Parallels (company)

Parallels
Private
Industry Computer software
Genre Virtualization and Hosting Automation
Founded 1999
Headquarters Bellevue, Washington, United States[1]
Key people
 Serguei Beloussov, Chairman
Birger Steen, CEO
Jack Zubarev, President
Products Parallels Desktop for Mac
Parallels Remote Application Server
Parallels Mac Management for Microsoft SCCM
Parallels Access
Revenue US$ 100 million (2008)[2]
Number of employees
 800+[3]
Website www.parallels.com

Parallels is a privately held virtualization technology company The company provides two primary products, "Parallels Desktop for Mac" and "Parallels Workstation".

Parallels headquarters is in Bellevue, Washington. The company has offices in 15 countries, including the USA, Germany, UK, France, Japan, China, Russia, Australia and Ukraine - and more than 800 employees.[3]

Company history

Privately held server automation and virtualization software company SWSoft developed software for running data centers, particularly for web-hosting services companies and application service providers. Their Virtuozzo product was an early system-level server virtualization solution, and in 2003 they bought Plesk, a commercial web hosting platform.[4]

SWsoft’s acquisition of Parallels was more or less kept under wraps until January 2004, two years before Parallels became mainstream.[5] In 2004 SWsoft acquired Parallels, Inc.[6] and Parallels Workstation for Windows and Linux 2.0[7] was released, with Parallels Desktop for Mac following in mid 2006.[8] Later the same year the corporate headquarters moved from Herndon, Virginia to Renton, Washington.

At Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2007 in San Francisco, California, Parallels announced and demonstrated its upcoming Parallels Server for Mac.[9] Parallels Server for Mac will reportedly allow IT managers to run multiple server operating systems on a single Mac Xserve.[10][11]

In 2007 the German company Netsys GmbH sued Parallels' German distributor Avanquest for copyright violation (see Parallels Desktop for Mac for details), then Parallels Server for Mac was announced at WWDC - and later Parallels Technology Network.[12]

In 2008 SWsoft merged into Parallels to become one company under the Parallels branding[5] which then acquired ModernGigabyte, LLC.[13][14] Parallels Server for Mac was launched in June[15] then in September Parallels Desktop 4 for Windows and Linux, a rename of Parallels Workstation for the 4.0 release,[16] - and Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac[17] later that year. From the next version, 6.0, the Windows and Linux software became known as Parallels Workstation again.

Over the next three years the company launched Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac,[18] Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac,[19] Parallels Server for Mac 4.0 Mac mini Edition,[20] Parallels Transporter,[21] Parallels Workstation 6 Extreme,[22] Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac,[23] Parallels Mobile for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch[24] - and Parallels Workstation 6.[25]

During 2012, 2013 and 2014 the company discontinued Parallels Server for Mac, launched Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac and Mac Management for Microsoft SCCM; and released Parallels Desktop 10 for Mac.

2015 was a big year for Parallels; they acquired 2X Software in February,[26] rebranded their Service Provider business to Odin[27] - later selling the Odin Service Automation Platform to Ingram Micro.[28] They also released Parallels Mac Management v4.0 for Microsoft SCCM and Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac.

In 2017 Virtuozzo and Plesk, two products from the pre-Parallels history of SWsoft, were spun out to become separate companies.[29][30]

Current products

  • Parallels Desktop for Mac - Enables Mac users to run Windows, Linux, Solaris, etc. in multiple, independent virtual x86 machines.[31]
  • Parallels Workstation - Enables Microsoft Windows or Linux users, to create multiple independent virtual x86 machines on a PC.
  • Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) - Delivers Virtual desktops and extends Microsoft Remote Desktop Session Host desktop sessions and applications to users through the Microsoft RDP protocol. [32]

