Dell debuts virtual desktop product bundles

Hardware giant Dell has reinforced its commitment to desktop virtualisation by launching a bumper crop of new products aimed at enterprise and SMB customers.

The firm has rolled out two new product bundles containing pre-configured Dell servers, which are designed to run virtual desktops powered by either Citrix or VMware.

Dell and Citrix are bringing the benefits of desktop virtualisation to the mass market.

The DVS Enterprise bundle contains Dell EqualLogic storage, a PowerEdge server and PowerConnect network components and is compatible with both Citrix and VMware products.

It is aimed at organisations that require at least 50 desktop virtualisation seats, but Dell claimed it can scale up and support "thousands" more.

The second product bundle, the DVS Simplified Appliance, is designed for use by smaller firms and consists of a Dell server, pre-configured with management software and a Citrix hypervisor.

The company is touting it as an "all-in-one" appliance and claims it can be deployed within hours.

Both products are immediately available to buy from Dell in the UK.

Kumar Goswami, vice president of products at Citrix, said the DVS Simplified Appliance should boost the appeal of desktop virtualisation to firms that have previously lacked the resources needed to adopt it.

"Combining the simplicity of the solution with the market presence that Dell has in the desktop space, we are excited about the opportunity to reshape the desktop virtualisation market," he added.

Dell has also announced plans to launch a Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) product next quarter, based on Desktone's hosted desktop software platform. This is aimed at both small and large companies.

Peter McKay, chief executive of Desktone, said: "The combined power of Desktone's DaaS platform and Dell's global datacentre intellectual property and services delivers the reality [of] the virtual desktop for everyone."