Ardence

Infobox_Company
company_
company_name = Ardence, a Citrix Company
foundation = 1980
company_type = Private
location = Waltham, Massachusetts
key_people = Stephen M. Woodard, Vice President, Product Line Executive, OEM/Embedded Group
industry = Computer software
num_employees = 104 (2006)
homepage = [http://www.ardence.com/ www.ardence.com]
footnotes = Formerly: Ardence, Inc., VenturCom

Ardence, a Citrix Company, is a technology company headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts with representatives in Washington, D.C.; Virginia Beach, VA; Chicago, IL; Denton, TX; and Europe, Middle East, Africa and India.

On December 20th, 2006, Citrix Systems Inc. announced an agreement to acquire Ardence.

Ardence is a software company that develops a Software-Streaming solution and an Embedded OEM Development Platform.

The enterprise Software-Streaming solution delivers Microsoft Windows, SUSE Linux, Red Hat Linux and Turbolinux operating systems along with all their applications on demand from networked storage. Using Ardence's software-streaming technology, any x86-based computer - desktop, server, or device - can be provisioned, or re-provisioned from bare metal to production in minutes.

The core technology behind the software streaming solution is a device driver for the desired operating system that mounts the desired virtual disk over a custom UDP protocol [cite web | last=Madden | first=Brian | year=2006 | url=http://www.brianmadden.com/content/article/Using-Ardence-Disk-Streaming-with-Citrix-Servers | title=Using Ardence Disk Streaming with Citrix Servers] . Basically, computers are configured to netboot a kernel that contains this device driver.

The Ardence Embedded OEM Development Platform delivers market-leading operating system control capabilities that enable OEMs to increase system performance and manageability.

Products

[http://www.ardence.com/enterprise/products.aspx?id=56Ardence Software Streaming Platform]
The Ardence Software-Streaming Platform enables cost reductions and productivity gains by centralizing the delivery and control of Microsoft Windows, SUSE Linux, Red Hat Linux and Turbolinux operating systems along with all their applications. Streaming the OS and applications from the network provides desktops, servers, or devices with unmatched manageability and reliability, while reducing operating costs. PCs and devices can be operated without a hard-disk drive and be managed remotely via a local or remote server while processing locally, without the need for increased RAM.

[http://www.ardence.com/embedded/products.aspx?ID=70RTX]
RTX is a deterministic control solution for Windows – saving developers time, reducing system costs and getting products to market faster. It is a solution that supports multi-processor, multi-core, and mobile platforms. RTX enhances Windows’ universally adopted look/feel with features that give developers real-time determinism, and better control and dependability compared to Windows alone.

[http://www.ardence.com/embedded/products.aspx?ID=71Phar Lap ETS]
The Phar Lap ETS real-time operating system provides system designers with the most reliable, highest performing, and easy to deploy hard-real-time development environment. Based on x86 architectures, ETS offers a comprehensive suite of tools that smoothly integrates into the well-known Microsoft Visual Studio IDE – minimizing development and debugging time. With support for all standard BIOS implementations and the industry’s smallest operational footprint, the in32 API compliant Phar Lap ETS RTOS enables developers to install, configure and start developing within 2–4 hours.

[http://www.ardence.com/embedded/products.aspx?ID=72ReadyOn]
Ardence ReadyOn enables OEMs to integrate instant availability with enhanced reliability and corruption protection into their designs. Additional benefits include reducing manufacturing costs and speeding time to market. The enhanced end-user experience of instant-on/off functionality and secure, corruption proof reliability in devices using the Windows operating system provides OEMs with clear competitive advantages and the required functionality to compete in tomorrow’s markets.

[http://www.ardence.com/embedded/products.aspx?id=964ArdenceSelect]
ArdenceSelect is a next-generation product (the direct result of customer feedback about ReadyOn) that provides single OS systems with the ability to boot to multiple configurations (personalities). OEMs can easily re-configure and update products remotely, and even provide multiple configurations based on boot-sequence options. This device-personality manager enhances the user experience and provides a separate utility configuration that helps in system diagnostics and enables rapid recovery.

[http://www.ardence.com/embedded/products.aspx?ID=1228BonD/APT]
Bandwidth On-Demand and Application Priority Technology allocate and prioritize bandwidth and CPU cycles to desired application(s), negating any performance degradation from the OS and other applications. This capability ensures optimal performance and reduces latencies. For instance, applications such as videos and games can operate with optimized performance regardless of other bandwidth-intensive and CPU-intensive applications running simultaneously (which continue to operate at a lower priority). VOIP, VOD and Internet search can also be prioritized – without having to tune a router or add hardware to the configuration.

Awards

In 2005, Ardence won the [http://www.computerworld.com/softwaretopics/software/story/0,10801,104421p5,00.html ComputerWorld Horizon Award] .
In 2006, Ardence won the [http://www.crn.com/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=JAD4H3EN2ZVW0QSNDBOCKH0CJUMEKJVN?articleID=181503782&queryText=ardence CRN Best In Show Award] at [http://www-1.ibm.com/partnerworld/pwhome.nsf/pi/pw2006_index.html IBM PartnerWorld] .

History

VenturCom, founded in 1980. [http://www.manufacturingcenter.com/metlfax/archives/0301/0301cmv.asp]

Ardence, Inc. changed its name from VenturCom in 2004.
On December 20th 2006, Citrix Systems Inc. announced an agreement to acquire Ardence. [cite web | author=AP | title= Citrix Announces Agreement to Acquire Ardence Inc. Enabling On Demand Provisioning for Application Delivery | year=Dec 20, 2006 | url=http://www.citrix.com/English/NE/news/news.asp?newsID=162572&ntref=hp_article_headlines_US ]

Founders

Marc H. Meyer
Doug Mook
Bill Spencer
Myron Zimmerman

External links

* [http://www.ardence.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.ardence.com/enterprise/success.aspx?ID=131 Success Profiles - Software Streaming Platform]
* [http://www.ardence.com/embedded/success.aspx?ID=195 Success Profiles - Embedded Solutions]
* [http://weblog.infoworld.com/virtualization/archives/2006/08/research_report.html Research report on Ardence by infoworld]
* [http://www.districtadministration.com/page.cfm?p=1431 Software-Streaming in Education]
* [http://www.computerworld.com/softwaretopics/software/apps/story/0,10801,106354,00.html Computer World Article on Software-Streaming]
* [https://support.ardence.com Official Ardence Support]

Competing Product Links

* iRMX by [http://www.tenasys.com/ TenAsys]
* Neoware Image Manager [http://www.neoware.com/products/software/thin_client_image_manager.php]
* Xtreaming Technology Inc Virtual Hard Disk system [http://www.vhdsoft.com]

References and notes