SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA: NEC Corporation of America, a premier provider of IT and network solutions and services, has announced the availability of the latest version of its management software console for virtual PC desktop systems, NEC SigmaSystemCenter 2.0. Designed for the NEC Virtual PC Center, SigmaSystemCenter (SSC) is the only management software console for virtual PC desktop systems that is captured in a single window view. The enhancements enable SSC to automatically manage Virtual PC servers and achieve an impressive energy savings of up to 62 percent of conventional PCs.

"NEC is committed to continually pushing the possibilities of new technologies. Although virtual PC systems have always realized large-scale reductions in energy load when compared with traditional PC systems, NEC's Virtual PC Center (VPCC) upgraded operation management software delivers even greater energy savings," said Marc Hafner, vice president of Departmental Servers, NEC Corporation of America. "Our customers benefit from lowering their energy expenses, while everyone benefits from minimizing energy consumption."

In addition to the system administration software upgrades that allow SSC to automatically adjust the workload of VPCC servers and deliver system-wide energy savings in client and data center operations of up to 62% over conventional PCs, SSC delivers increased cost performance as a result of enhanced hardware capabilities for virtual PC servers. Through improved infrastructure software, SigmaSystemCenter 2.0 is also now compatible with the Windows Vista virtual PC operating system. Full support for VoIP and high-quality graphics functions in the Vista environment will be available in a future release.

"NEC's newly enhanced Virtual PC Center solution delivers virtual desktops that are faster to deploy, less costly to maintain and manage, and more secure than traditional PCs," says Jeff Jennings, vice president of Desktop Products and Solutions at VMware. "Our customers will appreciate Virtual PC Center's enhanced management capabilities, energy-efficient technology and rich multimedia end-user experience delivered in a simplified, packaged VMware virtual desktop."

Virtual PC thin client systems have been praised widely for delivering operational management efficiencies with minimal waste of IT resources. This is achieved through the use of VMware desktop virtualization to centralize IT desktop workloads on a smaller number of highly reliable servers – without sacrificing the user-friendly benefits of a traditional PC environment. As a result, virtual PC thin client systems like VPCC are being deployed in increasing numbers worldwide.

The following are the major benefits of the enhanced Virtual PC Center thin client system.

1. System-wide energy savings of up to 62 percent over conventional PCs

VPCC automatically reduces the number of virtual PC servers operating during times of reduced workload, such as overnight or holidays, by monitoring system conditions and cutting power to excess servers, which results in tremendous energy savings. When the volume of virtual PCs operating increases and elevates the server workload, the servers are automatically restarted as needed, resulting in the optimum number of servers running at any time of the day. This software enhancement delivers system-wide energy savings of up to 62% in annual energy consumption when compared with traditional PCs.

2. Expanded compatibility with Windows Vista

In addition to its existing compatibility with the Windows XP operating system for virtual PC, the enhanced Virtual PC Center also supports Windows Vista.

3. Increased cost performance through enhanced virtual PC server capabilities

Enhanced CPU capabilities in Virtual PC servers running VMware virtualized desktop environments allows an increase in the number of virtual PCs that can be allocated to each server, which ultimately delivers a significant improvement in cost performance.

4. Improved system administration functions

Improvements in the NEC SigmaSystemCenter management console allow for a more intuitive and straightforward system administration environment. Upgraded functions for the bulk delivery of security patches and applications to all virtual PCs, as well as the automatic regulation of simultaneous deliveries, disperses the workload across the entire system.

5. Enhanced security

Limiting the terminals that can be connected to the NEC Virtual PC Center make it possible to authorize only those connections made via client management functions. This delivers advanced security benefits by only making connections to virtual PCs unavailable to unauthorized terminals, such as PCs brought into company offices by non-company personnel.

Thin client systems are increasingly attracting the attention of enterprises and government entities looking to realize its benefits, such as enhanced security, reduced TCO, greater mobility and business continuity through the centralized management of data. This has led to an increase in the number of full-scale deployments of large volume systems. At the same time, the issue of global warming is generating interest in thin client systems for their environmental benefits, including reduced energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. NEC's enhanced Virtual PC Center thin client solution has been developed to meet these evolving market trends and represents an integral part of NEC's efforts to deliver energy-saving IT platforms to our enterprise clients.