The survey of government IT decision makers indicates that virtualization initiatives are picking up momentum. Eighty-two percent of Federal and 77 percent of state-and-local IT professionals say their agencies have already implemented some server virtualization, leading to an estimated savings of 19 percent of their IT budgets – $15 billion across government. By 2015, virtualized workloads are expected to nearly double from 37 to 63 percent – which would boost the savings to an estimated $23.6 billion government-wide.

According to the report, 57 percent of Federal and 64 percent of state-and-local respondents say server virtualization takes priority over desktop virtualization. While government agencies have plans to implement some form of desktop virtualization, less than one in 10 plan to virtualize all applications for all users. However, if desktop virtualization provides just half of the savings of server virtualization, agencies could save 9.5 percent of their IT budget or $7.5 billion.

“When agencies do begin developing their virtualization plans, they should look beyond servers and consider desktop virtualization as well,” said Mark Weber, President, U.S. Public Sector, NetApp. “The more opportunities that agencies are able to recognize and incorporate into their modernization frameworks, the greater their long-term benefits.”

Despite the proven results and clear savings opportunity, only 48 percent of Federal and 39 percent of state-and-local respondents believe that they have the funding needed to meet their server virtualization goals, and that’s not the only barrier. The most common challenge that agencies face for both server and desktop virtualization is legacy application migration. Security is also a hold-up, but more so for Federal agencies than for state/local – 41 percent of Feds cited security concerns, as opposed to 24 percent of state-and-local respondents. Only 63 percent of respondents say their management fully supports server virtualization adoption. Fewer than half report that their agency has a formal policy or common framework for server virtualization.

“Virtualization and consolidation are critical components of an effective cloud strategy, resulting in tangible benefits,” said Susie Adams, Microsoft Federal’s Chief Technology Officer. “If agencies are thinking vigorously and broadly about combining server consolidation, data center consolidation, and private cloud infrastructures, the industry can realize tremendous leaps in scalability, cost savings, improved services, and integrated management. In many ways this begins with a smart approach to virtualization.”

The report also reveals that while virtualization yields big savings, good things come to those who wait. Fifty-seven percent of participants say they expect to wait one year or more to realize savings once a server virtualization solution is fully implemented and operational.

“Virtualization Vacuum: The 2012 Government Virtualization Study” is based on an online survey of 302 government agency CIOs, CTOs, IT directors/supervisors, IT managers, and data center managers conducted in October 2011.

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3. RightNow VP Public Sector Kevin Paschuck on federal government cloud computing

DeTOS 7.1 is available on all Devon IT thin clients and will be available as DeTOS Dell Edition on the Dell OptiPlex FX130 and FX170 thin clients.

“The release of the Devon Zero thin client configuration option was based on customer and partner feedback and will be a key element for us moving forward,” says Joe Makoid, President, Devon IT. “Our customers have always wanted high performance, improved security, and easier IT management, and with the support of RDP 7.1 and other features, we have delivered once again. We are proud of this OS release, and look forward to both Devon IT and Dell thin clients running DeTOS 7.1.”

DeTOS 7.1 features include:

• Devon Zero Client Feature – Enables thin clients to operate in a zero configuration mode through DNS environments, giving IT administrators a valuable tool for managing their users.
• Wireless & VPN – Thin clients running DeTOS can now detect and connect to the available wireless networks. VPN allows users to work remotely while retaining access to the devices and networks normally accessible from their workspace.
• First Boot Wizard – Helps DeTOS users get up and running quicker. Network settings, connection types, terminal settings, and more can be established to prepare for remote sessions.
• Local Printing – Users can identify and employ locally connected printers to print from their virtual desktop as well as from the local Firefox browser.
• Firefox 5.0 Update – Provides users with an updated version of the popular browser. Operators can enjoy Firefox’s features and system administrators can utilize the kiosk mode to provide Internet browsing without giving desktop access to the user.
• Citrix Receiver 12 – The latest Citrix client delivers the full Citrix remote desktop experience that users want.
• RDP 7.1 Client – Offers DeTOS thin clients the benefits associated with this key protocol. RDP 7.1 boasts an impressive array of features that are tailored to make every remote desktop experience exceptional.

