Improving user experience while reducing IT costs and workloads with Dell Wyse WES7 & WE8S Thin Clients

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Editor’s note: Post authored by Jigar Shaw

We are excited to announce new additions to Dell’s Cloud Client Computing portfolio; improving the experiences of end-users working with Windows Embedded images for Dell Wyse thin clients and IT administrators working with the Dell Wyse Configuration Manager (WCM).

These new upgrades will significantly improve end-user experience in the virtualized desktop environment, right out of the box, while expanding the functionality and compatibility of our most user-friendly Cloud Client Management (CCM) software.

To start, we are announcing that our Dell Wyse Windows Embedded Standard 7 and Windows Embedded 8 Standard thin clients (Z90D7, D90D7, Z90Q7, D90Q7, Z90D8, D90D8, Z90Q8, D90Q8 and Z90DE7) now feature out-of-the-box support for  Microsoft Lync 2013 VDI plugin and Citrix HDX RealTime Media Engine. Dell has the powerful Dual- and Quad-core thin clients that are required to run these high-end apps, and working in lock-step with ecosystem partners like Citrix and Microsoft to build out our software load, we ensure that our solutions can meet even the most demanding of VDI use cases, without requiring complex deployment and configuration processes.

The new addition of Lync 2013 and HDX RealTime will enable:

  • Enterprise grade, real-time audio and video communications, at scale, while avoiding hairpinning and  allowing devices to make true, peer-to-peer connections
  • Rich media playback through Microsoft’s proprietary codecs and other industry-standard codecs such as H.264 and H.263
  • Increased network and performance optimization in environments with low bandwidth and/or high latency WAN connections
  • Connection of audio peripherals such as microphones and dictation hardware at the endpoint device to interact with virtual desktops and virtual applications hosted in the data center
  • Softphone deployment and simple VoIP integration

In addition to improving functionality and enhancing features, Dell is focused on making their virtualization solution as seamless and easy to manage as possible. To this end, Dell is also proud to announce an update to its Dell Wyse WCM software, which enables automatic configuration for Dell Wyse thin clients. WCM enables administrators to simply create a configuration file using a graphical user interface (GUI) and save it on an FTP/web server. Clients are then able to pull and apply the configuration at each login, with no need for a management server.

The immediate availability of the latest iteration of WCM, version 1.3, introduces several new features:

  • Added support for Windows Embedded 8 Standard (WE8S) thin clients
  • Generic Appliance Mode: Configure any application on the thin client to run in a “kiosk-like” mode, making thin clients perfect for digital signage, kiosks, and a variety of single-purpose uses
  • Now any local application (whether it’s Google Chrome browser, your own line of business application or a third party app) can run in a locked-down kiosk mode
  • This expands on existing Appliance mode support for Internet Explorer, Citrix, VMware Horizon View, and RDP/Terminal Server sessions
  • You get the simplicity of a kiosk and the wide peripheral support of Windows Embedded
  • Support for configuring Quest vWorkspace AppPortal client
  • Faster deployment and configuration: WCM downloads and applies the settings much faster – typically in less than 15 seconds
  • Administrators can enable users to exit Appliance Mode with a shortcut key
  • Create Internet Explorer shortcuts to specific sites on the Desktop
  • Configuring Adobe Flash Player settings in Citrix sessions
  • Use of web servers for deploying configuration files no longer requires WebDAV

By eliminating the need for a management server, drastically simplifying configuration, and introducing the new “kiosk” mode, Dell Wyse WCM addresses IT personnel bandwidth issues and reduces IT admin op-ex costs.

These new releases further evidence that Dell Cloud Client Computing continues to lead the market in Windows Embedded thin client technology. With software like WCM and firmware upgrades like Lync 2013 and HDX RealTime, we allow our Windows Embedded thin clients to be extremely easy to manage, scale into the many thousands, and offer unsurpassed end-user experience and value.

About the Author: Allison Darin

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