IBM launches virtual desktop in India

IBM  announced the launch of the virtual desktop in India, which offers anytime, anywhere access from user devices, including tablet PCs, thin clients, existing desktops, netbooks and laptops.
The new virtual desktop, according to IBM, will help midsize businesses optimise sustainability by significantly reducing desktop management costs - by as much as 20-30 per cent - while also increasing business flexibility, IT efficiencies and staff productivity.
IBM Virtual Desktop, which incorporates the VERDE 5.1 technology and IBM's Smart Business solutions, helps "lower the barriers of adoption as well as cost, complexity and coverage challenges traditionally associated with VDI technology," IBM said in a release.
"This offering can significantly streamline administrative tasks and dramatically lower desktop management costs (including user administration, hardware configuration and deployment, operating system and software deployment, application management, backup archive and recovery, service desk, security management, and IT administration)," IBM said.

Built on VERDE 5.1 technology, "the IBM Virtual Desktop provides an end-to-end desktop management offering that combines virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), integrated offline VDI (using an integrated client-side hypervisor), and remote branch capabilities."
IBM's Virtual Desktop supports both Windows and Linux operating systems and can be used on a wide variety of devices, including iPads, tablets, thin clients and netbooks, helping a wider user option, including work-from-home employees as also connecting with branch offices or field teams.
It can be deployed on a customer's own infrastructure or through a business partner "private cloud" hosted environment.
The Virtual Desktop v. 2.2 also offers high-definition multimedia support and enhanced work-anywhere capability with additional features that simplify management and drive down IT management costs, IBM said.
It 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.
IBM is offering training facilities in eight centres, including Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad, to its existing partners.
The company also offers a financing option whereby companies can opt for leasing it.
IBM Virtual Desktop V2.2 is available in India through IBM Business Partners such as ZSL and Ingram Micro.