Synergy 2011: Citrix readies OpenStack product

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Citrix is preparing to release a version of the OpenStack cloud platform as it looks to become one of the major forces pushing the project.

Rackspace announced OpenStack last year, incorporating donated code from its own Cloud Files and Cloud Servers as well as technology from NASA’s Nebula Cloud Platform.

It effectively introduced an open standard for cloud platforms and Citrix has decided to jump on board and bring a product to market.

Known as Project Olympus, Citrix will introduce its own platform based on OpenStack with added benefits on top of the original Rackspace offering.

It will essentially be a distribution of OpenStack optimised with XenServer, on which providers can build infrastructure as a service (IaaS) or which companies can use to set up their own private cloud, Citrix chief executive (CEO) Mark Templeton said during a press event today.

“This will be the first step of maturity in OpenStack,” Templeton said.

“I’m not saying we’re going to be the leader [with OpenStack] but we’ll be one of them... This should be good news for the OpenStack community.”

To avoid vendor lock-in and further push the open aspect, Project Olympus will also support the Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware vSphere hypervisors.

The Citrix Project Olympus Early Access Program has been made available today and the eventual product will start shipping in the second half of 2011.

“We’re positioning Citrix to stand tall to support OpenStack,” Templeton added.

Rackspace launched Cloud Builders earlier this year, offering customers the knowledge of a team of OpenStack experts to help deploy and support private or public OpenStack clouds in data centres.

“The momentum behind OpenStack is growing rapidly, and we are seeing enterprises and service providers hungry to deploy OpenStack-based clouds,” said Jim Curry, general manager for Rackspace Cloud Builders.

“Having a certified, OpenStack distribution from an industry leader like Citrix will provide a further rallying point for the ecosystem and help drive adoption with service providers and enterprises looking for a trusted, commercial software provider to stand behind this mission-critical piece of infrastructure software."

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