Second Generation VDI Raises the Bar by Delivering Unified Management Console and Hi-Def User Experience

Virtual Bridges, Inc., the company that introduced VDI to the market in 2001, today announced VERDE™ 5, the industry’s first “VDI Gen2” solution to deliver value to offline, branch and server-hosted users, all from the same management interface. With VERDE 5, VDI moves beyond the data center and LAN-bound scenarios to deliver an unparalleled virtual desktop user experience with secure coverage for mobile and BYOPC (bring your own PC) use cases. These capabilities usher in a new era of desktop management where CAPEX savings, ease-of-use and broad use case coverage can truly be achieved.

“Concerns over up-front capital expenses and product maturity had delayed broader virtual desktop adoption,” said Chris Wolf, Research Vice President at Gartner. “However, we are now seeing many customers move forward with large-scale desktop virtualization initiatives by using competitively priced solutions that offer the robust user experience required by users along with the comprehensive management expected by IT. Clients often choose to move to virtual desktops for three key reasons: better security, business continuity and operational efficiency.”

As corporations begin to deploy Windows 7 in larger numbers, organizations recognize the need for next-generation VDI to deliver the perfect balance of efficiency and flexibility. VERDE 5’s VDI Gen2 capabilities include unified monitoring and management of desktops across online, offline and branch environments; high-definition multimedia support; automatic bi-directional sync for true mobility; and advanced cloud branch capabilities including disaster recovery and business continuity.

Key highlights include:

–       Integrated Management Console – combines online, offline and branch VDI; facilitates granular role- and task-based provisioning; provides centralized visibility and reporting.

–       Support for SPICE high-definition multimedia protocol and SmartCast–provisions the appropriate protocol based on the user connection and type of desktop for a rich PC experience.

–       Fully Integrated Live Environment Access Format (LEAF) – offers automatic bi-directional sync for mobile workers through connected (access to remote virtual desktop sessions) and disconnected (virtual desktop session is locally cached and executed on the client machine) access.

–       Zero-Admin Cloud Branch – delivers LAN-like VDI performance for branch users to ensure disaster recovery and business continuity.

–       Seamless Support for USB Peripherals – supports USB 2.0 peripherals including scanners, printers, cameras, etc. across online, offline and branch VDI scenarios.

–       Lightweight App Layering – streamlines the deployment of applications inside VERDE Gold Master Images.

VERDE 5’s flexibility makes it the ideal solution for any organization, from mid-market to large enterprise to service providers, and from on-premises to hosted and cloud-based deployments. As a result, total cost of ownership is up to 30 percent less than competitive solutions.

“We have successfully deployed VERDE in our school district and are very impressed with the integrated online/offline/branch VDI capabilities,” said Jeremy Fluhmann, Technology Director at Winters Independent School District. “As a school district, we¹re tasked with managing resources across multiple classrooms, schools and users whether they’re on or off campus. The new features allow us to selectively provision different VDI use cases to different users and manage our VERDE deployment even more efficiently.”

“For too long, vendors have tried retrofitting server virtualization products for the desktop environment, and as a result they’ve given VDI a bad name,” said Jim Curtin, president and CEO of Virtual Bridges. “With this latest release, we’re saying ‘enough is enough’. VDI Gen2 is all about delivering purpose-built solutions for ultimate IT efficiency and user flexibility – and with VERDE 5 we’ve shown we can achieve that goal, and more.”

“We sought a VDI solution that would dramatically reduce the overall IT costs per agent. We have successfully performed the preliminary validation of VERDE 5 with the Call Center software stacks from Avaya and Cisco and plan live deployments over the next couple of months,” said K. N. Murali, Vice President – India, Servion Global Solutions Ltd. “The bi-directional audio capabilities of the SPICE protocol combined with the simplicity and low costs of the VERDE 5 solution address the critical issues that have long hampered successful VDI deployments in the Call Center/BPO market.”

This latest release of VERDE enhances existing core capabilities that include a single Gold Master provisioning model, Distributed Connection brokering architecture, flexibility to run Windows and Linux desktops, branch-level VDI at LAN speeds, the ability to span both on-premises and hosted deployment modes, and desktop portability on a USB stick.

For more on VERDE 5 visit https://www.vbridges.com/products/

About Virtual Bridges

Virtual Bridges VERDE is the first purpose-built desktop management and provisioning solution that leverages virtualization to deliver desktops either on-premises or in the cloud. VERDE’s VDI Gen2 solution helps enterprises transform desktop TCO by simplifying desktop management, improving security and compliance, and increasing organizational agility for online, offline and branch environments. Through partnerships with companies including IBM, Neusoft, Novell, Rackspace and SHI, Virtual Bridges is bringing the next generation of VDI to mid-sized and enterprise customers. Founded in 2006, Virtual Bridges is funded by Austin Ventures and headquartered in Austin, Texas. For more info visit: https://www.vbridges.com.