All VDI and thin client devices that run DeTOS 7.1 (or Devon IT’s WES operating systems) can be managed by Devon IT’s Echo™ thin client management software. Echo™ management software automates the distribution of settings and connections to the thin client terminals, enabling system and desktop administrators to create or copy new arrangements of settings, connections, and disk images to tailor the IT environment to their needs. Among the many available settings that can be utilized is the ability to apply a password for the DeTOS control panel that prevents the end users from altering or creating connections, giving administrators greater ability to prevent end user error.

“Our customers continue to show an increased interest in deploying thin clients for improved security and management," noted Ian Geiser, Devon IT CTO. "However, they don’t want to compromise on user experience. Devon IT’s support of RDP 7.1, including embedding our latest ICA 12 client, makes the Devon IT and Dell thin client devices ideal Desktop Appliances for many customers. “

“Thin clients continue to advance rapidly, and Devon IT remains committed to advancing the virtual desktop space,” says Makoid. “I look forward to continuing our partnership with industry leaders such as Citrix, Dell, and Microsoft and expanding the use of thin clients and the server-based computing model across our collective customer bases.”

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1. Devon IT Receives Microsoft RemoteFX Software Certification for Thin Clients
2. Devon IT Announces Plans for Microsoft RemoteFX-Optimized Zero Client
3. New WES7 Thin Client Demo with Microsoft RemoteFX at Tech-Ed Atlanta

Xform Computing's AlwaysOnPC App has raised the bar for Cloud-powered mobile apps, and is well aligned with Amazon's Cloud Computing strategy. Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet already includes the Silk "cloud-assisted" Web Browser, and it offers cloud storage of movies, music and books purchased on Amazon. Now with the launch of the AlwaysOnPC App, Kindle Fire and other Android tablet users get access to a unique "personal cloud desktop" with powerful, desktop computer-class applications and file storage.

The AlwaysOnPC Virtual Desktop offers the productivity apps and features such as editing office docs, PowerPoint presentations or spreadsheets; viewing and editing PDFs - including annotations and forms; retouching photos and images; creating and editing graphics and drawings; browsing/using productivity or game websites that require PC-class browser technology like Java; and more. This Personal Cloud Desktop enables many mobile users to leave their laptop behind and still do real work - right on their Kindle Fire or other Android tablet or phone!

AlwaysOnPC features include:

• Chrome and Firefox browsers with Extensions like Evernote Web Clipper, toolbars, themes, add-ons, synchronized bookmarks, tabs, and passwords (optional)
• Support for "desktop-class" web browser technology such as Java-applets, needed for sites like Zoho, BNSF emulator, Runescape, QuickBooks Online, PartyPoker, and others that don't run on most mobile web browsers
• A full mobile Open Office suite for editing Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents -- with copy/paste between any app, and one-click conversion to PDF
• Dropbox integration
• 2Gb of cloud storage
• Full access to the personal cloud desktop from any PC or Mac, where you can upload personal data such as documents, photos or files to your AlwaysOnPC virtual desktop
• All connections are encrypted for maximum security

Users can even host a Web Conference and share their screen (and show presentations or documents to participants) using the Zoho Meeting feature from their AlwaysOnPC virtual Desktop. These powerful features are available today, in the Amazon Apps store:

AlwaysOnPC Kindle Fire Edition (http://amzn.to/xiES7N)
AlwaysOnPC for Android tablets in Amazon Apps (http://amzn.to/x08wgb) (e.g. for Samsung Galaxy Tab, Asus Transformer, Motorola Xoom, Toshiba Thrive and other Android devices)

Xform Computing's "Personal Cloud Desktop" architecture can deliver the power of cloud computing apps directly to end users on mobile devices. It provides a "single target" for developers to deliver HTML5, Flash, Java, Silverlight, Linux, and other applications to iOS and Android smart devices and tablets.

(Note: The system does not yet support audio or full-rate video, but these features are expected to be released soon.)

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2. Symplified Expands Authentication, Mobile and Deployment Options for Cloud IAM Service
3. Citrix Unveils “Personal Cloud” Vision

The newest VMware course from TrainSignal teaches a beginner in virtualization how to install, configure and maintain a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). While this is an essentials course, students can expect to finish the course with a working knowledge of View components, virtualization using ThinApp, and everything necessary for using VMware View 5 on the job, on a regular basis.

By centralizing end-user desktops as virtual machines, VMware View allows for better, more efficient management of VDI with the potential for drastic reductions in support costs. The course covers new features that come with VMware View 5, including one lesson dedicated to demonstrating how to upgrade to View 5 from previous versions.

