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TCS Vision has been hard at work to make it easy for you to take advantage of huge incentives slated for 2010 that can save your company tens of thousands of dollars. There has never been a better time to GO GREEN and save money on your data center operational costs. We are pleased to announce the following promotions available in January of 2010.

Learn more about these incentives today. Contact us to register for a FREE lunch & learn session where you’ll learn the details of these programs. Lunch is on us!

TCS Vision, your technology and innovation partner, can offer $2,000 in incentives and up to $10,000 in incentives for qualifying thin-client consolidation projects**. That means there’s no better time to take control of your company, increase your bottom line, and increase your profitability. Register for your FREE lunch & learn to learn more**.

The new 2X ApplicationServer 6.1 for Windows 2008 Terminal Server load balances and publishes
applications and desktops secure on to any Windows, Apple or Linux desktop.

Dallas/Irving, USA, 7. July 2008 Windows 2008 Server users can now run remote Windows applications and desktops seamlessly and secure on any Windows, Apple or Linux desktop. The new 2X ApplicationServer for Windows 2008 Terminal Server is available for free at: http://www.2x.com/applicationserver/download.html

Up to now, Windows 2008 Terminal Server application and desktop publishing only ran on Vista clients. Server Based Computing software typically installs in mixed OS environments and therefore needs a client OS and hardware independent approach. However, with 2X ApplicationServer, any Windows application or desktop can be run via a secure SSL connection from a Windows 2008 Terminal Server on all Windows, Linux or Mac desktops using any LAN or Internet connection by installing the very light 2X Client.

“With the 2X ApplicationServer 6.1 for Windows 2008, we want to address all those companies that use Windows 2008 Terminal Server as part of their IT infrastructure and need to run applications and desktops remotely and securely on any machine. Now they can. 2X ApplicationServer load balances and publishes applications and desktops from Win 2008 Terminal Server to any location” said Nikolaos Makris, 2X CEO.

About 2X ApplicationServer

2X ApplicationServer tunnels any Windows application or desktop onto remote computers, including Mac and Linux desktops without the need to install the application or desktop onto each user’s machine. This saves significantly on administration and support.

New features

• Windows 2008 Server 32 / 64 Bit support
• Access-Security by allowing to filter by MAC addresses
• Delegation of administration rights
• Improved Administration with 2X Log Viewer and 2X Monitor
• Support for sorting and filtering in 2X Console
• Improved 2X Universal Printing and management
• Improved 2X Web Access Portal with: web client auto detection
• Client Proxy Support

Register for your FREE demo today

2X partner TCS Vision, LLC is offering a free demo environment to all interested clients. Contact your TCS Account Manager at (877) 884-6827 today to test drive the power of 2X!

View screenshots of our 2X Webinar Series at http://www.tcsvision.com/2x/img0.html

About 2X

2X Software Ltd – 2X is a company developing software for the booming server-based computing market. Thin client computing controls spiraling PC management costs, centralizes application and desktop management, improves security and performance and allows users to work remotely. The company’s product line includes: 2X ThinClientServer Enterprise and PXES editions, 2X LoadBalancer for Terminal Services/Citrix, 2X ApplicationServer for Windows Terminal Servicesand 2X TerminalServer for Linux. 2X is a privately held company with offices in the USA, UK, Germany, Japan, Cyprus and Malta. Its management team is backed by years of experience in developing and selling network infrastructure software. 2X is a Microsoft, IBM and RedHat partner. For more information visit: www.2x.com

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Ziba Design, an internationally recognized design consulting firm with five offices worldwide, wanted to create a customer extranet that would provide a superior user experience. The company relied on cumbersome file transfer protocol (FTP) sites and e-mail to share files with customers. Helped by Microsoft^© Gold Certified Partner Saltmine, Ziba is implementing an extranet based on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007^©. The look and feel of the new extranet closely reflects the clean, innovative designs and ease of use of the products and experiences the company creates. Because of this, and the improved collaboration tools Office SharePoint Server 2007 delivers, the company anticipates that the new extranet will help improve customer relationships. Additionally, the new solution has cost Ziba considerably less than it would have spent on alternate solutions.

Read the full case study

Download the Whitepaper (application/pdf)

TCS Vision is a leading remote IT solutions provider and is currently working with clients throughout southeastern Wisconsin to implement Epic Hyperspace solutions across Citrix farms and the 2X Virtual Computing platform. For more information, contact us at (877) 884-6827.

Server-based computing (SBC) is a technology whereby applications are deployed, managed, supported and executed on the server and not on the client. Instead only the screen information is transmitted between the server and client. This architecture solves the many fundamental problems that occur when executing the applications on the client itself.

In SBC environments hardware & software upgrades, application deployment, technical support, and data storage & backup are simplified because only the servers need to be managed. Data and applications reside on a few servers rather then on hundreds or thousands of clients. PCs become terminals and can be replaced by simpler, less expensive and most importantly easier to manage devices called “thin clients.”

The benefits of server-based computing

1. Management – Administrators can deploy, manage and support applications much more easily because they are held on a central server (or central server farm) and are managed from a single point, simplifying application access and administration.
2. Device independence – Users can access their desktop and indeed any enterprise application from any type of client device.
3. Remote Access – Users can access their desktop and enterprise applications from anywhere on the network, or from home, or on the road.
4. Performance – Server-based computing performs better than a web application or using a client server model. These types of applications require a lot of data to be sent back and forth between the server and the client. Because of the advanced compression ratios achieved by protocols such as ICA, NX and RDP, sending just the screen updates between the server and client is much faster.
5. Security – Server-based computing keeps all the data on the secure servers without it being ’spread out’ onto the less secure client computers. Furthermore the server is in the server room, which is far more secure than on the user’s desk. Less prone to viruses and security breaches – Servers are by definition better managed and because the server OS is more secure, it’s far more difficult for a computer to get infected by a virus.
6. Eliminates patch management of clients – Clients are not running Windows, there is no need to patch the desktop computers on a regular basis.
7. Server-based computing reduces Total Cost of Ownership [TCO] by as much as 50%.
8. Scalability – New servers and clients can easily be added to the network.
9. Increased availability – It’s easy to make the terminal servers fault tolerant and to perform load balancing. In addition, servers are inherently designed to be more reliable than your average desktop.

