But none of these vital benefits can be realized without a reliable management system. To make a football analogy, running and passing the football is what you need to score touchdowns, but you can’t do either without an offensive line blocking in front of you!

So what features that make up a good thin client management system? It must be easy to set up. It also must have a well thought out GUI that is intuitive for any operator.

It should also interface with common database structures. In many cases the desktop environment is a hosted Windows desktop, MySQL and MS-SQL should be through the system.

Power is also key. Basic functionality should include, at minimum, the ability to inventory all available terminals on the network, apply connections and profiles, clone full disk images, and remotely shadow devices. End user authentication should be achieved using common authentication methods like active directory.

Especially today, it must also be cost-effective. Many of the powerful management platforms are offered for a nominal or no fee from the manufacturers. This is the case with Devon IT’s Echo™ Thin Client Management Software, Devon IT Echo™ Management Console Dell Edition, and HP Device manager.

I make all these points about device management as we at Devon IT launch our Echo™ Management Platform Version 7.1. Devon IT Echo™ is the result of 7 years of field usage in some of the most demanding data centers in the world. I think you will like what you see!

Please share any thoughts about thin client management software and systems as well.

Some of the very best features of Echo™ have come from our specific interactions with our customers and with our partner Dell. With this latest release of Echo™ we have combined the feature, function, and scalability requirements for VDI implementations ranging from 100 desktops to global implementations in the hundreds of thousands.

All VDI and thin client devices that run DeTOS or Devon IT’s WES operating systems can be managed by Devon IT’s Echo™ thin client management software. This includes our TC2 and TC5, the Dell FX130 and FX170 OptiPlex thin clients as well as PCs repurposed with VDI Blaster™.

For more information about Devon IT Echo 4™ please visit our software page at http://www.devonit.com/software/echo/overview and you can view a preview of Echo 4™ on the Devon IT Thin Client TV YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/ThinClientTV#p/u/0/Z0ziFKR43HU

Two weeks ago, Dell launched its inaugural Dell World. While I was there, I became reminiscent of the Comdex days. I had to step back and ask myself, “Is Dell World the Comdex of the modern era?” While Dell World is on a smaller scale than Comdex was, it clearly showcased a well-rounded and expansive list of technology. Technology from Dell and its partners included: networking gear, servers, PCs, end point devices, Database (Oracle and MSFT), software (Oracle, MSFT, Dell, Citrix, VMware, Salesforce and others) storage, and all kinds of peripherals.

Dell World also had more headliners than Woodstock with iconic luminaries Steve Ballmer, Marc Benioff, and Paul Maritz who were welcomed by none other than Michael Dell himself.

Dell World as the new Comdex might be a crazy notion, but here’s to Dell, one of our great American companies. Dell is not only expanding its product reach, but remembering how it got there by staying in the business it helped create – PCs! Thanks for putting on a great show in Austin!

Keep a look out for our next sneak peak video!

Questions or comments? Let us know!

Since they announced their expanded virtual desktop offerings in May, we’ve seen Dell positively impact the VDI marketplace. Their Dell Desktop Virtualization Solution (DDVS) display stood in the center of Dell World. The DDVS, anchored by their FX lineup of thin clients and reinforced by high-powered server storage and Dell edition Devon IT management software, show how well-poised Dell is to take over this expanding market

Dell truly offers everything necessary for today’s top virtualization solutions.

Devon IT is proud to be a partner of Dell, as we both work to unlock innovation across the VDI market and enable companies to fully realize the benefits of VDI.

Want something covered? Let us know!

Check back for our new software video announcement!

Per our customer requests, we have created a “Software Education Series” with our software engineer, Phil Glover.  If you have questions about VDI Blaster or our Echo Management software, Phil will answer your questions.  The first video shows the three easy installation options VDI Blaster offers.

Keep a lookout for our upcoming videos.  And let us know what topics you’d like us to cover.

Last week Devon IT made the long flight to Las Vegas for VMWorld. The theme for 2011 was “Your Cloud.  Own It,” which featured 175 break-out sessions and exhibits centering around virtualization technology.

Dell, our partner in virtual desktop computing, was a diamond sponsor this year with a huge display in the center of the floor.  We visited their impressive booth and saw their FX130 and FX170 OptiPlex thin clients in action as part of their health care solution.  The FX130 and FX170 thin clients are modeled after our TC2 and TC5c devices, which Dell recently rebranded along with our VDI Blaster and Echo Thin Client Management software. These HIPPA-compliant desktop devices provide the security and flexibility that health care institutions rely on every day.

We visited our other partners’ exhibits, including VMware and Microsoft, and were pleased to see our thin clients being utilized for various industries and verticals.  The devices were connected with secure, centrally managed data centers throughout the show floor.

After we left the show on Tuesday, we hosted an event at B.B. King’s Blues Club in the Mirage.  We met many more Dell employees and customers, and thank them for joining us at a fun night out!

Our next stop will be Dell World in Austin, Texas, in October. We look forward to seeing more of our Dell friends soon!

Did you attend VMWorld?  What did you think?  If you have comments about the VMWorld show, please share them with us below.

Follow Devon IT on Twitter @DevonIT and our president, Joe Makoid @jmakoid.

Everyone seemed most impressed with the return on investment for VDI Blaster.  They loved that the three installation options allowed for flexibility in squeezing the last few years out of old machinery.  While we spoke with customers, the overwhelming favorite attribute of VDI Blaster Dell edition turned out to be the ease of transition.   Connections from industries such as healthcare, higher education and law firms all seemed to love the low cost of migration VDI Blaster Dell edition provided.  They were also pleased with the opportunity to get comfortable with desktop virtualization before adding the Dell hardware into the VDI solution.

As the 9^th inning ended and Kauffman Stadium celebrated the Royals victory, some final pleasantries and conversations served to strengthen the Devon IT and Dell bonds created throughout the night.  We look forward to working with all of them soon!

IBM stayed in mainframe business when all the usual sources were saying that the desktop PC would render mainframe computing extinct.  Today, the IBM mainframe, really the only choice for mainframe computing, drives massive service and software revenues and profits for IBM. Pundits said it would be dead years ago but it remains one of IBM’s most profitable lines of business.

Dell is now the only viable corporate PC choice in the market. Of course, companies will continue to have choices but when a large or medium size enterprise looks to buy a PC, they look beyond the box itself for things like service and support, peripherals, and into the data center for servers, storage, networking, and finally for services.  By staying in the PC business, Dell will reap the same benefits as the IBM mainframe business – and probably more.

Dell will have a massive base to sell cloud storage services.

I may be a contrarian here, but I believed in the mainframe and I also firmly feel that by staying with the desktop, in all its various permutations, Dell will dominate.

Read Devon IT’s technical blog “Thin Tank” at http://www.devonit.com/blog and follow Devon IT on Twitter @DevonIT and @jmakoid.