Devon IT to develop low-cost Thin Client specifically designed to take advantage of RemoteFX rich media

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.–Devon IT, Inc., a provider of thin client hardware and software solutions, today announced plans to develop and sell a new, low-cost zero client desktop device specifically designed to support Microsoft RemoteFX.

The Devon IT RemoteFX Zero Client – code named the TC Zero – will be among the first devices specifically designed for Microsoft’s RemoteFX software. The RemoteFX zero client will allow users to take advantage of rich media features such as 3D user interface, video, animations, and portable graphics stacks like Microsoft Silverlight and Flash, and a diverse array of client-side devices.

Hardware accelerated RemoteFX decoding provides excellent performance while allowing to keep power consumption to an extremely low level. Devon IT is working to design a new thin client that implements this RemoteFX decoding in hardware. Devon IT plans to release the Remote FZ TC Zero within 6 months after SP1 ships and Devon IT also plans an aggressive low price point to make the cost of acquisition and ultimately the total cost of ownership as low as possible.

“Customers will be excited about Devon IT’s plans to develop and sell a low-cost client desktop device designed to support Microsoft RemoteFX,” said Dai Vu, director of Virtualization Solutions Marketing at Microsoft Corp. “The collaboration between Microsoft and Devon IT will help deliver innovative RemoteFX solutions to enterprises looking to maximize their IT investment.”

“RemoteFX has no doubt raised the bar for delivering high-quality, PC-like desktop experiences to users of all intensity levels,” says Stephane Verdy, CTO for Devon IT. “We have worked with innovators like the Microsoft RemoteFX team for years, and we are ecstatic that we can once again provide customers with an advanced thin client solution.”

“Devon IT has been a recognized innovator in developing cutting-edge alternative desktop technologies for the last five years,” explained Joe Makoid, President, Devon IT. “When an iconic company like Microsoft, which has built the modern desktop computer industry into what it is today , announces technology like Microsoft RemoteFX it is a market setting and industry changing event. RemoteFX-based products and technologies from Devon IT will fundamentally help our customers increase their desktop computing productivity and reduce their costs.”

Historically the end-user experience has been a factor limiting the usability in some remote desktops. Microsoft RemoteFX gives an enhanced user experience regardless of the type of application (3D, web based video streaming, etc). Since RemoteFX relies on server-side rendering, it enables Devon IT to build simplified thin clients that do not need to be upgraded as new multimedia players or codecs are created. This allows customers to deploy low cost, highly secure, highly reliable and centrally manageable thin clients even to their most demanding users.

King of Prussia, PA – May 11, 2010 – Devon IT, Inc., a leading thin client hardware and software provider, today announced the availability of the SafeBook® Vostro mobile thin client, built on the Dell™ Vostro™ laptop platform. The company will demo the new laptop in booth #430 at Citrix Synergy 2010 in San Francisco from May 12-14.

The SafeBook® Vostr

The New Devon IT SafeBook Vostro based on Dell Technology

o is also Citrix HDX-ready, a designation reserved for thin clients that have been verified to work with the advanced HDX technology in both Citrix XenDesktop™ and XenApp™. More information can be found here: http://www.citrix.com/ready/list/products?partnerKey=devon-it-inc&lang=en.

“Devon IT has once again collaborated with Dell to provide advanced alternative desktop technologies capable of transforming the way IT pros think about computing,” says Joe Makoid, President, Devon IT. “The SafeBook Vostro is the latest thin client to offer the best in durability, security, and performance, all at an extremely competitive price point. We continue to develop new thin client hardware and software innovations with IT leaders to advance thin client technology, and are excited to show this latest success at the Citrix Synergy trade show.”

The SafeBook® Vostro features an Intel® Celeron 743 1.3GHz low voltage processor and a small form factor with a 13.3” WLED display. This is Devon IT’s fourth generation of SafeBook® mobile thin client model.

Devon IT will be hosting technical demonstrations in booth #430 at Citrix Synergy 2010. The company’s engineers also routinely offer webinars for the media, and are available to comment on all topics relating to thin clients, alternative desktop solutions, desktop and server virtualization, and cloud computing. More information about the company’s hardware and software solutions are available at www.devonit.com.

