WebProNews

This story does not revolve around virtualization in a "Matrix" sense; Redmond isn't about to give birth to any sort of simulated world.  It is, however, moving ahead in the world of virtual computing, and it's doing so thanks to the acquisition of Calista Technologies.

Type or click something in the comfort of your home or office, and a machine quite a ways away takes care of the hard stuff - this is the type of virtualization in which Calista specializes.  Or will specialize, anyway, since an "About Us" section reveals that its "first products are scheduled to ship in 2008."

This state of affairs looks a little odd, but in an interview with Wendy Tanaka, Roger Kay, the president of Endpoint Technologies Associates, explained, "Microsoft needs to get something into the market quickly."  Also, any penny-counting onlookers are likely to feel better as a result of Kay's estimate that Microsoft paid less than $100 million for Calista.

Solid details remain undisclosed, of course, at least pending a release or official announcement from either Microsoft or Calista.  Still, that price would fall in line with Steve Ballmer's promise to buy about one hundred companies over the next five years for between $50 million and $1 billion each.

In related news, Microsoft is also said to have established a new partnership with Citrix Systems in pursuit of the same virtualization goals.