SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 10, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sphere 3D Corp. (NASDAQ: ANY ), a containerization, virtualization and data management solutions provider, today announced that it has teamed with Microsoft to make its Glassware 2.0™ application containerization technology for Windows applications, widely available to Microsoft Azure customers. The product, which has already been provisioned on 70 virtual machines (VMs) in its first week in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace , enables users to easily and rapidly migrate their Windows line of business applications to the cloud and use them across a plethora of devices and operating systems. Through this relationship, Sphere 3D's installed base gains simplified access to Azure's elastic cloud infrastructure and Microsoft's massive Azure customer base also garners easy access to Glassware 2.0.
"Practitioners in the Wikibon community are in the midst of a challenging time for managing their application portfolio. The opportunities and difficulties of leveraging cloud and mobile technologies puts a strain on IT. According to Wikibon data, Microsoft is the leader in overall public cloud (across the combination of IaaS, PaaS and SaaS) and has long been critical to any consideration of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)," says Wikibon Sr. Analyst Stu Miniman. "Bringing Glassware 2.0 into the Microsoft Azure Marketplace gives users the performance and flexibility of Sphere 3D's solutions across a broad spectrum of devices and environments and arms users with a powerful tool to deliver their application portfolio."
G-Series Cloud , is the latest Sphere 3D product to utilize Glassware 2.0, and it is available now to be provisioned on the VM of the users' choice. It can be found in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace under the brand "G-Series Cloud." Requiring no code re-writes or translation, Glassware 2.0 eliminates the complex task of designing, implementing, and maintaining application-hosting environments, and provides industry leading application session density and scale. Glassware 2.0 containers are unlike other hypervisor-based approaches as each application's host OS is never installed on the VM. G-Series Cloud provides only the necessary elements of the OS (kernel) needed for applications to run, allowing organizations to quickly migrate both current and legacy applications to the robust elastic infrastructure of Microsoft Azure, free from the fear of end-of-life support and security vulnerabilities.
Sphere 3D's containerization technology delivers applications with their native functionality to most end-user devices including Chromebooks, Windows 10 Devices, iPads, thin clients, tablets, etc. The "Glassware Connect" downloadable client is also available now in the Apple iOS, Google Play and Google Chrome app stores; users can also access their applications from any Java enabled web browser.
"Sphere 3D addresses the diverse needs of users with a range of cloud solutions delivered through Microsoft Azure," said Eric Kelly, CEO of Sphere 3D. "Through our easy-to-use Glassware 2.0 technology, organizations can liberate their applications from their workstations and gain the countless advantages offered by the cloud."
Sphere 3D's G-Series Cloud, based on Glassware 2.0 technology, is pre-configured so that it can be deployed from the Microsoft Azure Marketplace in just minutes. It has a simple user interface to allow for admins to quickly deploy applications, integrate with existing workflows and enable a mobile workforce. Additional details can be found at www.sphere3d.com/glassware-gseries/cloud and instructional videos on how to get started can be found at https://youtu.be/a2oZKYj8C-w and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GebPbnjQrY .
The company will be holding a "GoLive" event on December 17 th , at 2:00pm EST to demonstrate the simplicity of provisioning Glassware 2.0 in Azure through a live install with a customer. Users can participate in this live webcast by registering at: https://live.sphere3d.com/ .
In addition, Sphere 3D representatives will be live on Microsoft's "Mid-Day Café" February 8 th , 2016. The event, "The Fastest Way to Containerize Your Applications, An Interview with Sphere 3D" will be a live broadcast. Details and particulars for registering for the event will be posted at http://wwmtcstudios.com/Events# . Mid-Day Café is a weekly webcast series hosted by Michael Gannotti from the Philadelphia Microsoft Technology Center. Each week Michael discusses the latest innovations from Microsoft and its partners. Details for additional events will also be posted on the Sphere 3D website at www.sphere3d.com as they become available.
About Sphere 3D
Sphere 3D Corp. (NASDAQ: ANY ) delivers containerization and virtualization technologies along with data management products that enable workload-optimized solutions. We achieve this through a combination of containerized applications, virtual desktops, virtual storage and physical hyper-converged platforms. Sphere 3D's value proposition is simple and direct—we allow organizations to deploy a combination of public, private or hybrid cloud strategies while backing them up with state of the art storage solutions. Sphere 3D, along with its wholly-owned subsidiaries Overland Storage and Tandberg Data , has a strong portfolio of brands including Glassware 2.0™, SnapCLOUD™ , SnapScale®, SnapServer®, V3 , RDX® and NEO®. For more information, visit www.sphere3d.com .
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements including statements regarding our expectations with respect to revenue and contract value over the next three years, and timing and extent of deployment of infrastructure. These forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, the possibility that the contract will not be fully implemented due to changes in IPro requirements or other reasons, unforeseen changes in the course of Sphere 3D's business or the business of its wholly-owned subsidiaries, including, without limitation, Overland Storage and Tandberg Data; any increase in Sphere 3D' s cash needs or our inability to obtain additional debt or equity financing; market adoption and performance of our products; the level of success of our collaborations and business partnerships; possible actions by customers, partners, suppliers, competitors or regulatory authorities; and other risks detailed from time to time in Sphere 3D's periodic reports contained in our Annual Information Form and other filings with Canadian securities regulators ( www.sedar.com ) and in the periodic reports file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ( www.sec.gov ). Sphere 3D undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
Investor Relations Contact: Mike Bishop The Blueshirt Group Tel: +1 415-217-4968 Media Contacts: Eileen Elam Sphere 3D 408-283-4734 Nick Foot BWW Communications +44-1491-636393
