Citrix Introduces New Virtualization Pricing ModelCitrix Introduces New Virtualization Pricing Model

The new Citrix Systems XenServer 4.1 incorporates a pricing model based on the number of physical servers a customer uses, rather than the more common "socket"- or virtual-machine based model.The new pricing means that "customers can now deploy an unlimited number of virtual machines or guest operating systems on each physical server for a single low price," according to the company's announcment. "These enhancements, together with a rapidly expanding list of resellers and strategic infrastructure partners are making virtualization far easier and more affordable for customers of all sizes." Smaller enterprises with limited IT staff would probably benefit from the lower management demands that come with a simpler pricing model.

Among the partnerships Citrix has in mind is one with data management solutions provider NetApp. The new Citrix XenServer Adapter for NetApp Data Ontap provides customers with virtualized storage that can be managed from within the XenServer console. Data ONTAP provides services such as thin provisioning, cloning, replication, backup and recovery.ChannelWeb, BusinessWire