ClearCube removes performance and distance as objections to PC Blade computing
ClearCube announced new technology that eliminates the distance barrier long associated with delivering full performance video from centralized PC blades. The company is introduced the I9420, I9440 and the C7420, three new user port devices, at the SIFMA Technology Management Conference & Exhibit. These products make it possible for organizations to deploy PC Blade based solutions and still offer PC-like graphics performance on both dual and quad monitor systems via an IP connection. Performance and removing former distance limitations are the key features of this announcement.
These new products are likely to be of great interest to organizations wanting to centralize computing resources and provide end users with both consistent and reliable computing power from remote locations to achieve the goals of enhancing disaster recovery practices, harden IT and data security, reduce IT management costs (this includes moves/adds/changes). Here's a quick SWOT analysis of the announcement.
- Strengths – organizations would be able to provide computing services to knowledge workers, transactional workers and even some developers even though the computing resources were centralized in a local or remote data center. The reduced installation, administrative and operational costs along with improved levels of security are likely to be very attractive.
- Weaknesses – knowledge workers and developers often need a wide verity of tools, only part of which are known and supported by the IT department. Centralizing systems and forcing them to use only "approved and supported" software might reduce productivity at a time when most organizations are seeking to increase productivity. Although this might be viewed as a weakness by these people, the IT department is likely to see this as a strength. They, after all, would have a more uniform environment to support and, thus, lower costs of support.
- Opportunities - ClearCube faces a large opportunity. Their biggest challenge is educating decision-makers about this solution. Once they understand what virtual access can do for their organizations, they're very likely to be interested. Graphics performance will no longer be an impediment to PC blade adoption.
- Threats - ClearCube's approach is one of a number of different ways to offer virtual access. The company can demonstrate the power and flexibility of its management and provisioning tools as a way to distinguish itself from others offering PC blade solutions. Since organizations must purchase PC blade "servers", the company must take a different tack to distinguish itself from those offering virtual access software supporting applications on a general purpose system. I suspect they'd focus how some applications are not compatible with shared access on the fact that a PC blade may offer better performance and more flexibility than offered by a general purpose solution.