NComputing – Cloud Computing Today

NComputing Releases Desktop as a Service Targeted To SMBs

Thin client leader NComputing recently announced that So-net Corporation, a member of the Sony Corporation, became the first service provider to deploy its newly released desktop as a service solution. NComputing’s desktop as a service solution enables organizations to deliver a unified environment for computing in conjunction with simplified provisioning, enhanced control of end user experiences and streamlined achievement of compliance regulations. Because NComputing’s Desktop as a Service solution leverages its vSpace virtualization platform, the solution is targeted towards SMBs that are interested in a non-VMware or Citrix-based virtualization platform such as vSpace to serve their virtualization needs. Moreover, NComputing’s Desktop as a Service solution can be integrated with its recently released workspace solution, oneSpace, to serve the needs of mobile customers in addition to desktop environments.

vSpace’s integration into NComputing’s Desktop as a Service offering is illustrated below:

Architected using a server based computing model, NComputing’s Desktop as a Service infrastructure delivers one OS to multiple client terminals whether they be laptops, mobile devices or thin clients. Designed specifically for organizations seeking a low cost solution with minimal complexity with respect to the heterogeneity of the computing experience of end users, the solution allows for the backend management of its Desktop as a Service offering by means of the vSpace management center. Service providers have the option of rebranding the solution or opting for a co-branding deployment as befits the needs of each customer.

NComputing’s decision to target SMBs for its Desktop as a Service solution represents a highly astute strategy to consolidate its positioning within the largely untapped SMB market that has been overshadowed by the battle for enterprise cloud market share waged by giants such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Compute Engine. As noted by NComputing’s VP of Global Marketing, Dave Burton, in a phone interview with Cloud Computing Today, the market for NComputing’s DaaS opportunity constitutes a $600M market in a fragmented SMB space that contains no clearly defined market leader as of yet. While NComputing stands poised to carve out a leadership space in the larger market for cloud products and services for SMBs, the larger point worth noting is that the SMB space represents a potentially lucrative market for cloud products and services both in and of itself, and as part of a larger strategy that carries with it the possibility of an on-ramp to market share within enterprise cloud computing as well.

NComputing oneSpace Provides Workspace Solution For Medium-Sized Organizations

NComputing today announced the release of oneSpace, an integrated workspace solution that enables the delivery of bundles of pre-packaged applications and services to a variety of end user devices. The solution responds to the needs of employees in small to mid-size organizations to access their files and applications on the end user device of their choice. Built using NComputing’s vSpace client virtualization platform, NComputing oneSpace exemplifies the company’s commitment to “simplicity, performance and value” by providing a cost-effective way for small to medium sized businesses to solve the problem of securely delivering files and applications to a variety of devices to cater to the needs of mobile employees. As such, NComputing oneSpace responds to the growing bring your own device (BYOD) phenomenon in enterprise IT and the corresponding surge in tablet usage in corporate settings. The cloud-based solution allows organizations to deliver applications and files to tablets as illustrated below:

With oneSpace, organizations can deliver Windows, Linux and SaaS applications to tablets, regulate user access to applications and files by way of role based access control rules and provide an environment for accessing on-premise files. In addition, the platform enables users to share files using well known cloud-based applications such as Box and Dropbox. The solution is available by means of “an all-cloud or hybrid cloud deployment model,” according to NComputing’s press release. NComputing is currently available via a private Beta and will progress to a public Beta in the spring of 2014. The release of NComputing’s oneSpace platform illustrates its transition from a thin client vendor to a desktop virtualization platform to a cloud-based workspace solution that, in conjunction with its tablet and vSpace offerings, provide a varied set of IT solutions aimed at mid-sized businesses seeking the combination of value and price. Amidst the stampede of IT product offerings aimed at the enterprise, NComputing’s suite of product offerings are steadily carving out a niche in the IT landscape by building a base of customers through which to battle test a range of cloud and virtualization products that promise to transform the economics of IT delivery.

NComputing Upgrades N-series Thin Clients With Enhanced Security, Productivity And Citrix-integration

Today, NComputing announces the release of the latest version of its N-series thin clients N500, N500w and N400. NComputing’s N-series thin clients are used as endpoint, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solutions for customers that have deployed a Citrix-based virtualization solution. The latest release features enhanced support for wireless protocols such as “WPA-Enterprise, WPA2-Enterprise and 802.1x authentication protocols over LAN and wireless LAN and hidden SSID support.” In addition, this release includes productivity improvements such as improved functionality to upgrade N-series devices by way of the vSpace Management Center, reductions in boot time and expanded support for peripheral devices and applications. The N-series System on Chip technology that integrates with Citrix claims the distinction of the first thin client to support the latest version of the 12.5.2 Citrix Receiver for Linux. Moreover, the latest N-series product line supports other cutting-edge Citrix technologies such as XenApp 6.5 Feature Pack 2 and VDI-in-a-Box 5.2 owing to the strength of NComputing’s partnership with Citrix. Taken together, these enhancements stand to bolster the market positioning of NComputing’s thin client series in a thin client market landscape featuring devices from HP and Dell-Wyse. The additional functionality enhances NComputing’s security and productivity and takes it closer to feature-level parity with competing devices.

