Parallels Desktop 4 for Windows and Linux Leverages Industry-Leading Mac Technology to Enable Widespread Adoption of PC Virtualization

Affordable, packaged, business-ready solution simplifies and speeds desktop computing

Renton, WA (Vocus) September 2, 2009

Parallels, a worldwide leader in virtualization and automation software, today launched a new easy-to-use desktop solution that is designed to enable widespread adoption of PC virtualization. Parallels Desktop 4 for Windows and Linux can be installed on top of a Windows or Linux host operating system (OS), and then used to run any combination of guest Windows and Linux OSs at the same time on one PC. This complete, affordable solution is supported with integrated tools and applications that ensure virtual PC environments can be easily managed by a broad range of users, including corporate IT teams, power users, testers and developers.

"Desktop virtualization is expanding into mainstream areas such as enterprise-wide desktop deployment and we envision IT environments where VMs can be deployed quickly and freely between different platforms, helping individuals and businesses maximize the value of computing," said Serguei Beloussov, CEO of Parallels. "To achieve this, Parallels Desktop 4 for Windows and Linux delivers a well-supported, high performing solution that makes PC virtualization affordable and accessible for a far wider audience."

"Parallels' PC virtualization gives us one simple solution to address a number of scenarios that arise in developing and selling our software to the financial industry," said Jonathan Hartley, Software Engineer, Resolver Systems. "The solution enables us to run multiple operating systems simultaneously so we can demo our software to customers, create sandboxes for testing and avoid compatibility conflicts."

Parallels Desktop 4 for Windows and Linux helps cut the cost of purchasing new hardware as users can run multiple OSs side-by-side on a single machine. The new solution supports both Intel VT-x (including EPT, Flex Priority, VPIDs) and AMD-V virtualization technologies. Built on Parallels' market leading Parallels FastLane architecture, it is designed to run virtualized 32 and 64 bit OSs and applications up to eight times faster than ever before, due to increased support for up to eight virtual CPUs and eight gigabyte of virtual RAM.

The solution includes a configuration and management Graphical User Interface (GUI) that simplifies the process of creating new Virtual Machines (VMs). Parallels Desktop 4 for Windows and Linux leverages Parallels' high performance adaptive hypervisor, as well as award-winning, patent-pending technologies such as Coherence and SmartX tools, including USB compatibility: innovations that enable users to seamlessly run different OSs and their applications side-by-side.

Parallels' easy-to-use migration tools are also integrates in the new solution, such as Parallels Transporter, enabling users to quickly capture physical environments or import other third party virtual machines. Additional integrated applications include Parallels Tools to help users optimize their virtual machines. For example, Parallels Compressor automatically cleans up the unused space on virtual hard drives to keep VMs compact and running up to 50% more efficiently. Parallels Image Tool allows users to change the size, type and properties of virtual disk files and give the flexibility to grow over time.

More specifically, the packaged solution includes a number of tools and applications that enable:

•     Application testing: Create sandboxed environments to develop, test and assure the quality of software across multiple operating systems.
•     Application compatibility: Support applications from legacy operating systems as an integrated part of a standardized platform.
•     Web browser compatibility testing: Quickly test web applications against a wide variety of browsers on different operating systems from a single computer.
•     Computer labs & shared computers: Automatically revert each computer to a baseline configuration every time the VM is restarted with the Parallels undo-disks feature. This reduces the burden of re-setting shared computers on an ongoing basis.
•     Compute cloud simulation: Simulate complex multi-tier environments that replicate a cloud computing environment for testing & experimentation purposes in a controlled environment.
•     Web developers: Create and share LAMP, Rails or JAVA environments as VM templates to eliminate the time it takes for developers to install & configure their local machines.
•     Safe internet browsing: Surf the web within a VM to isolate potential security risks and keep them from impacting desktops, data or applications.

In depth information and screenshots of Parallels Desktop 4 for Windows and Linux are available at http://www.parallels.com/desktop/pd4wl

About Parallels -- Optimized Computing
Parallels is a worldwide leader in virtualization and automation software that optimizes computing for consumers, businesses, and cloud services providers across all major hardware, operating systems, and virtualization platforms. Founded in 1999, Parallels is a fast-growing company with 700 employees in North America, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit http://www.parallels.com.

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