up virtual environments, and the MyLicense software can be updated across virtual environments in a matter of minutes, which previously had been impossible.

System Automation develops MyLicense Suite software that is used by more than 400 government entities in 23 states to manage, for example, hunting and nursing licenses. The company is realizing cost savings of about $2,000 per server by replacing physical servers with virtual servers created with SWsoft Virtuozzo software.

System Automation is also saving money by reducing the time required to manage the virtual data center. A full-time administrator now spends only a quarter of their time managing the virtual environments by taking advantage of the Virtuozzo management tools function. Now, with Virtuozzo a change can be made and deployed across all of the virtual environments at once using the template function.

"We’re delivering a much higher quality product to our customers because we’re able to use the templates and management tools in Virtuozzo," said Craig Callan, network engineer, System Automation Corporation. He is responsible for providing network infrastructure support at the company based in Columbia, Maryland with 85 employees.

"In less than a week, we knew how good Virtuozzo is and how well it could help us streamline our data center and associated management functions," said Callan. "We started by deploying a trial version of Virtuozzo, including creating templates. We found it was so easy to use that by that afternoon, we were already setting up virtual servers."

Today, System Automation has multiple physical servers running Virtuozzo. One Windows server currently runs 18 Virtuozzo virtual servers and Callan estimates that the server has capacity for a total of 40 virtual servers. The server is used by the applications delivery group to run MyLicense test servers for clients.

Before the Virtuozzo server virtualization implementation, there were often delays setting up testing trials because equipment simply wasn't available — either because elaborate configurations were required or the equipment hadn't arrived yet, or both. That is no longer an issue because new virtual servers can be created instantaneously.

System Automation sets up a test server for every one of its customer scenarios so that users can test the software, gain experience with their trial and further customize their implementation, as desired. Now, using Virtuozzo it takes System Automation just minutes to create a test server for one of its customers. Once the customer test is concluded, System Automation can deploy it into production.

"We like the flexibility that Virtuozzo virtual servers give us, as well as the ability to do load balancing among servers," continued Callan. "If necessary, we can allocate more disk space on the fly — no need to re-boot, which is amazing when you consider what it takes to add more disk to a physical server. With Virtuozzo, we also maximize the use of memory on each server. That is completely managed by Virtuozzo based on parameters we set. Those, too, can be adjusted on the fly if we want."

SWsoft Virtuozzo dynamically partitions a single Windows or Linux operating system instance into highly efficient and scalable virtual environments. Virtuozzo includes patented technology that enables density of up to hundreds of virtual environments per physical server.
Unlike virtual machines and hypervisors, Virtuozzo addresses the challenges of operating system sprawl faced by today's data centers. Its unique architecture and management tools make Virtuozzo the ideal solution for provisioning, monitoring and managing virtualized server resources.
About SWsoft
SWsoft is a global leader in virtualization and automation software that helps consumers, businesses, and service providers optimize their use of technology. The company's software powers more than 130,000 servers and 600,000 desktops worldwide. The SWsoft product line includes Virtuozzo - the leading operating system virtualization solution, Parallels - the leading desktop virtualization product, and Plesk - the leading server control panel. Founded in 1999, the company has offices throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. For more information, visit www.swsoft.com.

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MyLicense is a registered trademark of System Automation Corp. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.