Dell has rolled out new Latitude E-family laptops and Flexible Computing solutions aimed at the mobile workforce. The PC maker is pushing security and flexibility as key attributes of the new line. But at the heart of the new functionality is desktop virtualization.
To be sure, simplifying virtual image management is the concept Dell hopes to forward with its new line. The idea is to increase the user’s access to applications and boost performance while also offering better security. Dell is working toward that end with Citrix XenClient technology.
Dell said it is working with Citrix to validate its Dell Latitude laptop and Dell OptiPlex desktop client systems for XenClient. XenClient extends desktop virtualization to corporate laptop users while addressing customers’ needs for security, flexibility and performance.
Mobile Solutions
Dell’s new Flexible Computing solutions include Dell Managed Virtual Client, Application and Profile Virtualization, and Virtual Remote Desktop. The Managed Virtual Client is Dell’s cloud-optimized virtual desktop managed service. Dell added this technology from its Perot acquisition.
Application and Profile Virtualization has been beefed up to include virtualized or streamed application delivery and customized user profile options. And for virtual remote desktops, Dell not only leverages VMware View or Citrix XenDesktop, but now also provides optimized reference architecture for virtual remote desktops based on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and Microsoft System Center management infrastructure.
Dell also added new laptops to its Latitude E-family, each certified with Citrix and VMware clients. The new models include an ultraportable Latitude E4310, a 13.3-inch E5410, a 14.61-inch E5510, and a more affordable 2110 aimed at users who need a secondary computer.
Shifting Desktop Virtualization
Desktop virtualization has come a long way in the past few years. Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT, said significant changes in the marketplace, including Citrix’s 2007 acquisition of XenSource, further enhancements to VMware View, and Microsoft’s…