Students will find a range of topics for learning what is new in View 5 and how to manage virtual desktops:

• Persona Management
• PCoIP Optimization
• Monitoring and Troubleshooting View
• Virtualizing Applications with ThinApp

Students will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the different components of View and how to install them. Managing user profiles and data, location-based printing setup, and maintaining pools are each covered in distinct, individual lessons.

Since this is an essentials course, the successful student only needs experience managing desktop operating systems with Active Directory, and a basic understanding of a vSphere environment. These prerequisites are not required to take the course, but may prove helpful as the course utilizes vSphere 5 with shared storage in a Windows 2008 R2 Active Directory environment.

There are two instructors for VMware View 5 Essentials Training, virtualization experts Brian Knudtson and Lane Leverett. Lane Leverett (VCDX #53, VCAP4-DCD, VCA4-DT, VCP4-DT) has over 13 years of experience as a server, network and virtualization engineer. Lane currently implements and designs VMware infrastructure, Cisco networking, and various storage solutions. He contributed to vSphere Security Design Training for TrainSignal, and has lasting passion for evangelizing the benefits of virtualization while helping customers as a senior systems engineer.

Brian Knudtson (Quadruple VCP, VCAP4-DCA, VCAP4-DCD, VCA4-DT, VCP4-DT) is a co-founder of the Omaha VMware User Group, and has also sat on VMware's Partner Technical Advisory Board. With over 10 years of experience in IT, Brian has also received the vExpert award. He has concentrated on virtualization technology for the majority of his career, and writes for TechTarget, SearchVMware.com, and his personal blog.

The VMware View Training course contains 15 lessons in nearly 8 hours of video instruction. Students will receive 2 DVDs of video lessons. Each lesson is available in several formats, iPod Video, Mp3 Audio, .WMV and high quality AVI, allowing students to use course materials on a variety of devices. Students can view all materials online after signing up for the course, ensuring instant access.

VMware View 5 Training is available for just $397. TrainSignal backs each and every course with their exclusive 90-day Total Experience Guarantee. All courses are shipped worldwide at no charge.

About TrainSignal: Founded in 2002, TrainSignal provides computer-based "Total Experience" training that gives individuals the tools and confidence to tackle real-world challenges, pass their certification exams and succeed in today's competitive global IT market.

TrainSignal offers a wide range of computer training packages covering Microsoft, Cisco, Citrix, CompTIA, VMware, and Microsoft Office. In addition to its Windows Server 2008, Exchange Server 2010, and Windows 7 courses, TrainSignal offers training for over fifty different training courses including VMware vSphere training, Cisco CCNA training, Citrix XenDesktop training and more.

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1. Train Signal Releases VMware vSphere Troubleshooting Training
2. US School Districts Transform Education for the Digital Age with VMware View
3. VMware Expands its View, Brings Windows Virtual Desktops to Kindle Fire, Mac and Linux

Microsoft RemoteFX advances virtual desktop performance of Devon IT and Dell thin clients running WES7 in a Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and Windows Server 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Services environment. Microsoft RemoteFX features virtualized graphics resources and intelligent codecs to accelerate graphics even for remote users. Devon IT is one of the first thin client vendors to achieve Microsoft RemoteFX logo certification.

“Devon IT is excited to work with IT giants like Microsoft and Dell to deliver powerful solutions for our clients,” says Joe Makoid, president of Devon IT. “Cutting edge tools like Microsoft RemoteFX developed by major IT organizations accelerate the momentum of virtual desktop computing, providing users of all intensity levels with PC-like performance while retaining all the benefits of thin client computing.“

Devon IT and Dell thin clients running WES7 with RemoteFX deliver significant user experience and security benefits. WES7 leverages GPU virtualization and advanced codecs to deliver the full modern Windows 7 desktop experience, including multimedia and multiple displays, to thin client devices. RemoteFX allows users to take advantage of rich media features, such as 3D user interface, full-motion video, animations, and portable graphics stacks like Microsoft Silverlight and Flash. WES7 also features an enhanced, highly secure environment with seamless connectivity between the thin client and the network to protect critical data.

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1. New WES7 Thin Client Demo with Microsoft RemoteFX at Tech-Ed Atlanta
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Some of Unidesk’s new customers and their solution providers include Coastal Federal Credit Union (Presidio), County of Ventura (Compuwave), Garland Power & Light (Dell), Hartnell College (KIS), ISO New England (Daymark), Lowell General Hospital (Presidio), Mercer University (Presidio), OhioHealth (Mainline), Santa Clara County Office of Education (Dell), Tennessee Tech University (Dell), Tulare County (KIS), and University of California Office of the President (KIS).

