Release: VMware ACE 2.0

Two years since first release, VMware finally release second version of its virtualization product aimed at security market: Assured Computing Environment (ACE).

The biggest, and most welcomed, news about ACE 2.0 (build 45731) is partial integration with just released Workstation 6.0: now security managers will be able to create and manage ACE virtual machines directly inside Workstation 6.0, just upgrading their product to Workstation 6.0 ACE Edition.

Large deployments of ACE virtual machines will be manageable through the ACE 2.0 Enterprise Edition, providing just like its predecessor, a console to deploy, update or delete applied security policies.

Beside Workstation 6.0 integration, ACE 2.0 also introduces other 2 very interesting main features:

  • capability to run secured virtual machines from a USB key (Pocket USB)
  • capability to remotely fix security problems on ACE virtual machines thorugh a Help Desk web application (available as virtual appliance or a Win32 GUI tool)

But ACE 2.0 includes several other capabilities, like:

  • Support for more host operating systems (Linux)
  • Support for extended security policy (snapshot control, etc.)
  • Support for virtual printers (through inclusion of ThinPrint .print Virtual Desktop Engine)

Download a trial of ACE 2.0 Enterprise Edition here.

The virtualization.info Virtualization Industry Roadmap has been updated accordingly.