Citrix Systems announced today that its popular Citrix NetScaler VPX virtual appliance will add extensive support for business-critical Microsoft datacenter and infrastructure solutions, including Microsoft(R) Hyper-V(TM), Microsoft System Center and key Microsoft enterprise applications like SharePoint 2010 and Exchange Server 2010. As a result, Microsoft datacenter administrators will now be able to apply all the same NetScaler acceleration, load balancing and security features that power many of the world's largest datacenters, as a native Hyper-V workload from directly within System Center -- with no networking knowledge or configuration required.

More than a year ago I wrote why I think Small and medium-size business (SMB) are not adapting virtualization, like the big spending organizations. Among the reasons I gave was about Microsoft not being in a position to offer a mature and cost effective solution and the current cost of the technology at the time. I am happy to say things have change since then and virtualization is now affordable for Small and medium-size business.

Citrix Systems and Microsoft have expanded their desktop virtualization partnership to develop an application that enable enterprise customers to manage all Windows desktops and applications through a common platform.

Microsoft released Linux Integration Components for Microsoft Hyper-V Virtualization. The download is a set of drivers that enable synthetic device support in supported Linux virtual machines under Hyper-V.

When installed in a supported Linux virtual machine running on Hyper-V, the Linux Integration Components provide.

Citrix Essentials was release last month the same time Citrix announced that its XenServer is available as a free download. Building on their long term relationship with Microsoft, Citrix said it new virtualization management software – Citrix Essentials will manage both its XenServer and Microsoft Windows 2008 Hyper-V. The Citrix Essentials suite of products/features is aimed at businesses that have a heterogeneous architecture of both Citrix XenServer and Microsoft Hyper-V.