Bell Micro has announced that it has entered in to a new partnership with Parallels. The agreement will see the two companies unite to bring Parallels’ sought after server virtualization solution to the channel. Bell Micro will be introducing Parallels Virtuozzo Containers to its portfolio, and its reseller community.

The new relationship will give Bell Micro a strong position in the virtualization sector, and it will also enable the company to further improve its competitive offering in the data centre space. By partnering with Parallels, Bell Micro can ensure that it offers its channel partners the latest product to take to customers wanting the option of virtualizing business critical applications, as well as deploying Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) at market leading consolidation rates.

Russell Blackburn, UK Country Manager at Parallels said, “We have chosen Bell Micro as a key partner as a result of the company’s reputation in the market and its focus on further developing its data centre portfolio. We believe this relationship will be win-win for all involved: customers will be offered a lower cost virtualization solution, while resellers will benefit from higher margins in the virtualization space.”

Parallels Virtuozzo Container differs from hardware virtualization solutions in that it partitions a single Windows or Linux operating system instance into virtual environments or "containers". With this approach, multiple containers can share real memory, so Parallels Virtuozzo Containers enables three to ten times greater density for typical workloads, as compared with other virtualization technologies. As there is no overhead from virtual hardware and all containers are in contact with real, physical hardware, performance in virtual containers is at, or near, native speeds. Operating and server sprawl are also dramatically reduced, providing exceptional manageability.

By adding a completely different type of server virtualization to their portfolios, resellers can meet the needs of a far broader range of customers – such as those facing challenges with very large database projects, those wanting to implement a VDI, or data centre consolidation projects where high density is key. Resellers can build new service offerings around these use models, becoming a trusted advisor to their customer base by demonstrating expertise in virtualization and offering a range of approaches.

“Organizations of all sizes are increasingly focused on understanding the value of virtualization, yet are still looking for advice and guidance on the options available to them before making a procurement decision,” commented Mervyn Hall, Data Centre Solutions Business Manager at Bell Micro. “With this in mind, we will be working with Parallels to ensure our reseller partners are educated on all approaches to virtualization, as well as understanding how best to deliver them. We are sure that end-users will agree that a one-size-fits-all solution does not always suit and feel that this new offering presents them with the choice that they want.”

In order to deliver such support effectively, Bell Micro will be offering training to interested partners through a series of webinars and seminars, as well as offering one-to-one consultancy should organizations prefer to take that route. Further details on these training sessions will be made available shortly.