Fujitsu Technology Solutions is to bolster its virtual workplace infrastructure portfolio with an OEM agreement that will see it incorporate the latest virtualisation tools developed by Citrix Systems Inc into its range of virtual desktop service offerings.
As part of the agreement, from August Fujitsu will integrate Citrix’s XenDesktop into its Virtual Workplace and Managed Virtual Workplace product and service propositions, and add XenServer virtualisation software to its Primergy rack and blade servers.
Fujitsu reckons desktop virtualisation appeals to organisations that intend to introduce upgraded desktop operating systems like Microsoft Vista, without making capital investments in new PC hardware.
It also suits Citrix sites looking for further usage scenarios of server-based computing, and VMware shops that want to expand virtualisation out from their server farms to their desktop estates.
It says its Virtual Workplace solutions are pre-tested and pre-integrated that use optimised configuration templates to speed deployment, while Managed Virtual Workplace offers cost transparency and a price-per-seat for desktop virtualisation deployment.
Desktop virtualisation enables desktop operating systems to be run in a hosted data centre environment. The approach tries to draw together all advantages of standard PC computing, traditional server-based computing and latest virtualisation technologies.
To overcome some of the issues that can be encountered with bandwidth-hungry multimedia and graphics-intensive workstation applications, Fujitsu will draw on Citrix XenDesktop HDX technology, as a means of ensuring a high definition end user experience.
Fujitsu also said it would be adding Citrix XenServer virtualisation software to its range of PRIMERGY rack and blade servers, which would come as a VDI-ready option.
In addition, the companies said that XenServer and the Citrix Essentials for XenServer virtualisation management suite would also be integrated with Fujitsu’s PRIMERGY server management software.
