In that role, Poole led development of Windows Starter (which has now been sold to over seven million first-time PC users around the world), championed Microsoft's partnership with the One Laptop per Child organisation, and built relationships worldwide with government and business leaders.

Stephen Dukker, NComputing CEO and chairman, said: "With NComputing now exceeding a million unit annualised run rate, we're poised for substantial and rapid growth. We are excited to have Will join us to guide our strategic direction and assist us in forging relationships with governments and other technology companies. We look forward to drawing from his experiences and relationships as we take NComputing to the next level."

The NComputing solution is based on a simple fact: today's PCs are so powerful that the vast majority of applications only use a small fraction of the computer's capacity. NComputing's virtualization software and hardware tap this unused capacity so that it can be simultaneously shared by multiple users.

Each user's monitor, keyboard, and mouse connect to the shared PC through a small and very durable NComputing access device. The access device itself has no CPU, memory or moving parts so it is rugged, durable, and easy to deploy and maintain, which is especially critical in developing nations.

The NComputing solution costs as little as $70 per seat. More than 20,000 organisations in over 90 countries use NComputing solutions every day.

Rob Enderle, technology analyst, Enderle Group, said: "NComputing has the potential to reshape the computing landscape and Will joining the company should substantially increase their potential for success given his background and contacts. Education and commercial buyers are looking for ways to make their limited resources stretch to cover their growing needs and NComputing is uniquely suited to help many do exactly that."