The View From NCS Technologies

IT administrators in healthcare tell us they are are focused on making computing more secure, more reliable, less complex and more cost effective - goals that make sense to everyone. 

Healthcare workers rely on computers and networking in nearly every aspect of their jobs. Patient records and scheduling need to be kept up to date and secure. Imagery such as MRIs and X-rays need to be available and accessed from distant servers. Doctors and nurses are constantly on the move and frequently use carts to bring mobile computing - and the latest patient information - directly into each patient area.

NCS Appliance & Server Engineering designs and builds products that serve as robust platforms for customers. We work with Independent Software Vendors, Original Equipment Manufacturers, Systems Integrators and smaller software companies in segments such as cyber security, high frequency trading, and IoT. Often our customers are satisfied with off-the-shelf platforms. But many are better served with a custom solution. 

Simply stated, when does a Custom Platform Solution make sense? 

NCS Engineering Services works with many leading Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and Systems Integrators (SIs), to design and build servers and appliances that serve as robust platforms for their end customers. We also work with smaller software companies, in segments such as cyber security, high frequency trading, and IoT, who are trying to grow and scale their products. Often they are struggling with hardware issues that are holding them back.

In talking to customers, we find that each company comes to us with unique needs. Often there is not an overriding issue to address, but several smaller ones that aggregate, leading to poor or unexpected outcomes.

As enterprises expand their use of VDI, IT administrators seek to improve reliability and network performance, and reduce complexity and costs. 

Organizations look to implement desktop or end point virtualization for many reasons, including enhanced security, lowering costs, reducing IT complexity - even lowering energy consumption. Virtualized end points are particularly effective in meeting these objectives as infrastructure management and data are centralized in the data center.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) implementation continues to grow, but many IT managers and users still have limited experience with the technology - mostly as an immobile desktop implementation consisting of a monitor, keyboard, mouse and small desktop networking device. This description fits both thin and zero clients. In fact, thin and zero client devices may look identical. But do not be fooled!

At a recent trade show we showed off our latest NCS Technologies Vortex workstation running SecureView 2.1 with all the bells and whistles - Liquid-cooled Intel Core i7 processor, multiple high-end graphics cards, fiber NICs, 32GB of RAM, multiple monitors.

What You Can Do WithSecureView

SecureView is a multi-level virtual platform which allows a user to run multiple securely isolated environments (typically up to five or six environments up till now) on a single PC, provide hardware-enforced security and deliver superior virtualization in the most demanding environments. The virtual platform is made possible by extensive development work by the Air Force Research Laboratory, the open source community, Assured Information Security and NCS.

The great thing about the latest SecureView 2.1 is the ability to run more isolated environments than was previously possible. Our feedback is that analysts need to run 7, 8 or even 15 VMs in some cases to replace all of the physical PCs on the desktop.

Last week's VMWORLD 2015 was a big success!  NCS launched two new zero client products, Cirrus LT Plus 15" notebook and Cirrus DT WiFi desktop zero client.  And, we showcased our popular Cirrus LT 14" notebook zero client, which launched last year, and our enhanced end-to-end VDI solution.  The show was an impressive global gathering of those focused on virtualization, drawing 23,000+ people intensely interested in all things VMware and the ecosystem that supports them. 

There is excitement at VMworld 2015 around the new zero client desktop and laptop offerings from NCS. IT managers are aware that there are many end point choices in the virtualization space. People maybe most familiar with thin client solutions, such as Windows embedded products, and desktop zero clients where the OS resides in the data center.

IT managers may be less aware that zero clients today are found in the laptop/notebook form factor, which makes them much more convenient for the typical knowledge worker who needs to stay connected on a business trip, or from a home office or beach house over the weekend. 

So there has been enthusiasm for the new Cirrus LT Plus PCoIP zero client laptop. Cirrus LT Plus has a 15.6-inch high FHD display, and a full keyboard with numeric keypad. In addition, it has a primary hot-swappable battery with an additional integrated second battery for more than eight hours of continuous power. Lots of useful options include integrated smart card reader, proximity card reader, fingerprint reader, docking station, WiFi and 4G broadband. 

As you would expect, this week at VMworld 2015 in San Francisco thousands of IT managers are roaming the floor at Moscone looking for the latest innovations in virtualization. They are looking for better strategies on how to increase the penetration of VDI within organizations in a seamless and cost-effective manner. They want to improve reliability and scalability in the data center, improve network performance, and perhaps most importantly, reduce complexity and costs all the way to the endpoints. 

While NCS Technologies is known for providing a wide variety of computing solutions to government, the military and the intelligence community, healthcare providers are among the most persistent visitors to our website.