We already talked about thin clients as devices that have no local (or a minimal) operating system, that are centrally managed, easily deployed, secure, simple to support, fully managed and cost-effective. For all these reasons they’re usually among the main business drivers in adopting a virtual desktop strategy for new installations.
The reality is, instead, that most of the devices that connect to a virtual desktop are PCs that are running Windows. And it’s about these devices that we’ll talk about in this #Praim4Beginners article.
Windows is pervasive, easy to use and probably already present on the PCs companies buy. An alternative that guarantees, however, the possibility of benefiting from lower costs in the face of greater hardware longevity is to use Windows-based Thin Client devices. This is nearly identical to regular versions of Windows but is licensed differently and for some specific products.
Devices that run all versions of Windows, however, have this issue: how to profit from the same security and management benefits of thin clients while accessing a virtual environment without adding new complexity from the management of the local copy of Windows installed on the endpoints? Because of its user friendlyness and widespread usage, indeed, Windows is more exposed to attacks, misusage risks and, thus, it requires more maintenance.
The solution to this problem exists and it’s called Agile, the Praim agent software that extends the control of the ThinMan management console on any Windows device. Agile is included with the Praim Windows-based thin clients as standard but is also available as a standalone product, Agile4PC, which will run on all versions of x86-based Windows, regardless of the hardware type (desktops, laptops, third-party thin clients).
Agile provides the means to receive a configured policy from ThinMan, which will connect to the virtual resources, define the desktop appearance, configure any wireless connectivity, restrict USB port access, install certificates, as well as manage the disk Write Filter.
Agile and ThinMan also provide advanced functionalities, to include remote support, remote application deployment, remote script execution, kiosk mode and two-factor authentication.
Another Agile benefit is the universal configuration: all Agile versions share a common configuration. It’s possible to apply the settings defined on a Praim Windows device onto other Agile devices.
Agile with ThinMan provide the necessary components to complete a migration to a virtual desktop. As ThinMan also manages the Praim ThinOX-based solutions, it’s also able to manage a mixed endpoint environment.