King of Prussia, PA – April 20, 2010 – Devon IT, Inc., a leading thin client hardware and software provider, today announced it will present its thin client product lineup to senior IT executives in the education vertical at the 2010 Villanova University Technology Expo on Thursday, April 22. The event will be held at The Pavilion on Villanova’s campus.

Devon IT will feature its Citrix HDX Ready™ TC5X thin client, which offers students a true PC experience in the classroom; its TC2 thin client, perfect for running applications in libraries and computer labs; its SafeBook® E5400X mobile thin client, based on the Dell Latitude laptop platform; and its VDI Blaster™ software that repurposes PCs as thin clients to extend the life of desktop computers.

“IT pros in all industries, including higher education and K-12 schools, are realizing that expensive, virus-prone, and traditional PCs are not the only option in desktop computing anymore,” says Joe Makoid, President, Devon IT. “Thin client and hosted desktop technologies have advanced tremendously and can stream applications and video to multiple locations without sacrificing performance. This allows IT managers to save time and money by managing multiple desktops from one location, all while eliminating students’ abilities to download spyware, malware, and viruses. We are excited to share our findings with the vendors and IT pros from across the country at Villanova.”

The Villanova University Technology Expo brings together over 700 IT executives from nearly 70 colleges, universities, and K-12 schools nationwide to network and discuss new trends in technology. For more information on the event, please visit http://www.unit.villanova.edu/techfair/.

Devon IT’s technical engineers routinely offers technical demonstrations and webinars for the media, and is available to comment on all topics relating to thin clients, alternative desktop solutions, desktop and server virtualization, and cloud computing. More information about the company’s hardware and software solutions are available at www.devonit.com.  

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Devon IT, Inc., a leading thin client hardware and software provider, today announced its demo lineup for the Citrix Synergy 2010 tradeshow at the Moscone West Convention Center in San Francisco, California, from May 12-15. Devon IT will be in Booth #430.

“For years we have worked with Citrix and aligned our products with their application delivery solutions to deliver the best desktop experiences to users. We are proud to let users test our newest Citrix Ready desktop technologies at Synergy 2010.”

Devon IT will offer user demos of its Citrix HDX Ready™ TC5X thin client, its VDI Blaster™ software that repurposes PCs as thin clients, and its SafeBook E5400X mobile thin client, based on the Dell Latitude laptop platform. All Citrix Ready thin clients from Devon IT can be found here: http://www.citrix.com/ready/list/products?partnerKey=devon-it-inc&lang=en.

“Citrix continues to evolve its leading remote desktop solutions to meet the growing needs of virtualization and cloud computing users,” says Stephane Verdy, CTO, Devon IT. “For years we have worked with Citrix and aligned our products with their application delivery solutions to deliver the best desktop experiences to users. We are proud to let users test our newest Citrix Ready desktop technologies at Synergy 2010.”

HDX technology in Citrix XenDesktop™ delivers a high-definition user experience of virtual desktops and applications. The Citrix HDX Ready designation is reserved for thin client devices like the TC5X, built with the powerful Intel® Atom™ n270 1.6GHz dual threaded processor, that have been verified to work with HDX technology in both XenDesktop and Citrix XenApp™.

Devon IT technical engineers will be holding media-only demonstrations in Booth #430 at various times throughout the event. To reserve a private demo, please contact Paul Mancini at pmancini@devonit.com.

More information about the Devon IT’s hardware and software solutions are available at www.devonit.com.

- buy a new low cost low power (green) PC with a Windows OEM license. these PCs are fast enough to use as a thin client but are less reliable, will need to be patched and managed, and use more electricity. The upside is there is no VDA cost, but there is a need for SA and additional software stacks for patching (in my comparison i use SCCM whic is $41/device/year list)

- buy a new linux based thin client (TC5D) which will perform just as well as the PC above but cost less, use less electricity, be more reliable, come with management software and won’t need to be patched or to run 3rd party software like antivirus.

- reuse their existing PC, blast Windows off with VDI Blaster: upside is no hardware acquisition or installation costs, low TCO (management software is included). Downside is electricity use remains high. Reliability is not good but it is not a downside as the PC can be swapped with a thin client when it dies. Interestingly if the PC was amortized over 3 years and re-purposing it allows amortizing over 5 years, the customer frees up anywhere between $150 and $300 in their budget! If we take this into account VDI Blaster has a 0 day ROI!

