IBM Unveils New Blade “Eco” System for Next-Generation Client Computing

IBM Unveils New Blade “Eco” System for Next-Generation Client Computing

Today at its PartnerWorld 2007 Conference, IBM (NYSE: IBM) previewed the latest in next generation client computing with the new BladeCenter “Workstation Blade”, developed in collaboration with Blade.org partner Devon IT. The new offering will include the new IBM Workstation Blade and its associated “eco” system of connection broker software and desktop device from Devon IT, designed to help customers host workstation environments remotely to significantly reduce energy consumption in the workplace.

The new blade-based solution from IBM and Devon IT will be ideal for traders in financial services and CAD design engineers, who find themselves traditionally surrounded by several workstations generating heat and noise. By moving desktop and applications to blade servers designed to more efficiently dissipate heat, and utilizing a desktop device with no spinning hard drives for storage or fans needed to dissipate heat, the energy consumed desk side can be reduced by up to 90 percent. While a typical workstation can consume up to 300 watts, a desktop device from Devon IT consumes merely 15 watts, the equivalent of the amount of energy consumed to run an electric shaver.

“Prior to the desktop PC boom 25 years ago, desktop client computing was hosted by networks of connected servers. By the 1990s PCs became connected and played a driving force in server and networking advancements,” said Doug Balog, vice president and business line executive, IBM BladeCenter. “Today, new advances in servers and networking is helping to enable efficient hosting of complex client environments on servers allowing centralized management and security under the control of the data center. With its highly efficient design, IBM BladeCenter has arrived as the ideal platform for server-hosted client computing.”

The new solution will also help improve business security and privacy by moving desktop assets and corporate IP back into the data center. Business productivity can be realized by providing users with a more flexible environment with free seating, and a robust infrastructure that enables access at ranges up to 2500 miles, comparable to the distance between San Francisco and New York. Lower management and traditional desk side support costs can also dramatically reduce IT operating costs.

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