Hartnell College of Salinas, Calif. is working with solution provider KIS to implement over 1,000 virtual desktops with Unidesk® and VMware View. According to Matthew Coombs, Hartnell College CIO, Unidesk is the best way to keep VDI simple for his small IT team, satisfy the college’s many use cases, and reduce operational costs. "VDI is going to dramatically increase access to critical educational resources for our students and our community. Like many IT organizations, we need to do more with less, so deploying and maintaining desktops and dealing with application variance cannot be someone’s full-time job. Unidesk is our secret IT weapon, giving an IT staff that wears many hats an easier way to provision and manage hundreds of different apps and desktops, and meet the custom requirements of our students, faculty members, and administrators.”
Desktop administrators looking to further simplify how and when new applications, application updates, and Windows patches are delivered to virtual desktops are receiving a boost this week with a new software release of Unidesk. Maintenance Schedules, a new feature now available in Unidesk 1.5, provides granular control over managing desktop updates so administrators can minimize impact on worker productivity. With Maintenance Schedules, administrators can define the time periods when physical configuration and layer assignment changes are applied to all or a subset of desktops. Desktops can be updated overnight, on weekends, and during other periods when end users are not actively using their desktops. Changes can be applied according to the defined schedules, as soon as possible, at specific times, or at next logoff.
According to Dru Lesnick, Assistant Vice President of Information Systems at Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance in West Des Moines, Iowa, "The new Maintenance Scheduling feature is big. Our Unidesk Layer Builders can update an OS or an application layer during the day, assign it, and not worry that if a user reboots they will have an unexpected wait while the new layers recombine." Added Lesnick, "Our property and casualty application has web and workstation components that require updates every few weeks. Being able to package these ahead of time and then schedule the rollout will make it much easier to coordinate the updates."

Unidesk’s new Maintenance Schedules simplify desktops updates for both non-persistent and persistent desktop user cases.

• A university lab with non-persistent virtual desktops can be updated in stages to ensure that a minimum number of desktops are always available 24x7.
• A city government can update its pools of persistent office worker desktops overnight and on weekends when the desktops are not being used, and update persistent police and fire department desktops that may be used around the clock only at log off.
• A manufacturer or healthcare organization with shared, shift worker desktops can schedule updates around staff rotations.

Maintenance Schedules are the latest example of how Unidesk is combining advanced desktop management features with unequalled layering technology to make virtual desktops hosted on VMware vSphere® easier to implement and manage. With Unidesk, enterprises of all sizes finally have a simpler and more complete alternative to the costly and complex stack of profile management, application virtualization, PC configuration, and cloning point tools typically used in VDI.
“The truest measure of success in any market is customer momentum, and we’re thankful to our customers and partners for helping establish Unidesk as the management platform for VDI success in 2011,” said Don Bulens, Unidesk CEO. “We’re proving that Unidesk desktop layering is the best way for IT to provide Windows desktops as a service to their users, get out of the endpoint management business, and prepare for the day when any app is available from any device."

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“By leveraging the clouDevice technology, which offers an affordable and innovative substitute for traditional desktop computers, PBG has created the K12Cloud, a cloud services solution that meets the specific needs of K-12 school systems,” said Scott Brousseau, Senior VP & CTO of PBG Networks.

“We are very excited about the partnership with PBG Networks,” said HJ Li, clouDevice Business Manager at Interphase. “The combination of clouDevice industry-leading price/performance and PBG Networks application and service bundling offers school districts an innovative, robust, and cost-effective cloud computing client solution.”

Come see the PBG K12Cloud client solution at the NJASA Techspo next week, January 26-27, at Bally’s Atlantic City.

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Savvis and Virtual Bridges partnered earlier this year to deliver virtual desktop management and provisioning capabilities as an on-demand solution to organizations worldwide. With Savvis’ managed hosting platform and VERDE, organizations looking for on-demand managed VDI services now have access to an enterprise-class hosting and cloud infrastructure. Using the joint solution, clients can easily scale their environment to meet fluctuating business demands without sacrificing security or performance, regardless of whether the solution is deployed on a client’s own infrastructure, hosted or delivered as a service by Savvis.