References

  1. ↑ Worldwide Operations HQ at http://www.parallels.com/en/contact
  2. ↑ Parallels CEO Sees IPO in a Few Years, Not an Acquisition
  3. 1 2 Career Opportunities
  4. ↑ HostReview : Web Hosting News : SWsoft Acquires Plesk and Confixx to Create Global Hosting Software Powerhouse
  5. 1 2 InfoWorld Virtualization Report | David Marshall | InfoWorld | Parallels Announces Virtuozzo Containers 4.0 | January 29, 2008 08:03 PM | By David Marshall Archived February 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ↑ Parallels acknowledges SWsoft ownership
  7. ↑ Archived October 16, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ Archived February 18, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ↑ "InfoWorld Virtualization Report". Archived from the original on 2007-06-20. Retrieved 2017-04-19. Text " David Marshall " ignored (help); Text " InfoWorld " ignored (help); Text " Parallels Announces Features of its Mac Server Virtualization Product " ignored (help); Text " June 16, 2007 04:03 PM " ignored (help); Text " By David Marshall " ignored (help)
  10. ↑ Parallels demos Mac server virtualization
  11. ↑ Parallels Server for Mac
  12. ↑ Parallels Technology Network announced Archived 2007-11-23 at the Wayback Machine.
  13. ↑ Web Host Industry News | Parallels Acquires ModernGigabyte
  14. ↑ Parallels.com | Parallels Acquires ModernGigabyte Archived 2008-05-11 at the Wayback Machine.
  15. ↑ Virtualization Report | David Marshall | InfoWorld | Parallels announces the first Mac server virtualization platform | June 18, 2008 08:14 AM | David Marshall Archived June 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  16. ↑ "Desktop 4 for Windows and Linux Leverages Industry-Leading Mac Technology to Enable Widespread Adoption of PC Virtualization". Parallels. 2009-09-01. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  17. ↑ "Desktop 4.0 for Mac Offers Premium Windows-on-Mac Experience". Parallels. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  18. ↑ "Desktop 5 for Mac Offers Fastest Performance on Snow Leopard and for Windows 7 Available". Parallels. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  19. ↑ "Desktop 6 for Mac Delivers Unprecedented New and Enhanced Features for Best Windows on Mac Experience Yet". Parallels. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  20. ↑ "Server for Mac 4.0 Mac mini Edition Launch Lets Businesses Run Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows and Linux Environments Side-by-Side on an Apple Mac mini". Parallels. 2011-05-11. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  21. ↑ "Transporter Launches on the Mac App Store, Makes the Move from a PC to a Mac Easy". Parallels. 2011-05-18. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  22. ↑ "Workstation 6 Extreme makes the consolidated professional graphics workstation a reality through unmatched performance of direct assignment technology". Parallels. 2011-08-09. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  23. ↑ "Desktop 7 for Mac Makes Windows Programs Roar with Mac OS X Lion Features; New Parallels Mobile App Delivers OS X and Windows Control Plus Flash Videos with Sound". Parallels. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  24. ↑ "New Parallels Mobile App for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch Delivers Anytime Anywhere Control of Mac OS X, Windows, Ubuntu, Chrome, Fedora, Applications and Files on Your Mac". Parallels. 2011-09-01. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  25. ↑ "Workstation 6 Gives Web Designers and IT Professionals Seamless Capabilities for Running Multiple Operating Systems – Including Windows 8 – on a Single PC". Parallels. 2011-11-08. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  26. ↑ Brian Madden (2015-02-26). "Parallels Buys 2X Software". brianmadden.com. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  27. ↑ "We've Changed Our Name – Parallels Service Provider Business is Now Odin". blog.odin.com. Archived from the original on 2015-03-26. Retrieved 2015-11-14.
  28. ↑ "Parallels Holdings Limited Announces the Sale of its Odin Service Automation Platform to Ingram Micro". December 2, 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  29. ↑ https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/05/12/virtuozzo_to_build_full_container_stack_target_the_data_centre/
  30. ↑ http://www.odin.com/news/pr/release/article/sale-of-odin-service-automation-platform-to-ingram-micro/
  31. ↑ "Parallels Desktop 3.0 for Mac Adds 3D Graphics, Snapshots, and Improved Integration between Windows & Mac OS X". Archived from the original on 2007-11-10. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
  32. ↑ "Parallels acquires remote application server developer 2X Software". zdnet. 2015-02-25.
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