Riverbed expands branch office strategy with Microsoft

Today, customers are able to run Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008, including branch services such as Active Directory, DNS/DHCP, Media Streaming and Print Services, on the Riverbed Services Platform (RSP). As a natural next step, Riverbed will enable the deployment of Windows Server 2008 R2 on the RSP.

"The relationship between Riverbed and Microsoft continues to grow. We are able to innovate and provide enterprises with solutions that accelerate the performance of their Microsoft environments. Having the support of Riverbed is crucial to the success of our branch office strategy. We're both committed to working jointly to provide our customers with a comprehensive WAN optimization offering by joining complementary solutions."

said Julius Sinkevicius, director Windows Server Marketing at Microsoft.

Microsoft introduced a feature, BranchCache, which is intended to improve performance for Windows 7 users accessing file and Web applications hosted on Windows Server 2008 R2 servers over the WAN. Riverbed enables the deployment of Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 on Steelhead appliances with the RSP. Customers currently deploy Windows Server on the RSP to consolidate services at the branch to further cut costs, including Active Directory, DNS/DHCP, Media Streaming and Print Services. When Windows Server 2008 R2 is released, it can be deployed on the RSP and the BranchCache feature is a service that enterprises can use on the deployed Windows Server.

"As enterprises move to Windows 7, they may find a place for BranchCache on the Steelhead appliance," said Zeus Kerravala, senior vice president, Yankee Group. "It is apparent that Riverbed has been working with Microsoft on a broad vision and in-depth technology integration that will benefit their joint customers. This strategy positions Riverbed to continue to be a market and technology leader in the WAN optimization market."

"We've worked closely with Microsoft on technology integration through the POLP program and the integration of Windows Server on the RSP. Supporting Microsoft's latest innovations is a natural next step in our relationship," said John Martin, vice president of product management, Riverbed. "By working with Microsoft we've been able to expand on our core value to customers - providing the best acceleration across the broadest set of applications. In branch office environments the combination of Riverbed and Microsoft will provide enterprises with a comprehensive, optimized IT environment."

The RSP is an extensible virtualized data services platform that allows customers to deploy best-of-breed edge services that formerly required dedicated servers as virtual appliances. Customers can deploy these virtual appliances directly on Steelhead products to further minimize the hardware infrastructure footprint at the branch office, which reduces costs in operational overhead.