Learn About Virtual Appliances

What are Virtual Appliances?

Virtual Appliances are pre-built software solutions, comprised of one or more Virtual Machines that are packaged, updated, maintained and managed as a unit. Unlike a traditional hardware appliance, these software appliances let customers easily acquire, deploy and manage, pre-integrated solution stacks. This speeds up time to value and simplifies software development, distribution, and management. To learn more about virtual appliances, watch this informative tutorial.

Download a virtual appliance.

Virtual Appliances Are Changing How Software is Developed, Distributed and Deployed With virtual appliances, software developers can create a single platform, reducing the cost and complexity of software development and management. They can efficiently and securely distribute the Virtual Appliance in an industry-standard format, the Open Virtualization Format (OVF). Customers can deploy an OVF packaged virtual appliance on the virtualization platform of their choice. Only VMware offers the industry’s largest VMware Solution Exchange, giving users the quickest way to browse and try applications designed to run best in a virtual machine. To learn how virtual appliances are fundamentally changing the way software is developed, distributed, deployed and managed, watch this informative tutorial. Why Deploy a Virtual Appliance? Installing and managing software is much easier when the software is delivered as a virtual appliance. Whether you deploy this ready to run software internally or leverage a cloud or service provider, deploying and managing a virtual appliance is simple, yet reliable. To find out more about partners that host virtual appliances, visit our VMware vCloud site.
Virtual Appliances are pre-configured, reducing time and expenses associated with application deployment Save time, money, and resources on patching, maintaining and managing Optimized to run in a virtual environment means more flexibility with how and where your applications run To learn how virtual appliances simplify software deployment and management, while leveraging the advanced capabilities of VI3, watch this informative tutorial.

Build a Virtual Appliance and Simplify Development

Eliminate many of the stumbling blocks that come with traditional software development and distribution. Ship pre-installed, pre-configured, standard solutions that enable your end-users to literally plug applications into their environments with minimal effort.

Hardware appliance vendors can eliminate the need for 3rd party hardware platforms and:

• Expand their reach and enter new markets
• Provide customers with more scalable and robust solutions
• Decrease time to market and get customers up and running faster
• Reduce expenses of procuring and shipping hardware

Software vendors who package solutions as virtual appliances can:

• Reduce costs and complexity of developing and testing software
• Simplify deployment and patching for customers, while reducing support calls
• Reach new customer segments

To see how your applications can become VMware Ready Virtual Appliances and reduce development, testing and distribution costs, accelerate time to market, and leverage the leading the virtualization platform to deliver a simple and secure solution to your customers, watch this tutorial.

See how to build a virtual appliance.