Université de Rennes 2, Serving More than 17,000 Students and Faculty, to Integrate Leostream Connection Broker with Unidesk Virtual Desktop Management Platform for Better VDI
Waltham, MA, AND MARLBOROUGH, MA, – June 21, 2010 – Leostream Corporation and Unidesk Corporation, both leading developers of desktop virtualization software, today announced joint efforts to simplify management and deliver a superior end user experience for a large Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) deployment at the Université de Rennes 2 in Brittany, France. The combination of the Unidesk virtual desktop management platform with the existing deployment of the Leostream Connection Broker will simplify desktop provisioning and application delivery for Rennes 2’s IT organization which supports more than 17,000 students and faculty members currently using the university’s VDI.
“Integrating Unidesk with the Leostream Connection Broker on top of our VMware virtualization infrastructure was effortless,” said Humberto Duarte, IT Department Co-Director, Université de Rennes 2. “We validated how Unidesk separates the Windows operating system, service packs, applications and user customizations into layers which can then be combined to create dynamic desktop images. By implementing Unidesk with Leostream’s proven Connection Broker, we’ll be able to simplify image management, respond faster to our users’ desktop and application needs, give our thousands of end users a virtual desktop experience they’ll embrace, and save on storage as we expand our production VDI deployment.”
The most widely deployed, vendor-independent technology of its kind, the Leostream Connection Broker connects a wide range of systems to easily create a unified VDI, linking end users to their desktop images for a superior experience. Leostream’s Connection Broker also handles log on storms and other activity spikes smoothly for Rennes 2, interacting seamlessly with its existing authentication, load balancing and provisioning systems.
Duarte plans to augment his Leostream implementation with Unidesk’s desktop layering technology, which composites the freshest base layers of Microsoft Windows and common IT-assigned applications with each user’s unique personalization layer. Administrators are able to patch and update base layers once for all desktops, greatly reducing operational costs. End users are able to modify their desktops with user-installed applications, profiles, data, and other customizations, and know their changes will survive desktop logoffs, reboots, and operating system upgrades. By creating and updating virtual desktops on demand – which are then assigned and delivered through the existing Leostream Connection Broker – Unidesk enhances the VDI experience for both Rennes 2’s students and faculty, as well as its IT organization.
For IT, maintenance of applications, operating systems and security will become much more efficient. For the budget-conscious, the interoperability of the two vendor-neutral solutions and Unidesk’s ability to share single images across many virtual desktops will reduce storage requirements, and provide a platform that allows for the university’s future expansion.
“Leostream’s vendor-neutral connection broker made it possible for the Université de Rennes 2 to integrate crucial, but disparate data center systems, and apply the right access policies so that students and faculty can connect to desktop images,” said Michael Palin, CEO of Leostream. “With Unidesk, the university can update these desktop images much more simply and end users can more effectively personalize their desktops. Together, Leostream and Unidesk help deliver on the promise of VDI.”
Leostream and Unidesk are sharing software, expertise, and test plans to ensure interoperability of future releases, and provide an experience that will delight Rennes 2 and other joint customers.
“The desktop virtualization industry already has great foundational technology in the Leostream Connection Broker, and what’s needed now is a great management platform to make desktop updates effortless for IT and the desktop experience excellent for end users,” said Don Bulens, CEO at Unidesk. “We’re delighted to be working with innovative partners like Leostream and customers like the Université de Rennes 2 to successfully overcome challenges such as cost, user personalization, and image management, and unleash VDI’s awesome potential.”
About Leostream Corporation
Leostream (http://www.leostream.com) provides the critical connection-broker technology required for enterprises to achieve successful large-scale desktop virtualization implementations. The Leostream Connection Broker is the industry’s most widely deployed vendor-independent connection broker, enabling enterprises to integrate the complex array of clients, back-end systems and protocols required for successful virtualized desktop deployments. Hundreds of large enterprises in financial services, healthcare, government and other sectors rely on the Leostream Connection Broker to “make desktop virtualization work” and deliver the best end-user experience. Leostream is based in Waltham, Mass. Follow Leostream on Twitter.
About Unidesk
Unidesk (www.unidesk.com) is the management solution for desktop virtualization that makes IT and end users fall in love with virtual desktops. Unidesk is the only software solution that delivers all three requirements needed for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) success – storage efficiency, 100% personalization of the user experience, and simple, failure-proof provisioning and patching of Microsoft Windows and any application. The company’s patent-pending desktop layering technology gives IT unprecedented control over desktop administration, while giving end users the ability to completely customize their desktops for maximum productivity and job satisfaction. Unidesk is a privately-held company with worldwide headquarters in Marlborough, MA USA. For more information, visit the virtual desktop management blog or www.unidesk.com.
About Université de Rennes 2
The Université de Rennes 2 serves more than 17,000 students and employs more than 1,000 people in the Brittany region of France. Areas of study include sports sciences; arts, letters and communication; foreign languages; the human sciences (such as psychology, sociology and education); and the social sciences. For more information, visit http://www.univ-rennes2.fr/.
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Media Contact:
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Unidesk
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Media Contact:
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PR for Leostream Corporation
Phone: 781-418-2433
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www.leostream.com
www.daviesmurphy.com
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