Wyse expands virtual desktops

Wyse announced at VMworld Europe that all of its thin client models based on XP Embedded and those using its proprietary Thin OS now have embedded support for VMware's Virtual Desktop Manager (VDM).

The move means that Wyse terminals will work straight out of the box with virtual desktop infrastructure based on VMware's tools, the firm said.

"You just take it out of the box, plug it into the LAN and away you go," said Wyse chief marketing officer Jeff McNaught.

Also at the VMware show, Wyse unveiled its TCX USB Virtualiser software that lets users of virtual desktops connect USB peripherals such as Flash drives and printers, just as most users do on a standalone PC.

The tool, which supports VMware and Citrix XenDesktop virtual desktop environments, enables all the USB ports of a Wyse thin client to appear as if they are on the server, according to McNaught.

"Users want to add business card scanners and other USB devices, and our product virtualises this back to the server," he said. Administrators can whitelist which devices users are allowed to connect, he added.

Wyse said it is also working to add the same support for workers using traditional Citrix or terminal Services sessions.

"This is one of the last inhibitors to thin clients being used by knowledge workers, and it's going to be a very big move in virtualisation," McNaught said.

Wyse also launched new thin client laptops, the X90L and X90Le, both of which have a 15.4in widescreen display and build upon the success of the earlier X90 models with a 12.1in screen.

The X90L has 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi support, while the X90Le additionally has Bluetooth to enable it to use a mobile phone to connect back to a server host.

"These are designed to meets different needs, and are more of a desktop replacement model," said McNaught. However, he said that the laptop models are one of the fastest growing product lines it sells.

"We’re seeing customers that would traditionally have put thin clients only on a desk are now giving them to workers that move around the campus and work from home," he said, adding, "we're seeing mobile thin computing really take off."

itweek.co.uk @ 2010 Incisive Media

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