Pano Logic Introduces Desktop Virtualization Device

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Pano Logic on Wednesday launched the second generation of its zero client desktop virtualization device, promising simplicity, security, and minimal energy usage as hallmarks of its "zero footprint" approach.

The updated device includes among other features an added USB port (bringing the total to four), isochronous USB support, enhanced video performance, and dual monitor support. Pricing starts at $389 per device and includes one year of support and maintenance.

Dana Loof, Pano Logic's executive vice president of marketing, said the company has "a ton" of small and midsize business (SMB) customers, and that their agility relative to larger organizations enabled them to take the plunge into desktop virtualization early in the technology's lifespan. Loof added that while Pano Logic focused on small businesses in its early days, midmarket companies are fueling its recent growth.

"[SMBs] are actually really growing faster within the desktop virtualization space than the larger customers, mostly because these guys don't have the time to be able to manage all of these different pieces to a PC, or the bandwidth to manage all of these endpoints," Loof said. "I think that's why a lot of the early adopters have been really happy with desktop virtualization and again they're primarily on the SMB side."

Pano Logic bills the device as "zero footprint" -- referring broadly to a combination of its minimal maintenance, intrinsic security, low energy requirements (six watts), and flexible server-side software that is interoperable with the Citrix, VMWare, and Hyper-V platforms -- as an alternative to PCs or thin clients.

"There is literally nothing that you have to manage at the endpoint," Loof said. "For the IT guys that are already resource-constrained, they can focus on the data center or the server side, rather than having to go out and fix a thin client or fix a PC for one of their end users. They can actually just re-deploy a virtual machine from the server and get that guy up and running very, very quickly."

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Because no data is stored on the device, it is inherently secure: A thief would get away with a 3.5-inch box -- albeit one worth several hundred dollars -- but the liability would end there. Nor can anyone tunnel into the data from the outside -- it simply isn't there.

"You just can't breach security when there is nothing on the device and no operating system running," Loof said.

As a result, certain vertical markets such as financial and healthcare companies -- as well as other industries subject to regulatory mandates such as HIPAA or SOX -- are critical segments for Pano Logic's business. For smaller companies, compliance with such mandates can be major resource drains. That, in part, explains the breakdown of Pano Logic's current customer base: 75% have less than 600 devices deployed, and while it's not necessarily one-to-one device-to-employee ratio, it gives a good indicator of company size. Pano Logic has roughly 1,000 customers and 30,000 devices running in production environments. The company targets its direct sales to SMBs and essentially outsources the enterprise market through its OEM relationship with Fujitsu, which offers a Pano-powered zero client that includes a monitor.

"We're a small company and we want to focus on the technology and improvements in the technology," Loof said. "With our existing sales force, we're really focused on the SMB space."