Pano System 5, the latest version of Pano Logic's zero client desktop virtualization hardware and software product, introduces Pano Controller, a modular architecture that enables flexible deployment options for large, heterogeneous virtual environments, and Pano Maestro, which eases device monitoring of distributed zero client endpoints. It also improves the user experience with 30% to 40% reductions in network bandwidth utilization and 25% better video frame rate quality, as well as extends support for VMware's vSphere 5 and View 5.
The new release is intended to address the needs of larger organizations, as opposed to the company's traditional midmarket, up to 2,000 employees. Pano Logic says Version 5 makes it much easier to deploy and manage its PC alternative, as well as extend support for VMware's most recent releases. Customers can now centralize the management of multiple distributed VDI deployments through VMware View or Citrix XenDesktop while significantly reducing the amount of onsite maintenance in each remote office, the company says. With Pano Maestro, companies can also monitor all of their Pano Zero Client devices through one interface, whether those devices are supported by a VMware, Citrix or Microsoft virtualization platforms. With Pano Controller, which works with a variety of desktop brokers--including VMware View, Citrix XenDesktop and Pano Virtual Desktop Broker--and hypervisors--such as ESX, XenServer and HyperV--customers get platform independence and ease of management for large-scale deployments.
According to a recent report from IDC (IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Desktop Virtualization 2011 Vendor Analysis), the desktop virtualization market is expected to make significant gains in both revenues and total customer count well into the second half of the decade. It says customers are intrigued by the possibility of a better desktop management model and the operational savings desktop virtualization could deliver. All of this, the report says, has led to the emergence of a number of vendors offering systems and desktop virtualization products for companies ranging from small startups to Fortune 100 companies.
A specialist in VDI, Simon Bramfitt, founder and research director, Entelechy Associates, says desktop virtualization is taking off with more deployments and licenses being sold in larger groups, including 10,000-seat deployments. "We are starting to understand realistically what the technology is capable of, ... and the technology is becoming affordable and scaling up to meet large enterprise needs."
The new Pano release puts the company into competition with thin clients like Wyse, HP and Dell, he says. "It also suggests that Pano Logic feels the need to scale up for these large deployments." Bramfitt says the company has been quite successful in the SMB space, in large part by making the the purchasing decision and deployment very simple. "What's happening now with 5.0 is very interesting because it gives them the opportunity to look at something like XenDesktop, which is targeted at the high end, and against thin clients."
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