So VDI Blaster is the lowest cost solution over 3 years for people who already have a PC. TC5D is the lowest over 5 years.

“We are pleased that the Devon IT TC5D thin client qualifies for the VMware Ready™ logo, signifying to customers that it has passed specific VMware testing and interoperability criteria and is ready to run in production environments”

The TC5D was the first thin client generally available with the powerful Intel® Atom™ processor, and is now the second PCoIP-enabled Devon IT model to receive VMware View 4 certification. PCoIP enables customers operating remotely to deploy full PC-like experiences, including multimedia capabilities, on a thin client. VMware launched VMware View 4, the industry’s only purpose-built desktop virtualization solution, with PCoIP functionality to significantly increase virtual desktop flexibility, quality, and scalability and help users cost-effectively deploy centrally manageable virtual solutions.

“We are pleased that the Devon IT TC5D thin client qualifies for the VMware Ready™ logo, signifying to customers that it has passed specific VMware testing and interoperability criteria and is ready to run in production environments,” said Bernie Mills, senior director, alliance programs, VMware.

“According to Gartner Inc. and other industry gurus, the thin client and hosted virtual desktop market is poised to explode, especially in corporate environments,” says Joe Makoid, President, Devon IT. “The practicality and cost benefits of these alternative desktop platforms are leading reasons why IT administrators are taking data off of the desktop and putting it back in the datacenter. We are proud that the TC5D has collaborated so well with View 4, and we expect this solution to help many customers save IT dollars without sacrificing performance.”

The VMware Ready program is a VMware co-branding program for qualified partner products and is a benefit of the VMware TAP program. With more than 1,300 members worldwide, the VMware TAP program works with best-of-breed technology partners to provide them a comprehensive set of VMware technical and marketing services, support, tools and expertise to deliver enhanced value to joint customers.

Devon IT engineers are available for technical demonstrations and webinars for the media, and are available to comment on all topics relating to thin clients, alternative desktop solutions, desktop and server virtualization, and cloud computing. More information about the company’s hardware and software solutions are available at www.devonit.com.

“The development of VDI Blaster™ was a natural extension of Devon IT’s commitment to providing cost-effective, secure, and more manageable alternative desktop solutions to traditional PC environments”

Users download VDI Blaster™ to old PCs via a USB key or a network install for only $19.99. VDI Blaster™ deploys Devon IT’s thin client operating system, Devon Terminal Operating System (DeTOS™), and Devon IT’s proprietary thin client management software to help IT administrators manage enterprise-wide deployments from a central location. Now users can select to boot into their normal Windows operating system, DeTOS™, or VMware View 4, the industry’s only purpose-built desktop virtualization solution.

“We are pleased that VDI Blaster qualifies for the VMware Ready™ logo, signifying to customers that it has passed specific VMware testing and interoperability criteria and is ready to run in production environments,” said Bernie Mills, senior director, alliance programs, VMware.

“The development of VDI Blaster™ was a natural extension of Devon IT’s commitment to providing cost-effective, secure, and more manageable alternative desktop solutions to traditional PC environments,” says Stephane Verdy, CTO for Devon IT. “VMware shows a similar commitment to desktop virtualization by advancing VMware 4 and other streaming technologies. We are proud to provide both of these innovations together to help continue to momentum from bulky PCs to thin client infrastructures.”

Devon IT’s CTO, Stephane Verdy, routinely offers technical demonstrations and webinars for the media, and is available to comment on all topics relating to thin clients, alternative desktop solutions, desktop and server virtualization, and cloud computing. More information about the company’s hardware and software solutions are available at www.devonit.com.

Devon IT is developing a Microsoft RemoteFX software client that will be integrated into its Devon Terminal System (DeTOS) and VDI Blaster products. The RemoteFX client will allow users to take advantage of rich media features such as 3D user interface, video, animations, and portable graphics stacks like Microsoft Silverlight and Flash, and a diverse array of client-side devices. This means that customers who purchase a Devon IT thin client such as the TC5 today will be able to upgrade DeTOS and take advantage of Microsoft RemoteFX when it becomes available.

