Pano Logic®, the leader in centralized virtual desktops, today announced the newest addition to their product line, Pano Remote, as well as a new version of their flagship product, Pano System 2.6. With the easy to carry Pano Remote USB key, users can now access their Pano managed virtual desktops conveniently and securely when working out of the office away from their Pano devices—without requiring a costly or complex VPN solution. New features of Pano System 2.6 include integration with Pano Remote, easier installation of the Pano Manager virtual appliance using the Open Virtualization Format (OVF), a new interface called the Collection Creation Wizard for easier configuration of policies for provisioning and managing desktop virtual machines, the ability for administrators to control virtual desktop power state directly from the Pano Manager administrator console, graphic identification and authorization (GINA) application interoperability and standalone VMware ESXi support for small single-server deployments.

“With the new features in the Pano System 2.6, we are able to seamlessly use our fingerprint biometric readers and authentication and access management software with the Pano devices,” said Dave Nadler, Assistant Director, Information Systems at Henry County Hospital. “Additionally, the new Collection Creation Wizard allows us to more easily configure policies for provisioning and managing desktop virtual machines, and the ability to control virtual machine power state directly within the Pano Manager administrator console makes it easier for our help desk staff to support end users.”

Pano Remote Solution

Pano Remote allows users of Pano System 2.6 to access their Pano desktop virtual machine from a remote location over the Internet. Delivered as a USB key with embedded software, Pano Remote will run on any Windows XP or Vista computer and does not require the use of VPN software or hardware. Instead, it relies on a communication mechanism bundled with Pano Remote called Pano Gateway. The Pano session may use local printers, local storage drives and a shared clipboard between the local Windows system and the remote virtual desktop. In addition, the administrator can set policies within the Pano Manager that centrally control which capabilities are enabled.

New features of Pano System 2.6:

Pano System 2.6 includes a number of new features to improve ease of deployment and interoperability:

• Pano Collection Creation Wizard – allowing administrators to more easily configure desktop virtual machines by including context sensitive help topics for administrators to find relevant information easily and quickly, and offering administrators more flexibility in defining how automatically provisioned desktop virtual machines are named by Pano Manager.
• Streamlined Installation of Pano Manager – delivering Pano Manager as a virtual appliance in the Open Virtualization Format (OVF), enabling it to easily be imported into VMware Infrastructure in a one-click operation. Additionally, the Pano Manager virtual machine has been optimized for size, speed of download and simplicity of configuration, making the solution the easiest way to get started with desktop virtualization.
• Standalone VMware ESXi support – providing easy installation of Pano System 2.6 for small deployments, enabling configuration with a single instance of ESXi without requiring VMware vCenter. This option provides an easy entry level solution for small businesses with a convenient upgrade path as needs grow.
• GINA module interoperability – interoperating with specific applications that install their own GINA modules. Such interoperability simplifies installation and upgrade of Pano Desktop Services on systems that also have authentication solutions such as Imprivata OneSign and Ensure Technologies XyLoc installed.

Additional features include administrative control over the desktop virtual machine power state, device-based control over display and mouse/keyboard settings, tighter integration with Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager and Active Directory Group Policy Objects when installing updates, and improved responsiveness.

“Pano Remote addresses the needs of workers who want to be able to securely access their Pano virtual desktops from home,” said Aly Orady, CTO at Pano Logic. “By adding this new capability in the form of USB key, Pano 2.6 makes it simple for IT managers and end-users to enjoy the benefits of their Pano virtual desktops from anywhere, at any time. The standalone VMware ESXi support we’ve added also provides an affordable option for small businesses who want to try out desktop virtualization without a lot of upfront expense.”

Availability and Pricing

Pano System 2.6 is now available with pricing starting at $329 for a single Pano desktop and $35 per USB key for Pano Remote. For more information, contact 1-650-454-8953 or visit www.panologic.com.

About the Pano System

The Pano System includes the purpose-built hardware clients and software components required to leverage your existing virtual infrastructure to support centralized virtual desktops. The key components of the solution are the:

• Pano Device – Winner of the prestigious red dot award for design, the Pano device is a zero client with nothing to manage or maintain at the user end point. The Pano device connects keyboard, mouse, display, audio and USB peripherals over an existing IP network to a virtual instance of Windows XP running on a VMware ESX or ESXi server. The Pano device is power friendly, consuming only 3% of the energy consumed by a traditional desktop computer.
• Pano Manager – A web-based management interface, deployed in the data center on your VMware Infrastructure which enables administrators to automate virtual desktop deployment and management by integrating with existing directory services and VMware vCenter Server.
• Pano Desktop Service – A lightweight service residing within each Windows desktop virtual machine that links display, audio, and USB peripherals attached to the Pano device to the unmodified native Windows drivers in the virtual machine.