Quest Announces Strategic Alliances, Licensing and Product Enhancements

Quest Software, Inc. (Nasdaq: QSFT) today announced strategic moves as its presence in the desktop virtualization market strengthens. Quest has entered into a licensing agreement with Liquidware Labs for its Stratusphere Fit™ and UX™ products. The company also has formed a technology alliance with Virtual Computer for open support of client-side hypervisors. In addition, Quest today released vWorkspace ThinShell, a zero cost application for Windows PCs, which enables them to operate as “kiosks.” The moves are part of the company’s greater virtualization and cloud strategy, which will be formally unveiled tomorrow, Aug. 31, at a breakfast event for media and analysts at VMworld. Media and analysts interested in attending this invitation-only event should contact Daphne Kent at daphne.kent@quest.com or Ken Montgomery at ken.montgomery@quest.com.

Quest License Agreement with Liquidware Labs

The agreement with Liquidware Labs enables organizations to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the suitability of desktop virtualization in their environment, and perform ongoing user experience monitoring and reporting for proactive troubleshooting, improved user experience, and increased uptime. Quest will announce availability of an assessment tool based on Stratusphere Fit in the next 90 days, and will incorporate elements of Stratusphere UX into future versions of its vWorkspace product line.

“This agreement with Quest further validates the innovation that Stratusphere, and Liquidware Labs as a whole, delivers to the market by helping speed the adoption and easing the management of VDI projects,” said David Bieneman, CEO, Liquidware Labs. “Stratusphere was designed to help organizations plan, assess and help ensure a quality user experience in desktop virtualization projects for maximum return on investment.”

Quest Alliance with Virtual Computer

Quest has formed a technology alliance with Virtual Computer as part of a new initiative to provide open support for distributed desktop virtualization technologies based on client-side hypervisors. No single desktop virtualization technology meets all needs – VDI is best suited for some, Terminal Server/Session Host for others, while distributed virtualization (also known as “offline VDI”) is often the appropriate technology for mobile and traveling workers.

This initiative extends the platform-agnostic approach that vWorkspace brings to the choice of server-side hypervisors, access devices and virtualization platforms to client-side hypervisors. The debate around type 1 versus type 2 hypervisors continues, and Quest is partnering with leading vendors of both to provide choice and flexibility to its customers. The first is Virtual Computer’s NxTop, an industry-leading type 1 hypervisor-based environment which, together with its NxTop Center management system, creates a secure computing environment on distributed computers (aka offline VDI).

“Quest has long been a company to watch in desktop virtualization, and these latest bold moves demonstrate their commitment to addressing the diverse needs of enterprise customers,” said Peter Marconi, senior vice president, Virtual Computer. “The combination of vWorkspace and NxTop will help IT teams dramatically reduce the cost of deploying and managing their corporate desktops, while providing a high performance user experience for both stationary and mobile users.”

Quest Launches vWorkspace ThinShell

Finally, Quest today announced the availability of vWorkspace ThinShell, a zero cost application for Windows PCs that enables them to operate as “kiosks” for connecting to virtual desktops and applications through the vWorkspace platform. This new solution dramatically simplifies the interface for users connecting to desktops that have been virtualized into the data center, reducing help desk calls and enabling enterprises to derive greater value from their investments in Windows desktops. It is also ideal for environments with shared kiosk PCs, such as libraries, hospitals and student labs.

“Our approach to desktop virtualization has always been to provide choice and flexibility to our customers,” said Simon Pearce, vice president and general manager, Desktop Virtualization Group, Quest Software. “We are expanding our footprint in the desktop virtualization space with new offerings for assessment, experience monitoring, offline workers, and Windows kiosk PCs. These announcements demonstrate Quest’s growing profile as we anticipate and listen to our customers’ needs, and make strategic choices to deliver them best-of-breed solutions.”

About Quest Software, Inc.

Quest Software simplifies and reduces the cost of managing IT for more than 100,000 customers worldwide. Our innovative solutions make solving the toughest IT management problems easier, enabling customers to save time and money across physical, virtual and cloud environments. For more information about Quest go to www.quest.com

About Liquidware Labs

Liquidware Labs is the leader in Assessment and User Experience Management for next generation desktops including Quest vWorkspace, VMware View, Citrix XenDesktop, and Microsoft Windows 7. The company’s Stratusphere™ and ProfileUnity™ solutions have been described by analysts as the industry’s first “On-Ramp to VDI” by providing complete methodology and software that enable organizations to cost-effectively plan, migrate, and manage their next generation desktop infrastructure with best practices in mind. LWL’s comprehensive solutions provide Assessment, Personalization Management, User Configuration, and Service Level Assurance. Visit www.liquidwarelabs.com for further information.

About Virtual Computer

Virtual Computer is the market leader in distributed desktop virtualization. The company’s flagship product, NxTop®, enables desktop IT professionals to create flexible, reliable, and secure end-points for any combination of laptops, desktops, VDI or cloud computing. Fully managed from a single console, NxTop dramatically lowers the cost of deploying and maintaining personal computers in organizations of any size. www.virtualcomputer.com