“Devon IT has been a recognized innovator in developing cutting-edge alternative desktop technologies for the last five years,” explained Joe Makoid, President, Devon IT. “When an iconic company like Microsoft , which has built the modern desktop computer industry into what it is today , announces technology like Microsoft Remote FX it is a market setting and industry changing event. It is exciting for us to announce our full support of Microsoft Remote FX. The VDI Blaster, the Devon TC5, the E5400X SafeBook and the new Devon RemoteFX Zero client will provide our customers and business partners with powerful , graphically rich and energy efficient solutions for their desktop deployments. The RemoteFX-based products and technologies from Devon IT will fundamentally help our customers increase their desktop computing productivity and reduce their costs.”

Historically the end-user experience has been a factor limiting the usability in some remote desktops. Microsoft RemoteFX gives an enhanced user experience regardless of the type of application (3D, web based video streaming, etc). Since RemoteFX relies on server-side rendering, it enables Devon IT to build simplified thin clients that do not need to be upgraded as new multimedia players or codecs are created. This allows customers to deploy low cost, highly secure, highly reliable and centrally manageable thin clients even to their most demanding users.

“As organizations plan to deploy a centralized computing architecture with virtualized or session-based desktops, IT professionals want to deliver a premium user experience to connected workers,” said Mike Schutz, director of product management at Microsoft Corp. “The Microsoft RemoteFX feature in Windows Server will allow remote workers to access any type of application or screen content, including rich media and 3D applications. Companies such as Devon IT are offering a path to the future by investing in solutions today that will increase the flexibility and performance of a centralized desktop environment.”

Read Microsoft’s announcement, “Microsoft Accelerates Desktop Virtualization“.

HDX technology in Citrix XenDesktop™ delivers a high-definition user experience of virtual desktops and applications. The Citrix HDX Ready designation is reserved for thin client devices like the TC5X that have been verified to work with HDX technology in both XenDesktop and Citrix XenApp™.

“Devon IT continues to advance the capabilities of virtual desktop computing with the TC5X thin client,” said John Fanelli, vice president, community and solutions marketing at Citrix.  “Coupled with HDX technology in XenDesktop, the TC5X provides an excellent experience for demanding users who require multi-monitor support, high-definition video and use high throughput devices such as VOIP headsets.  Working together XenDesktop and the Citrix HDX Ready TC5X deliver a high-definition user experience and expand the ability of companies and organizations to offer virtual desktops to a wide variety of users.”

“HDX technology in XenDesktop is again delivering optimal  user experience for virtual desktops, and this time playing a vital role in the adoption of alternatives to PC computing models,” says Stephane Verdy, Devon IT’s CTO. “HDX allows seamless multimedia, plug-and-play access to USB and other peripherals, high-performance graphics, VOIP, and other key media imperative for business functionality. We are proud that our technology has grown with Citrix and that the TC5X can advance side-by-side with XenDesktop to enhance the experience for thin client users.”

The TC5 was the first thin client generally available with the powerful Intel® Atom™ n270 1.6GHz dual threaded processor capable of dual-DVI displays with a minimum desktop footprint. The TC5X is Energy Star Certified, with very low power consumption, and is now available with the updated Windows Embedded Standard 2009 OS with support for XenApp and XenDesktop.

Devon IT engineers are available for technical demonstrations of VDI Blasters and informational webinars for the media, and are available to comment on all topics relating to thin clients, alternative desktop solutions, desktop and server virtualization, and cloud computing. More information about the company’s hardware and software solutions are available at www.devonit.com.  

ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that helps businesses and consumers save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. The program started in 1992 and helped Americans save enough energy in 2008 to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 29 million cars — all while saving $19 billion on their utility bills.

“One of the major benefits of advanced thin clients like the TC5 is the reduction of power consumption that both helps the environment and reduces total cost of ownership for hosted client computing models,” says Stephane Verdy, CTO for Devon IT. “The TC5 can power users’ desktops using far less electricity than traditional desktop PCs while still delivering high-end computing experience. We are proud that the TC5 has been certified by ENERGY STAR, as our goals to reduce power consumption in corporations nationwide are aligned.”

Devon IT’s CTO, Stephane Verdy, routinely offers technical demonstrations and webinars for the media, and is available to comment on all topics relating to thin clients, alternative desktop solutions, desktop and server virtualization, and cloud computing. More information about the company’s hardware and software solutions are available at www.devonit.com.