Xiotech announced that it has entered into an alliance with Xcedex. Under the agreement, Xiotech is able to offer Xcedex's proprietary X_Factor Virtualization Readiness Planning (VRP) and Virtualization Readiness Design (VRD) analytics tools to its customers, allowing them to assess their IT environments for the approval, preparation and planning of virtual projects. This added level of detail will pay off for clients in increased control, higher return on investment (ROI) and lower total cost of ownership (TCO) throughout their data centers.

Xcedex's X_Factor technology performs an assessment of a pre-virtual network by running inside it for a period of time and collecting inventory on servers, storage and network devices. It then assigns a score to each device based on performance characteristics, which can be used to compare proposed virtualization scenarios to make an appropriate selection. Modeling is done to ensure compatibility with design and configuration options, and detailed reports on capacity and statistics are issued. To complete the process, findings are clearly presented along with a roadmap and financial analysis, allowing for conclusions to be drawn and recommendations to be formed. Put together, the entire process will help IT leaders create optimized virtualization strategies.

"Our customers have been looking for virtualization planning resources along with the best-in-class storage management and storage-related server administration capabilities we offer with our ICON Manager user interface and Virtual View plug-in," said Eric Lomascolo, Director of Product Management at Xiotech. "With Xcedex on board, we now have the perfect complement to our existing offerings and can offer our customers the best virtualization consulting services available to meet their needs."

"Storage is a critical part of a virtualization solution, and Xiotech's comprehensive capabilities deliver a single pane of glass view into a virtual infrastructure," said Chris Taylor, Executive Vice President/Co-Founder at Xcedex.

"By combining Xcedex's front-end capabilities for virtualization planning and design with Xiotech's storage architecture, users can take virtual infrastructure management to the next level, with deep, proactive analysis and planning," added Ron Cheney, Executive Vice President/Co-Founder at Xcedex. "As a result, users can rapidly deploy virtualization with the assurance of a solid design and architecture that addresses their business needs and is scalable and highly available."

Xiotech will be introducing Xcedex to its channel partners, who will be responsible for the implementation and support of VRP and VRD. Upon purchase, the tools are available for immediate installation and can be operational within a few days.