NComputing Releases vSpace Server 7.1 To Enhance Its Virtualization Platform

Today, NComputing announces the release of its vSpace Server software that extends its desktop virtualization capabilities to Windows environments such as Windows Multipoint Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8. The latest release, vSpace Server 7.1, delivers enhanced graphics and a richer user experience for Windows users including expanded support for USB peripheral devices. vSpace Server 7.1 represents a key component of NComputing’s vSpace Virtualization Platform, a production-ready virtualization solution for medium sized companies that cannot afford desktop and application virtualization options from the likes of VMware and Citrix. Today’s release of vSpace Server 7.1 enhances NComputing’s vSpace Virtualization Platform and positions it to execute its strategy of building market share amongst small to medium sized businesses while concurrently targeting enterprise users through its partnership with Citrix and its N-Series thin client offering.

vSpace Server 7.1 is supported by vSpace Management Center, whose enhanced scale and management functionality allows IT administrators to manage tens of thousands of instances on servers, PCs and clients such as NComputing’s L300 or M300 thin clients. The vSpace Management Center’s user interface is illustrated by the screenshot below:

NComputing Management Console

NComputing’s desktop and application virtualization platform is additionally complemented by customer support options that include the NComputing Support and Subscription (SnS) programs, whose purview now includes vSpace Server and vSpace Management Center. NComputing’s CEO, Raj Dhingra, remarked on the significance of the release of vSpace Server as follows:

The latest major release of the vSpace Server software demonstrates NComputing’s continued commitment to simple, powerful and affordable desktop virtualization for mid-size enterprises, small to medium businesses and key verticals. By offering support for the latest Windows environments, users can continue rely on NComputing technology to grow and adapt to their emerging business needs.

Dhingra’s remarks elaborate on the significance of the vSpace Server release in the context of the simplicity, power and value specific to NComputing’s virtualization options. By extending support to Windows machines, today’s release marks a notable enhancement of a virtualization solution that targets a segment of the market overlooked by solutions geared toward the enterprise. NComputing’s two pronged strategy of targeting non-enterprise customers via the vSpace Virtualization Platform while courting the enterprise vis-à-vis its partnership with Citrix positions NComputing to quickly consolidate its early traction within the small to medium-sized business market as well as within select verticals such as healthcare and education.

NComputing Releases Enhanced N-Series Thin Client For Desktop Virtualization In Partnership With Citrix

NComputing today announced the latest release of its thin client N-series featuring an array of enhancements that consolidates its position as a leader in the client virtualization space. The release builds upon NComputing’s relationship with Citrix to deliver a high performance, cost effective thin client solution that leverages Citrix XenDesktop and Citrix XenApp virtualization technology. NComputing claims that N-series firmware delivers competitive performance and quality at approximately one third the cost of comparable PCs and thin clients.

Key features of the latest release of the N-series thin client include the following:

•Certified integration of Imprivata’s OneSign single sign on (SSO) technology to streamline authentication amongst multiple devices in ways that are ideal for healthcare professionals that move from one room to another. The partnership with Imprivata also enables professionals to leverage RFID badges to seamlessly gain access to an ecosystem of machines without having to perform a single click.
•Additional USB options to support industry use cases such as specialized scanners, imagers, teller workstations in banking and other specialized peripheral devices.
•Integration with the Citrix receiver for Linux to optimize the user’s High Definition Experience (HDX) and utilization of multimedia audio and video streams.
•The latest version of vSpace Management Center in order to deliver management via a web-based management console including the capacity to perform and schedule critical updates to N-series firmware technology.

Raj Dhingra, CEO of NComputing, remarked on the value proposition of the latest release of the N-series as follows:

Together, NComputing and Citrix are transforming the economics of desktop virtualization. Since launching the N-series at last year’s Citrix Synergy show we’ve added more than 100 customers worldwide. The latest release is in direct response to the continued demand we’re seeing in every single market we serve, and keeps us well ahead of the competition. We will continue winning every time with our unique combination of simplicity, performance and value.

Dhingra’s remarks summarize NComputing’s strategy in the context of delivering simplified, high performing thin client solutions at a competitive price. NComputing’s customer base has expanded rapidly over the past year and now includes customers in healthcare, finance, education, manufacturing and government. Customers from all verticals leverage the benefits of the low power consumption specific to the N-series, whose System on Chip (SoC) technology consumes an average of 5 watts of power in contrast to the 150 watts of power typically consumed by a PC or laptop. The reduced power consumption specific to N-series firmware allows for less frequent recharging of thin clients in settings such as hospitals and manufacturing where the devices are typically moved from one space to another frequently, often in conditions where power outlets are not within immediate proximity.

