The View From NCS Technologies

Stop By NCS and Getac at Table #1

TechNet Asia-Pacific is the largest trade show and event in the Pacific Rim focused on regional defense issues.  Held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki, the show is co-sponsored by AFCEA International and AFCEA Hawaii. NCS is partnering with Getac at TechNet to promote all aspects of rugged computing for the military. NCS has traditionally been one of the largest resellers of Getac products in the world and is the recognized rugged expert for military applications.

At the booth NCS is also promoting its extensive portfolio of desktop virtualization solutions. As you might expect, on the Opening Day much of the activity was focused on the NCS-Getac rugged solutions. For instance, there was strong interest in the new MX50 battle ready, fully secure, wearable tablet. The MX50 is designed for tactical operations and true field computing.

With a sunlight readable 5.7 inch display, Intel Atom X5 processor, and compact, chest-mounted design, the MX50 has the ideal size, weight and power for rugged yet mobile military applications. It is compact and lightweight, weighing in at less than one pound, and its size and weight deliver unrestricted movement and versatility.

Other rugged products being showcased include the Getac V110 fully rugged convertible, the S410 semi rugged notebook and the F110 fully rugged tablet.

The V110 drew a lot of attention this morning as a compact and lightweight fully rugged convertible that quickly transforms from an 11.6 inch display notebook to a tablet computer.

The S410 semi rugged notebook is a crowd pleaser because it delivers landmark performance, security, customization and durability in a thin form factor. It is available with an 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor, impressive security tools and multi-factor authentication and customization features to fit any workflow.

While dependable rugged solutions kept traffic at the booth strong, many people are also wanting to know more about the NCS desktop virtualization portfolio. They are learning that the NCS designed and patented zero client end points lead the industry in manageability, reduced cost of ownership and improved security.

Stop By NCS Table #1

TechNet Asia-Pacific, which opens today, is the largest trade show and event in the Pacific Rim focused on regional defense issues.  Now in its 32nd year, it is co-sponsored by AFCEA International and AFCEA Hawaii.  The event is being held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki from today until Nov. 2.

Keynote speakers, panel moderators and panelists will discuss defense policies and challenges in the Asia-Pacific region and their relevance to both industry and government. Industry exhibitors demonstrate products and solutions that meet military requirements.

At TechNet Asia-Pacific NCS is partnering with Getac to promote all aspects of rugged computing for the military. NCS has traditionally been one of the largest resellers of Getac products in the world and is the recognized rugged expert for military applications. At this event NCS and Getac wil be promoting many products, including the new MX50 battle ready, fully secure, wearable tablet. The MX50 is designed for tactical operations and true field computing.

Other rugged products being showcased include the Getac V110 fully rugged convertible, the S410 semi rugged notebook and the F110 fully rugged tablet.

Also popular at these events are desktop virtualization solutions from NCS. Our zero client end points lead the industry in manageability, reduced cost of ownership and improved security.

Stop By NCS Booth #24

The Atlanta VMware User Con opens at the Georgia World Congress Center, 285 Andrew Young International Blvd, NW, today.  NCS is focused on the benefits of desktop virtualization and back office data center IT infrastructure. Stop by Booth #24 and talk to Matt and Linda about the many benefits of virtualizing at the desktop and in the data center. 

The show has opened and IT administrators are already asking about the benefits of thin clients and zero clients and background on various remote display protocols. Our virtualization experts are eager to demonstrate how virtualization of client desktops improve manageability, reduce cost of ownership and improve security.

Dallas VMUG Shines Light on NCS Capabilities

The Dallas Fort Worth VMware User Con, one of the larger VMware user gatherings in the Midwest, is over and a fair question is, what was learned? As it typical with VMUGs, the attendees were extremely knowledgeable IT managers in the VMware ecosystem and they came to discuss all things virtualization. They probed NCS about our products and capabilities and looked for what was truly unique and valuable in our virtualization offers.

IT administrators asked many questions about our take on public, private and hybrid cloud services, converged appliances, server and storage strategies and accelerating desktop virtualization. At the end of the day, two broad areas of discussion stood out. 

Attendees as always were impressed by our patented, innovative desktop VDI portfolio, which is unique in the industry. In addition, they wanted to learn more about our Deployable Infrastructure solution, where comprehensive IT infrastructure can be quickly shipped and set up in the field, for industry, first responders and for the military.

The NCS Deployable Infrastructure solution is based on the concept that all aspects of a network are sized for rugged containers that can be shipped and set up nearly anywhere, running VMware vSphere. Our server appliances deliver all three network elements (storage, compute and network), plus software and services and VDI endpoints. Our deployable VDI workgroup can be a mix of NCS branded rugged servers, plus Getac rugged platforms, and NCS endpoints.

The NCS Deployable Infrastructure solutions, along with our Cirrus VDI zero client endpoints, are proven to improve manageability, reduce cost of ownership and improve security. If you have a need for IT infrastructure in a field setting, contact NCS to learn how we can help you meet your challenges.

Stop By NCS Booth #5

The Dallas Fort Worth VMware User Con opens at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center, Grapevine.  At this VMware event NCS is focused on the benefits of desktop virtualization. Please stop by Booth #5 to learn about the many benefits of virtualizing your desktop. 

Already this morning IT administrators are asking about the benefits of thin clients and zero clients and the ins and outs of various remote display protocols. We have virtualization experts available to discuss all of the hot button virtualization issues. Learn about how client desktops improve manageability, reduce cost of ownership and improve security.

Please Visit NCS Booth #5

The Dallas Fort Worth VMware User Con kicks off tomorrow, Tuesday, at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center, Grapevine. It is one of the larger VMware user gatherings in the Midwest where knowledgeable IT managers in the VMware ecosystem discuss all things virtualization. NCS will be there touting their expertise in desktop virtualization. Please stop by Booth #5.

