Event

HP refreshes its RCS portfolio

The worldwide launch of HP’s Remote Client Solutions (RCS), in Hong Kong recently, reiterated the need to reinvent technology according to the needs of the times

HP Remote Client Solutions (RCS) launch event, organized in Hong Kong recently, focused on the advantages of remote client computing and client virtualization. The event, entitled ‘Connection —Innovating Success’, showcased how RCS enable customers to maintain business momentum, spend less and do more.

HP has refreshed its RCS portfolio with the help of a core team of 11 experts. The RCS suite comprises of blade PCs, blade work stations and virtualized PCs, which are housed in data centers and accessed by HP thin clients managed by RCS software. The new HP thin client portfolio includes HP bc2800 and bc2200 blade PCs, which would enable enhanced user experience, reduce operational costs and ensure better security by centralizing corporate data in the data center. The blade PCs come bundled with Citrix XenDesktop 3 software, which is offered free. The focus is to ensure total customer experience from beginning to end. “We are increasing performance, decreasing power consumption and reducing cost,” stated Allen Tiffany, Business Unit Manager, Remote Client Solutions, Personal Systems Group, HP Asia Pacific and Japan.

Tom Flynn, Chief Technologist, Desktop Solutions Organization, HP Personal Systems Group, Global Business Unit gave a live demonstration that highlighted the easy manageability from one workstation to another that improved the TCO and enhanced data security. There is easy remote access for users without compromising on the computing power.

Blade PCs are relevant across all industries, but it proves to be cost-effective if the establishment has minimum 80 to 150 people. The more the deployment, evidently the more will be cost benefits.

An interesting case study on the migration to HP blade workstations was made by Bas Berendsen, Manager IT Operations, Optiver Asia Pacific. Optiver had made the implementation for their Sydney office for better trading environment, speed and security. “The main office is housed in a heritage building so we had limited power capacity. Now using the HP blade workstation architecture, we are able to offload our power to remote sites,” said Berendsen. All traders and non-traders indicated better desktop performance and a more flexible environment. More than 400 blade workstations were installed and it has worked so well that the now their Chicago and Amsterdam offices are all set for migration.

An IDC study states that RCS implementation can lead to reduction of operating costs by almost 61% and lessen hardware and software costs by 87%. “Despite whichever business you are from or whatever level of maturity, we face similar challenges and have similar requirements. In HP we worked overtime to meet challenges,” stated Dennis Mark, Vice President and General Manager, Commercial Systems Unit, HP Personal Systems Group, Asia Pacific and Japan.

The marketing strategy is driven by the customer’s perspective. “There is flexibility for users to customize as per their own requirements, create an ecosystem to customize solutions for users,” added Mark, pointing out that the users are an important part of the solution to define what they want—to take full advantage of remote client solutions.

The key part of the module will be computing the data center. “Our advantage is in providing a strong portfolio, not just the hardware alone but the software development in many cases tune in Remote Graphics Software according to customer requirements,” stated Mark.

The focus in different countries is as per specific customer segments. Banking and financial sector, securities and trading are a few of the targeted segments. The education sector is another key focus area—both private and government schools, which face the added complexity of supporting more and more students. Mark disclosed that in India he had met with a few schools regarding this.

The thin clients have no moving parts, seek little maintenance, can operate 24x7, and reduce support cost. “For an organization, one support staff in Mumbai can take care of the whole of India,” stated Mark. HP t5000 Thin Client Series, gt7725 Thin Client and 2533t Mobile Thin Client are able to reduce energy consumption by as much as 60% over that utilized by a traditional PC when used in a remote client environment. Business continuity and data safety is also ensured as the applications and data are not stored locally, but at the data center.