Overall, the market outlook for thin clients remains positive with IDC projecting market growth of 6.2% in 2013 overall with higher growth rates expected for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) as noted by Oleg Sidorkin, senior research analyst at IDC:

Although commercial desktop PC shipments are shrinking, the thin client market remains buoyant. Vendors now offer attractive thin client solutions that meet the needs of different vertical markets, such as healthcare, banking, education, or retail. Increased security concerns, easier administration, lower maintenance costs, and lower power consumption are among the main reasons why companies may choose thin clients over traditional PCs.

Growth potential on the thin client market is still high in the EMEA region. We expect total thin client shipments in 2013 to grow fastest in France, Germany, and Russia – at more than 10%. This growth is driven by demand from healthcare entities, financial institutions, and public-sector customers, which are looking for a centralized desktop environment with high level of security and reliability. As the lifecycle of the current PC installed base among many companies is coming to an end, more organizations will consider thin clients as a viable alternative to desktop PCs in the coming years.

NComputing stands poised to increase market share in relation to competitors such as HP and Dell as its product line matures and traction in the enterprise space across multiple verticals deepens. According to IDC, NComputing currently has a market share of 16.1% in comparison to Dell’s (Wyse) 25.4% and HP’s 26.2% in the enterprise client device space. Given that thin clients typically do not perform well with HDX technology, NComputing’s latest N-series release could well disrupt the thin client market given its high performance with Citrix’s HDX technology and competitive cost and user experience simplicity.

NComputing Announces New Release Of Its Desktop Virtualization Platform

NComputing today announced the release of a new version of its acclaimed desktop virtualization platform that adds additional features and functionality to the platform recognized by IDC as a major player in the desktop virtualization space. The new release features the following three enhancements:

•vSpace Server version 7 for Windows
Access for up to 100 machines to a discrete Windows or Linux operating system instance.

•vSpace Management Center
An enterprise-grade management console that empowers IT administrators to manage client devices by way of a user-friendly web-based console.

•vSpace Premium Support and Services
Premium service and support including easy access to support engineers dedicated to the vSpace platform.

The enhancements collectively position NComputing to consolidate market share in the desktop virtualization space by way of its emphasis on simplicity, performance and value. Whereas desktop virtualization solutions have traditionally been complex to implement, NComputing’s vSpace platform differentiates by way of the simplicity of its installations and subsequent management. Moreover, NComputing’s performance and value collectively enable customers to confidently recoup their capital investment in addition to claiming ancillary benefits of a virtualized infrastructure such as enhanced enterprise security and control over computing devices.

Raj Dhingra, CEO of NComputing, elaborated on the company’s value proposition as follows:

NComputing removes the barriers to desktop virtualization, including the cost and complexity that has slowed adoption in both enterprise and SMB. Our approach is unique in blending three core principles to desktop virtualization success: simplicity, performance and value. Other solutions might deliver on one or two of these, but no vendor integrates all three. NComputing is accelerating the adoption of desktop virtualization and expanding the market by delivering integrated solutions that remove the barriers to adoption through this unique formula for success.

Here, Dhingra remarks on how no vendor in the desktop virtualization space can claim product attributes aligned to the combination of simplicity, value and performance in the way that vSpace can. Even though desktop virtualization has historically struggled to gain market traction because of concerns about cost or implementation complexity, NComputing has accelerated the pace of adoption of desktop virtualization solutions “through this unique formula for success.” vSpace now claims four million seats in production worldwide and over 20 million users in 140 countries.

A significant percentage of the company’s customers are currently in the education vertical amongst school districts, universities and Ministries of Education all over the world. Ray Kase, Director of Technology, Downingtown Area School District in Pennsylvania, elaborated on the use of NComputing amongst his school district as follows:

Everything we do today at our district is virtualized. NComputing’s vSpace technology enables several users to access a single operating system simultaneously by virtualizing multiple independent user accounts and dividing the computer’s resources so we knew the technology would be a great fit for us. We estimate we’re saving $400 per seat using NComputing instead of a traditional PC. What’s more, the centralized management system that we’ll be moving to will save me a bundle of time as well.

Kase points to a savings of $400 per seat in addition to the savings related to a simplified, enterprise-grade management platform. The bottom line here is that NComputing’s solution is gradually obliterating barriers to adoption that led to the failure of other desktop virtualization solutions such as Pano Logic, for example. NComputing’s unique ability to deliver an implementation-friendly, cost-effective VDI solution is gradually gaining recognition across the enterprise and, moreover, “its platform is showing success in early implementations,” according to Brett Waldman, Research Manager for Client Virtualization at IDC.

A sample NComputing dashboard is shown below: