Dell Expands Desktop Virtualization Solutions Portfolio

Dell is adding to its desktop virtualization solutions portfolio with an enhanced Dell Virtual Lab 2.0 solution and new Dell OptiPlex FX170 and FX130 thin clients. The new Virtual Lab 2.0 solution is designed for colleges and universities. It comes with validation testing on six of the most popular applications and Dell anticipates that seven more will be completed by the end of the year.

The new OptiPlex thin client solutions offer mobile, contract, remote and task workers connectivity within a desktop virtualization infrastructure. The FX170 is designed for knowledge-based workers focused on multimedia and content creation, while the FX130 is ideal for application and task-based environments. Dell also announced the OptiPlex 390 which features second generation Intel iCore processors.

With availability on May 26, the Dell OptiPlex FX170 starts at $449 and the OptiPlex FX130 starts at $349. The OptiPlex 390 is available now with a starting price of $671.

Dell Expands Desktop Virtualization Solutions Portfolio

• Customized Virtual Lab 2.0 available for colleges and universities
• New Dell OptiPlex FX170 and FX130 thin clients complement Dell Desktop Virtualization Solutions, a solution portfolio designed to help organizations quickly deploy desktop virtualization
• Simplified management and security creates added benefits and ease of implementation for IT teams

ROUND ROCK, Texas, May 25, 2011 – Dell today announced additions to its desktop virtualization solutions portfolio including an enhanced Dell Virtual Lab 2.0 solution and new Dell OptiPlex FX170 and FX130 thin client offerings. The new Virtual Lab 2.0 solution, designed for colleges and universities, now comes with validation testing on six of the most popular applications, affording students and faculty the freedom to access secure, lab-based software virtually anytime, anywhere and from any device. The new OptiPlex thin client solutions, designed for organizations such as, education, financial, healthcare and retail, offer seamless connectivity for organizations that have implemented or plan to implement a desktop virtualization infrastructure.

The new desktop virtualization offerings will complement the recently launched Dell Desktop Virtualization Solutions (DDVS), a comprehensive solution portfolio that leverages pre-packaged services with configured and tested hardware and software to deliver the datacenter architecture necessary to provide desktop virtualization capabilities. DDVS addresses the design and implementation complexities associated with desktop virtualization and accelerates it so organizations can adapt to the changing dynamics of today’s more mobile and efficient global workforce.

Dell Virtual Lab 2.0

Whether you’re a student, faculty member or administrator, there is a need for anytime access to data and applications bringing increased expectations of support from IT staff. Desktop virtualization can help by delivering easy management, disaster recovery and flexibility, while allowing access to information virtually anytime and anywhere – in an office, on campus or at home.

Virtual Lab 2.0 takes the advantages of the solution one step further by addressing the need for improved application accessibility and creates increased global learning opportunities. It comes with validation testing on six leading applications used on campuses, with seven more anticipated to be completed by the end of the year. Applications include Adobe Premiere Pr CS3, AutoCad 2DLT, Wolfram Mathmatica 7, Mathworks MatLab, SAS and IBM SPSS.

Dell OptiPlex FX170 and FX130 Thin Clients

The new OptiPlex thin client solutions offer mobile, contract, remote and task workers connectivity within a desktop virtualization infrastructure. The FX170 is designed for knowledge-based workers focused on multimedia and content creation, while the FX130 is ideal for application and task-based environments. The solutions provide the following features:

• Productivity and Connectivity designed for quick and easy deployment and management with optional support for dual monitors;
• Business Class Control by allowing IT to centrally manage data and images in the data center;
• Reliable and flexible fan-less systems and with no moving parts are designed for a long life of service and as the smallest OptiPlex systems at less than 1.5 inches wide and weighing less than 1.5 pounds, are designed to fit in a variety of environments; and,
• Dell ProSupport comes standard for simple, quick hardware replacement.

Dell offers a comprehensive set of software solutions to improve the manageability and control of the new OptiPlex thin clients. These solutions, including Devon IT Echo™ Management Console Dell Edition and Devon IT DeTOS Dell Edition, provide support for Microsoft Windows Embedded and DeTOS thin clients and allow access to Citrix XenApp or XenDesktop, Microsoft Remote Desktop Services, VMware View™ and web-based applications. Additionally, Devon IT VDI Blaster Dell Edition supports a wide array PCs while maximizing life and extending capital investments by allowing quick conversion to a thin client system.

Dell OptiPlex 390 Desktop

Dell also announced the availability of the OptiPlex 390, the newest member of OptiPlex business desktop PC family complementing the OptiPlex 990 and 790. The 390 features minitower, desktop, small form-factor chassis with an optional all-in-one stand. The system offers essential productivity for organizations that need affordable in-band management with a minimum 20 month product life-cycle management and stability, including newly added Global Standard Platforms in this product class. In addition to supporting second generation Intel® iCore™ processors, the 390 offers a minimum of 10 percent post-consumed recycled plastic chassis and recyclable packaging.

Dell Services

Dell offers a comprehensive set of services that help customers automate the deployment and management of thin clients, commercial laptops, mobile devices and desktops, as well as the ability to securely dispose of outdated or retired assets. Examples include:

• Deployment Services - Designed to simplify and accelerate the customization and utilization of new systems. Dell Deployment Services include everything from order consolidation to coordination of deployment resources.
• ProSupport Services - Designed to minimize disruptions and maintain high levels of productivity across end-user PCs. Dell Support Services help protect client investments and free businesses from IT maintenance so they can focus on running their business.

Quotes

“Our goal is to make the kinds of software products accessible to students from their dorm room to their home or when they’re traveling on the road. By providing a desktop virtual solution where students leverage their own technology, we are able to extend the boundaries beyond the campus. By working with Dell, we believe that we’re going to create something that will not only work for University of Maryland, but for the higher education system as a whole,” said John Seuss, VP for Information Technology, University of Maryland.

“With Virtual Lab 2.0, we’re bringing a set of solutions that faculty and administrators have told us are particularly difficult to manage in a virtual environment and have now made them easy to implement. Students increasingly need access to data and curriculum. Virtual Lab 2.0 enhances their tools and gives them access regardless of where they are and what device they use.” John Mullen, vice president, Global Education, Dell.

“Dell is one of the only IT vendors in the world to deliver end-to-end desktop virtualization capabilities that span data center and end-user technologies,” said Steven Lalla, vice president and general manager of Commercial Client Product Group, Dell. “The OptiPlex thin clients are designed to deliver the reliability, productivity and business-class control of a traditional OptiPlex system in an organization’s desktop virtualization environment.”

Pricing and Availability:

• With availability on May 26 in the U.S. and Western Europe, the starting price for the Dell OptiPlex FX170 is $449 USD and $349 USD for the OptiPlex FX130. The OptiPlex 390 is available now with a starting price of $ $671 USD.