In the first #Praim4Beginners article we talked about thin clients, while in the second one about zero clients. In this third article we will explain the options that Praim offers to integrate the company’s existing hardware into a managed VDI endpoint installation.
The benefits of using desktop server solutions such as VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) or shared desktops are probably already well known and understood, as well as those related to the use of thin clients dedicated to the connection to these environments and the resulting advantages.
However, choosing to migrate from a traditional desktop PC infrastructure to one of these solutions can involve an additional cost, in case you want to replace your existing hardware (desktop or laptop PCs) with a thin client. This cost can sometimes be onerous to deal with. Often, in these cases, PC repurposing becomes the most convenient choice, at least initially, because it combines the advantages of using these new solutions with firmware (usually lighter operating systems) and management solutions typical of the thin client world with the savings deriving from the reuse of existing hardware, by upgrading it, extending its life and amortizing its costs.
The support offered by Praim to PC repurposing is diversified in various ways. On the one hand, the actual repurposing: the conversion of the existing hardware with the complete replacement of its operating system, through the use of ThinOX4PC that can be installed on the devices. On the other hand, the possibility of maintaining the original system in the case of “old” Windows PCs, adding an additional management software level through Agile4PC, which facilitates the reuse of outdated hardware in the context of a virtual environment where the device must run only the connection to the VDI. Both solutions are based on Praim technologies already consolidated in the thin client world: ThinOX4PC has been developed from the ThinOX operating system, used on Praim thin clients of the Linux family, while Agile4PC is integrated in Praim thin client solutions based on Windows Embedded/IoT. Both, then, connected to the ThinMan console, offer complete centralized management that allows to automate repurposing configuration and management.
ThinOX4PC, in particular, offers two ways of use: the first one by installing the ThinOX operating system and erasing the endpoint’s pre-existing software and operating system; the second one by using “live” ThinOX4PC on the existing hardware, through a USB stick for booting, without having to replace the local operating system which, therefore, can still be used when needed. In this case, if the ThinMan console has a policy and a profile already prepared to be distributed, it will end the installation or start-up of ThinOX4PC by configuring them as ready-to-use and fully managed thin clients.
With Agile4PC, Praim facilitates and automates the Windows hardware requalification already in use by preparing it for the connection to virtual infrastructures. By installing Agile4PC it will then be possible centrally, via ThinMan, to directly distribute the installation of the software (i.e. clients) for the connection to the Virtual Desktop server. It will also allow it to be managed in the best possible way by configuring access to resources and various other usage policies and device security. If ThinMan has an Agile configuration, the device will configure itself automatically at initial start-up, effectively introducing the old PC to the VDI world, as if it were a thin client.
The choice of the solution to be adopted must certainly be made on the basis of business needs, remembering that Praim can guarantee perfect solutions for all needs, including: thin clients, centralized management consoles and security integrations.