“Savvis and Virtual Bridges understand the needs of global businesses and have created a real alternative to the traditional, painful process of managing desktops,” said Simon Osman, CEO at iFollowOffice. “Working with Savvis and Virtual Bridges, iFollowOffice can now drastically reduce costs and challenges associated with provisioning, updating and securing PC environments for our customers.”

As the industry’s only VDI Gen2 solution, VERDE is designed for organizations that want to escape the constraints of physical computing, simplify desktop management, improve security and increase business agility. Organizations can manage desktops centrally, while users can access both Windows and Linux desktops from any location or device — including PCs, tablets, smartphones, laptops and thin clients.

“When we partnered with Savvis, we saw a significant opportunity to accelerate the market for hosted VDI,” said Jim Curtin, president and CEO at Virtual Bridges. “Together with Savvis, we’re thrilled to provide the technology that enables iFollowOffice to help customers solve today’s most critical desktop management challenges.”

“Businesses today want affordable solutions that are easy to manage and proven to work. Our partnership with Virtual Bridges combines enterprise-grade infrastructure services with second generation VDI solutions,” said Jaywant Rao, vice president, global alliances at Savvis. “The result is a high-value VDI service that is helping organizations like iFollowOffice transform desktop TCO for their clients.”

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“At the University of Akron, we pride ourselves on offering technology that supports our academic mission by delivering students and faculty 24x7 access to innovative software and applications,” said Jim Sage, VP/CIO, Information Technology Services, University of Akron. “The virtual desktop infrastructure helps us to meet this goal in a secure, virtual manner.”

“On college and university campuses today, more students and faculty want to use their own devices – including laptops and tablets – and IT departments aim to increase mobility and a trend toward increased IT consumerization,” said Peter McKay, CEO, Desktone. “Desktone enables academic institutions to transform IT environments offering easy-to-implement, low-maintenance virtual desktops without the costs or risks associated with building and deploying VDI internally. It’s a model we found works very well for academic institutions and we’re pleased to have The University of Akron as one of our clients.”

About The University of Akron
The University of Akron is the public research university for Northeast Ohio. The Princeton Review listed UA among the “Best in the Midwest” in its 2011 edition of Best Colleges: Region-by-Region. Nearly 30,000 students are enrolled in UA’s 300 associate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate and law degree programs and 100 certificate programs at sites in Summit, Wayne, Medina, Cuyahoga and Holmes counties.

About Desktone
Desktone is changing the way people buy and manage desktops. Desktone pioneered the concept of cloud-hosted Desktops as a Service (DaaS), the easiest and most affordable way to deploy hosted virtual desktops. The Desktone Cloud, Desktone’s DaaS offering, provides all of the benefits of virtualized desktops without any of the hassles. By delivering virtual desktops in the cloud, Desktone enables enterprises to rapidly provision desktops to users connected on any device, anywhere, without the upfront costs and complexity of traditional desktop virtualization—transforming desktops from a CAPEX to OPEX item. Founded in 2007, Desktone is funded by Highland Capital and Softbank and is headquartered in Boston, MA.

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NComputing 'In a Box' technology is the simplest, most powerful and affordable desktop virtualisation solution on the market today, offering the lowest cost per seat available to schools, colleges and universities. It supports both Windows and Linux platforms and comes with all peripherals, virtual desktops and software pre-tested for compatibility and integration.

It includes virtual desktop devices and vSpace 6.5 Server virtualisation software that, together, transform the typical virtual desktop infrastructure from one user per operating system to one hundred users per operating system. These solutions:

• reduce up-front PC acquisition costs by 75%
• reduce physical host servers by 75%
• lower maintenance and support costs by 75%
• reduce power and cooling requirements by 90%
• reduce risk resulting from device loss and theft

Paul Gullet, Vice President for EMEA, commented: "Cost and complexity are the biggest barriers to virtual desktop adoption in education. Our customers told us they wanted immediate return on investment on their desktop virtualisation deployments, the ability to scale faster and more easily, greater manageability and improved security. NComputing continues to pioneer innovation that will accelerate PC replacement cycles and will allow educational institutions to deploy desktop computing where previously it had not been viable for reasons of economics or management and support."

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1. Desktop Virtualization in K-12 Schools
2. vSpace 6 with Windows 64Bit Support to Deliver Desktop Virtualization Platform
3. The CIO’s Guide to Optimizing Virtual Desktops