What are thin clients?

A thin client is a general term for a device that relies on a server to operate. It provides a display device, keyboard and mouse and basic processing power in order to interact with the server. It does not store any of the data locally – it’s very thin in features and functionality – hence the term ‘thin client’.

A thin client often does not have local storage and requires little processing resources. Thin client hardware can be a converted old PC, a dedicated thin client device, or simply a new low cost PC with a thin client OS installed. The fact that little processing power is needed and that the hardware can be used for longer periods of time (on average 6 years instead of 3 years) means that the capital expenses for desktops is significantly reduced. Most importantly, the overhead costs associated with administration, maintenance, support, security and installation are significantly lower than with a traditional PC.

How does it work?

Figure 1: Server-based Computing

The server-based computing technology revolves around 3 main components:

1. A multi-user operating system that allows multiple users to log on and work concurrently, using applications in separate, protected sessions on a single server. Examples of terminal servers are Microsoft Terminal Services 2000/2003, Citrix Metaframe and 2X TerminalServer for Linux.
2. A thin client, which runs a minimal amount of software, but at least one program that connects to the terminal server. The thin client and the terminal server can be running completely different types of operating systems: For example Linux based thin clients are currently the most popular way to connect to a Windows terminal server! On the thin client there will be a program such as rdesktop (Linux) or Remote Desktop Connection (Windows) to connect to the terminal server.
3. A protocol to allow the terminal server and thin client to communicate and send only the keystrokes, mouse clicks and screen updates across the network. Of course this will be suitably compressed. Popular protocols are RDP (Remote Desktop protocol), ICA and NX.

Server-based computing advantages in a nutshell

Server-based computing is currently considered as the most efficient, flexible and cost-effective solution for application delivery and administration. It boasts the following advantages:

• Reduces desktop hardware investment
• Significantly reduces administration staffing costs
• Significantly reduces desktop maintenance costs
• Virtually removes the need for desktop upgrades
• Removes desktop software application upgrades
• Removes desktop operating system upgrades
• Removes viruses from the desktop
• Reduces training costs
• Reduces bandwidth costs
• Reduces or eliminates the need for remote office servers
• Reduces user downtime while waiting for help desk response
• Reduces system downtime through better redundancy and disaster recovery capabilities
• Applications available to all users anytime and anywhere
• Quick expansion through ease of deployment
• Enables standardization of corporate applications
• Reduces risk of data loss since data is centralized and can be more easily backed up
• End users will experience improved support
• Helps prevent theft of company data
• Reduces/Eliminates installation of non productive software such as games.

To learn more about how server-based computing can help meet your growing IT needs, contact TCS for a free consultation at (877) 884-6827.

2X Printing

2X Universal Printing is used to solve printer driver problems. If a 2X client is using a printer which the server does not have a suitable printer driver, normal printing redirection will not work. Using 2X Universal Printing you do not need to install the specific printer driver on the server. Only one printer is shown on the server irrespective of the number of users and sessions currently in use on the terminal server thus avoiding confusion. The 2X Universal Printer driver comes in 32 and 64 bit format.

When you install the 2X Terminal Server Agent on each Terminal Server, 2X Universal Printing is automatically installed.

Granular Control of Printing Per Application Server

Universal printing can be enabled or disabled for each individual server in your 2X farm, thereby effectively allowing you to administratively control printing per server in your farm.

An Effective Replacement for Citrix At a Large Cost Savings

2X Application Server & Load Balancer can effectively replace your present Citrix farm easily and with a major cost benefit. Read a case study:

Case Study – Fisher & Company Global Car Parts Manufacturer

To learn more about how 2X can help your company provide seamless remote desktops and applications at a fraction of the cost of an alternative Citrix solution, contact TCS Vision at (877) 884-6827.

Planning Your Terminal Services Project

For Microsoft-based customers, the backbone of any successful thin-client or server-based rollout is Terminal Services. Regardless of choice (whether Citrix, 2X, Microsoft Server 2008, Xen, or a combination thereof with VMWare VDI solutions) a properly planned and executed Terminal Services environment is critical. It is important to note that the same limitations apply in terms of scalability, Microsoft terminal server licensing, and environment capacity planning.

The Terminal Services component of Windows Server 2003 builds on the solid foundation provided by the Application Server mode in Windows 2000 Terminal Services, and includes the new client and protocol capabilities in Windows XP. Terminal Services lets you deliver Windows-based applications, or the Windows desktop itself, to virtually any computing device, including those that cannot run Windows.

More Information:

View the Techical Overview of Windows Server 2003 Terminal Services

Terminal Server Capacity Planning

Windows Server 2003 Terminal Server Capacity and Scaling

Windows Server 2003 Terminal Server requires that you install a license server before the terminal server can function. A license server is a computer on which Terminal Server Licensing is installed. Using the following step-by-step guidelines and recommended resources, you can deploy Terminal Server and ensure that Terminal Server Licensing is correctly installed.

More Information:

Guidelines for Deploying Terminal Server

Download the Windows Server 2003 Terminal Server Capacity and Scaling Word Doc