No doubt attendees are interested in many aspects of virtualization, including public and private cloud services, hyper converged appliances, server and storage strategies and accelerating desktop virtualization. At these regional VMUGs the NCS experts will address all of these issues, with a special emphasis on the desktop.

IT administrators want to understand the differences between thin clients and zero clients and the ins and outs of various remote display protocols. At the Dallas Fort-Worth VMUG, we will have available virtualization experts to comprehensively discuss all of these hot button virtualization issues. Our booth staff includes Matt and Mike, who will explain how NCS zero client desktops improve manageability, reduce cost of ownership and improve security.

VMware User Group USERCON, Dallas Fort-Worth, Booth #5

The Dallas Fort Worth VMware User Con is Tuesday, October 10 at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center, Grapevine, TX. It is one of the larger VMware user gatherings in the Midwest and attracts knowledgeable IT managers in the VMware ecosystem and experts in virtualization. NCS will be there. Please come see us at Booth #5.

Attendees are interested in many aspects of virtualization, including public and private cloud services, hyper converged appliances, server and storage strategies and accelerating desktop virtualization. At these regional VMUGs NCS discusses all of these issues, with a special emphasis on the desktop.

IT administrators want to understand the differences between thin clients and zero clients and the ins and outs of various remote display protocols. At the Dallas Fort-Worth VMUG, we will have available virtualization experts to comprehensively discuss all of these hot button virtualization issues. Our booth staff will include Matt and Mike, who will be excited to talk about how NCS zero client desktops improve manageability, reduce cost of ownership and improve security.

Deepest Portfolio Meets Customer Challenges

NCS is contacted daily by IT administrators looking to implement manageable and cost-effective virtualization at the desktop. There are many ways to implement this, including installing new thin or zero client solutions.

Thin clients retain some kind of OS, such as Windows Embedded™ or a customized Linus OS. Administrators need to keep in mind that even a small OS provides an attack surface, and this can add some complexity to IT adminstration.

IT administrators must also remain mindful of which remote display protocol to use. There are many choices, with PCoIP and Blast being very popular. For VMware environments NCS customers tell us they are focused on strong security and a high-quality desktop experience. These customers often choose zero clients using the PCoIP protocol.

PC-over-IP (PCoIP) technology delivers a secure, high-definition and highly responsive computing experience. PCoIP compresses, encrypts and transmits only pixels to a broad range of software clients, mobile clients and stateless PCoIP Zero Clients, providing a highly secure enterprise environment. PCoIP was designed for interactive applications. It is a multi-codec solution that delivers the most accurate PC experience regardless of network conditions.

From a user’s perspective, there is no difference between working with a local computer loaded with software and an endpoint receiving a streamed pixel representation from a data center locally or in the cloud.

NCS is the world leader in productizing PCoIP zero client technology. NCS zero clients improve manageability, drive down cost of ownership and improve security. We have many satisfied customers all over the world.

Equifax Data Breach Means Continued Data Security Vigilance is Essential

The massive Equifax data breach illustrates once again that organizations who have the most at stake in protecting secrets can still be vulnerable to catastrophic missteps and security holes. These security laps may cause harm for years and even decades.

Equifax is a publicly-held company. Its business as an international credit bureau by definition makes it the repository to some of the most precious personal data in existence. Yet due to poor controls, the credit histories of 143 million people have now been exposed to the bad guys. In a similar way, government agencies hold extremely valuable secrets, many related to private information or national security. In recent years government agencies at all levels have proved vulnerable to significant data losses. The data breaches are well known and include agencies such as the National Security Agency, the office of Personnel Management, the Georgia Secretary of State, the U.S. Postal Service, and the Internal Revenue Service. 

A critical aspect of good data security is protecting government information networks. Examples of protected information networks include NIPRNet (private IP network), SIPRNet (classified), and JWICS (top secret). To access these networks, agencies may use multiple Virtual Machines on a single PC or workstation to access different classification levels. This may be most effeciently done through SecureView, developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and implemented by NCS Technologies.

VMworld Day 4 at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas

Interest in desktop virtualization is a strong focus for many attendees at VMworld 2017 in Las Vegas. Many IT managers come to our booth to continue earlier discussions from weeks or even months ago. But there are also many IT administrators, who know little about us, who stop by to discuss "next steps". They have already virtualized the data center, perhaps even through private or public clouds services, and now they are ready to tackle the desktop.

The questions are many. What products does NCS offer? In what use cases are they typically implemented? How easy are they to manage? What are their price points? How secure are NCS zero clients?  Over the past few days we have also fielded many questions about the desktops virtualization protocols available. Since this is a VMware show, the two most popular VMware ecosystem protocols being discussed are PCoIP and Blast Extreme, but other protocols do come up.

It is the NCS view that the PCoIP protocol from Teradici continues to be the best choice over alternatives, primarly because of its proven manageability, iron-clad security and the overall performance - even in challenging high definition environments. 

PCoIP transfers the image of software running in the data center to any PCoIP end point (zero client). Because the protocol transfers only the pixel data location information, it's super secure - no secrets or personal data or business information ever leaves the data center. The PCoIP security module leverages the AES 256 and NSA Suite B cyphers, which meet the highest level of security required by governments.

In applications requiring higher bandwidth, PCoIP shines over Blast Extreme and the rest of the competition, including including Remote Desktop Protocol and HDX. If bandwidth becomes variable, competing protocols can deliver choppy screen results. But a PCoIP client, assisted by hardware acceleration, will maintain smooth video motion by slightly varying the resolution to optimize the viewing experience.

It is fair to say that Blast is creating strong interest from the VMware user base but from all comparable data administrators will still be better off by going with the PCoIP protocol.