Array Networks Wants Citrix's GoToMyPC Off the Desktop
By Frank Ohlhorst | Posted 2008-12-10
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Array’s Desktop Direct shifts desktop remote control from hosted services back to a premise solution and builds on the greening of the enterprise by leveraging PC power management technology.
Mobile, traveling and remote workers often have a common need, the ability to access their desktop PCs from beyond the brick-and-mortar environment of a corporate location. Add to that the rising trend of telecommuting, and remote access is a technology that can only grow in demand and that is good news for solution providers looking to capitalize on remote access solutions.
Array Networks is looking to help fuel that growth with Desktop Direct, an appliance-based remote control and access solution that helps to "green" the network by incorporating power saving features, but Array Networks has some serious competition in the remote control market, competition that is not likely to go away anytime soon.
For many, hosted solutions such as LogMeIn or Citrix’s GoToMyPC have been the remote control solutions of choice for desktop PCs. After all, both are sold as a service for a low monthly fee and are very simple to set up and use. What’s more, both companies are channel friendly, allowing partners to resell their services and net recurring revenues.
Array Networks is facing a challenge to garner market share in the PC remote control market. But Desktop Direct is up to the challenge. Desktop Direct’s strengths start to show in organizations where several PCs need to be accessed remotely by several different users. Deployed as a device/software combo, Desktop Direct is installed as an appliance on the internal network - inside the firewall and maintains control of all remote control sessions.
The advantages to a premise-based appliance are many, ranging from increased security to scalability to management. The downsides (and where services succeed) include initial product and integration costs. Even so, Desktop Direct does offer the potential to help an enterprise save a significant amount of money in energy costs and that can be a key selling point for the product.
Desktop Direct is designed to work with internally networked PCs to maximize power savings. A user can shut off their desktop PC and Desktop Direct will handle powering up the PC when remote access is needed. For larger organizations, the savings can be significant – PCs no longer need to be left on 24/7, just in case someone needs to access it remotely.
Frank J. Ohlhorst is the Executive Technology Editor for eWeek Channel Insider and brings with him over 20 years of experience in the Information Technology field.He began his career as a network administrator and applications program in the private sector for two years before joining a computer consulting firm as a programmer analyst. In 1988 Frank founded a computer consulting company, which specialized in network design, implementation, and support, along with custom accounting applications developed in a variety of programming languages.In 1991, Frank took a position with the United States Department of Energy as a Network Manager for multiple DOE Area Offices with locations at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPL), Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), FermiLAB and the Ames Area Office (AMESAO). Frank's duties included managing the site networks, associated staff and the inter-network links between the area offices. He also served at the Computer Security Officer (CSO) for multiple DOE sites. Frank joined CMP Technology's Channel group in 1999 as a Technical Editor assigned to the CRN Test Center, within a year, Frank became the Senior Technical Editor, and was responsible for designing product testing methodologies, assigning product reviews, roundups and bakeoffs to the CRN Test Center staff.In 2003, Frank was named Technology Editor of CRN. In that capacity, he ensured that CRN maintained a clearer focus on technology and increased the integration of the Test Center's review content into both CRN's print and web properties. He also contributed to Netseminar's, hosted sessions at CMP's Xchange Channel trade shows and helped to develop new methods of content delivery, Such as CRN-TV.In September of 2004, Frank became the Director of the CRN Test Center and was charged with increasing the Test Center's contributions to CMP's Channel Web online presence and CMP's latest monthly publication, Digital Connect, a magazine geared towards the home integrator. He also continued to contribute to CMP's Netseminar series, Xchange events, industry conferences and CRN-TV.In January of 2007, CMP Launched CRNtech, a monthly publication focused on technology for the channel, with a mailed audience of 70,000 qualified readers. Frank was instrumental in the development and design of CRNTech and was the editorial director of the publication as well as its primary contributor. He also maintained the edit calendar, and hosted quarterly CRNTech Live events.In June 2007, Frank was named Senior Technology Analyst and became responsible for the technical focus and edit calendars of all the Channel Group's publications, including CRN, CRNTech, and VARBusiness, along with the Channel Group's specialized publications Solutions Inc., Government VAR, TechBuilder and various custom publications. Frank joined Ziff Davis Enterprise in September of 2007 and focuses on creating editorial content geared towards the purveyors of Information Technology products and services. Frank writes comparative reviews, channel analysis pieces and participates in many of Ziff Davis Enterprise's tradeshows and webinars. He has received several awards for his writing and editing, including back to back best review of the year awards, and a president's award for CRN-TV. Frank speaks at many industry conferences, is a contributor to several IT Books, holds several records for online hits and has several industry certifications, including Novell's CNE, Microsoft's MCP.Frank can be reached at frank.ohlhorst@ziffdavisenterprise.com
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