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November 24, 2008

Chinese computer and server manufacturer Lenovo says that its new Secure Managed Client (SMC), a storage-based, hard-drive less system that will allow IT managers to reduce costs and save time by storing data in a non-server remote location is to start shipping in June or July 2009.

The new solution will include a thin client -- a ThinkCentre desktop, but without a hard-drive -- Lenovo software and an Intel-powered centralized Lenovo storage array. Set-up will be aided by the recently expanded Lenovo Professional Services teams.

Lenovo Canada’s national sales consultant Jordan Buck said that the company wanted to go outside of the traditional options of thin clients, desktop blades and server virtualization solutions.

Buck said “thin clients have a lot of costs up-front, and blades often require a lot of power and cooling. With this new solution, all the data is processed on the PC. The image is on the computer, which synchs back to the SAN (storage area network).”

Senior research analyst John Sloane of the Info-Tech Research Group said, “there certainly is a move toward these types of SAN appliances, with the main area for cost savings from the desk-side support aspect. Our research reveals that 8 to ten percent of IT staff’s time is taken up with user support. It also helps that all data and programs are more secure, and you can save even more money by managing all volumes locally.”

The benefits for IT managers are many. “All the data is stored on the SAN, so that's a good security feature, while the cost savings come from a management point of view. You just have to drag the image to the new user from the SAN. It eliminates the need for end-user moves, and can cut down on maintenance since upkeep is centralized,” said Buck.

The only difference is that users enter an SMC password to boot up instead of a Windows log-in.

Additionally, if the IT department find it a pain, they can always stick hard drives in the machines.

“As the cost of maintaining a fleet of PCs increases exponentially, there’ll be a lot more processing happening remotely,” said Sloane.

Sloane added "we have confidence that the IT sector will welcome Lonovo's new solution and will be seeking feedback from its users."

Source: Lenovo.

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