By Varun Aggarwal
Desktop virtualization vendor NComputing, which has a footprint of 2.5 lakh installed end-points in India across the government and education sectors, is now eyeing the enterprise segment with the launch of its latest L300 access device.
The company is scouting for partners to deploy these solutions in SMBs and across enterprises that do not have compute-intensive tasks but restrict themselves to basic computing such as word processing and Internet surfing. Verticals such as health care, ITES, BFSI and education that stick to such basic forms of computing are the target markets for L300. The company is expecting growth from tier-2 and tier-3 cities, and will therefore be hiring new partners.
L300 is an update to NComputing’s existing X series end-points, which are also available through LG under its Network Monitor brand. NComputing access devices, including L300, work like a thin client using virtual desktop infrastructure technology.
In order to bring enterprise-class reliability and manageability, the L300 comes with automatic failover and load balancing along with plug-and-play support for USB peripheral devices such as keyboards, mice and digital cameras. The L300 can be combined with VMware virtualization management infrastructure including VMware View and Manage.
According to Manish Sharma, VP, Asia-Pacific Region, NComputing, “The L300 can also reduce the operational expenses associated with Citrix server farms by eliminating the maintenance costs associated with deploying Citrix client applications to every desktop PC since it’s pre-configured to work with the Citrix server.”
Combined with NComputing’s vSpace software, this enterprise-ready solution provides thin-client access performance including full-motion multi-media playback and fast and simple deployment. It also has powerful management tools. With an end-user price of Rs 9,500 plus the monitor cost, the L300 ends up with roughly the same Capex investment as that of a desktop. As far as Windows licenses are concerned, an organization would require CALs for each thin client deployed under Microsoft’s software license agreement. However, Sharma said that “The real savings come in the form of Opex costs. With manageability tools like vSpace, L300 saves on Opex costs through the easy management of multiple desktops with centralized control, even from remote locations. Moreover, the 2W power footprint reduces the power and cooling bills by almost 90 percent. We can even leverage the computing power of the cloud to power these thin clients, giving users enough options to run their IT infrastructure.”
Within the last 18 months, NComputing has grabbed some large desktop virtualization projects including 50,000 seats for schools in Andhra Pradesh, and 31,000 seats for the Employee State Insurance Corporation. |