For the past four years, XDS Inc. has been operating in stealth-mode developing their patent-pending virtualization technology used to deliver desktop environments to any device.

Coming out of stealth-mode, the company finally announced the official launch of its first service, the SIMtone Virtual Desktop Utility (VDU). The solution is described as an enterprise-grade, on-demand utility solution that is designed to securely deliver corporate Windows desktop environments seamlessly across broadband networks. And these desktop environments are actually hosted on servers residing in a secure data center, rather than installed on a user's local PC. The company likens the technology to a "digital dial tone" that automatically provides network, session and device control, provisioning and management capabilities.

According to XDS, the SIMtone VDU is a new network and desktop session control and delivery management service that eliminates the costly and complex software and hardware infrastructure corporations are required to build and operate to securely manage and deliver desktop computing services to their employees at their ever-changing work locations.

Some of the SIMtone VDU features include:

• Network Provisioned: The SIMtone VDU is truly a utility which is 100% network provisioned and available 24/7/365 on demand, globally. Windows Desktop Servers need only to be connected to a SIMtone VDU appliance, such as the Enterprise Connector Appliance, designed for quick, "bolt on" deployment. The Dashboard allows network-based on demand management of user privileges and service features for any number of VDU Servers from anywhere, with fine grain control enhancing efficiency and providing Business Continuity Disaster Recovery (BCDR) failover capability.
  
• Plug & Play Installation: The SIMtone VDU automatically 'lights-up' a variety of terminals, called SNAP's, on any broadband connection on the Corporate WAN and on the Internet, that can be used to access a Windows Desktop. Just power on a SNAP to connect to your desktop over any broadband or WAN connection, even when connected behind a firewall or via a special router
  (such as those doing Network Address Translation). The SIMtone VDU will overcome these barriers and securely deliver the Employee Windows Desktop Session to that SNAP, without any subscriber intervention, configuration, and address setting.
  
• Simple Usability: The SIMtone VDU operates as an always-on utility service that is accessible from any high speed internet connection. It is as pervasive as the "dial tone" made famous by Plain Old Telephone Service, and is just as simple to use for the IT administration and for the Employee.
  
• 99.999% Reliability: The SIMtone VDU is designed, built and operated to the highest grade industrial standards by world class telecom-grade professional organization. Redundant systems, multiple networking paths, backup power, and 24/7 monitoring and maintenance ensure that this service will not go down.
  
• Absolute Security: The SIMtone VDU brokers requests for access between a subscriber and the requested Desktop server, managing security, device capabilities and connectivity all at once. Thanks to its patent-pending network management technology The Enterprise firewall can be now closed to incoming connections, thus eliminating any chance of hacking or infection. Once a connection is established, no actual data is transferred as only pixels are delivered to the remote device. No pixels or any other data are cached or stored anywhere on the network, or on the SNAP so losing a device has no data loss liabilities. The SIMtone VDU also integrates easily with existing two-factor authentication (e.g. RSA) done at the Service Center to ensure only authorized access to corporate data.
  
• Seamless Session Mobility: TheSIMtone VDU overcomes networking barriers and keeps sessions going under even the most trying circumstances. Whether switching between different SNAPs, Wi-Fi hotspots, or different internet service providers, a session will be maintained down to the last keystroke. Even if it requires re-connecting to the internet, which SNAPs do automatically, the subscriber won't lose a thing.
  

Available now, the SIMtone VDU is a subscription service priced at $39.95 per month, per user. For additional pricing and more information, please visit their Web site.

Posted by David Marshall on February 24, 2007 08:28 AM