Microsoft is kicking Windows virtualization up a notch with the help of Citrix. The two companies have announced an expansion of their existent alliance aimed at developing and making available a new collection of virtualization solutions both client and server-side. The joint virtualization solution will be built around Windows Server 2008. According to the Redmond company, the new offerings will drop in parallel with Citrix Presentation Server and the Citrix XenDesktop based on Microsoft's last 32-bit server operating system, together with the Windows Optimized Desktop products and with the Microsoft System Center handling management. The collaboration between Microsoft and Citrix will initially materialize in the delivery of low cost/high performance remote Windows-based applications via the next generation of Citrix Presentation Server and Windows Server 2008.

"Citrix's end-to-end virtualization strategy includes a strong shared alliance with Microsoft and a commitment to continued innovation on the Windows platform. By leveraging our strength in desktop virtualization in support of the Windows Server 2008 platform and System Center, our development efforts enable businesses to deliver the right desktop experience to the right user at the right time for the increasingly diverse set of user needs. Customers should find that our virtualization products together provide one of the best ways to virtualize Windows apps, desktops and servers," explained Mark Templeton, chief executive officer of Citrix Systems.

In addition, Microsoft and Citrix plan to offer a bundle between the XenDesktop, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista Enterprise Centralized Desktop and System Center, as a way to provide Windows-based desktops. The Redmond company made it clear that XenDesktop would begin to support Windows Server 2008 following the availability of the final version of Hyper-V, in the second half of 2008. But perhaps the most relevant aspect of the new partnership for customers of server virtualization is the high level of interoperability Microsoft and Citrix are working on. In this regard, the two companies ensure that customers will be able to run heterogeneous hypervisor software, while benefiting from portable virtual machines that can easily jump between Citrix XenServer's Xen hypervisor and Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V.

"For nearly two decades, Microsoft and Citrix have delivered significant value to customers, and we're excited to expand our work around desktop and server virtualization technologies. Virtualization enables our customers to deliver the right computing resources to their employees virtually anytime, anywhere, regardless of the situation, and helps create IT systems that are more efficient, more flexible and more cost-effective. Microsoft and Citrix are working together on product integration so that customers have access to comprehensive and flexible virtualization solutions, all controlled by an integrated management platform," added Bob Muglia, senior vice president of the Server and Tools Business at Microsoft.