IBM Offers Virtual Desktop for $150 per Year
The IBM Virtual Desktop for businesses is a new workforce mobility offering that provides anytime, anywhere access to personal desktops from mobile devices — including tablets, netbooks, laptops and thin clients.
To target the emerging demand in the workforce mobility segment, IBM has been offering other solutions also. Of late, the company introduced its new software that combines the business analytics and optimization capabilities for today’s evolving workforce.
For the first time, the company says, its new offerings combine social networking and collaboration capabilities for the burgeoning mobile workforce, expected to reach more than 1.19 billion by 2013. (Read: How IBM Plans to Help Mobile Workforce)
IBM has also unveiled new software to help organizations reinvent the way they interact with consumers over the Web and through mobile devices. The software features analytics, social software and commerce capabilities that help organizations create dynamic and interactive Web experiences to better target consumers and increase brand loyalty. (Read: IBM to Help Companies Improve Web Presence)
[ Also Read: Why Marketers are Chasing the Mobile Mirage ]According to IBM, Virtual Desktop allows Windows or Linux desktops to be hosted and managed centrally, thus lowering the cost and complexity of managing PC environments through rapid deployment of new applications, automatic software updates and reducing the need for help desk requests.
[ Also Read: Watch Out HP, Oracle; IBM is Stealing Your Clients ]The Virtual Desktop for Smart Business, which includes VERDE software from Virtual Bridges, can be deployed on a customer’s own infrastructure or through a Business Partner “private cloud” hosted environment.
[ Also Read: Microsoft Brings Always-on Office on the Cloud ]As recession-hit companies are exploring ways to cut their tech implementation costs, cloud computing environments – though in their infancy – are supposed to help user outfits do more with less. Among other tech players, IBM is quite aggressive in the emerging cloud computing market.
The tech leader has expanded its CloudBurst family of pre-integrated cloud service delivery platforms by delivering an appliance on its POWER7-based hardware as well as separately offering the software to run on currently installed IBM and non-IBM systems. (Read: What Private Clouds Offer to Businesses)
[ Also Read: Software to Help Small Businesses Get Paid ]“As IBM’s latest smarter work offering, the Virtual Desktop expands the time and place where people can access information, contribute ideas and support customers,” said Dan Cerutti, general manager, IBM Smart Business.
“Together with our partners, we’re bringing the power of virtual computing to smaller companies seeking greater agility while freeing up critical IT resources.”
The IBM Virtual Desktop has self-configuring, self-managing and self-protecting features that enable easy installation and management, plus continuous backup and recovery, says the company.
[ Also Read: Midsize Outfits Increasing Tech Budgets: IBM ]How does it help? Whether visiting clients, checking inventory or making patient rounds at a hospital, the solution provides instant access to information, helping employees solve problems and speed decision-making, explains IBM.
The solution is offered as a pre-integrated, ready-to-run software package priced at $150 per user per year for a one year contract.
[ Also Read: Bayer Workers Get Social with IBM Software ]It will be delivered through IBM Business Partners who will provide local consulting, networking and software infrastructure skills to ensure smooth installation.
An early adopter program, according to IBM, drew strong channel interest with over 100 IBM Business Partners actively providing feedback and preparing to use the program to tap into the growing demand for desktop virtualization solutions.
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IBM Virtual Desktop for Smart Business is available in North America, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Poland.
The company plans to make the offering available in China, India, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand at the end of Q1. It was announced Monday, Jan. 24.
Photo courtesy: IBM
