IGEL Technology, the world's third largest thin client vendor (2008 by revenue, IDC), today announced a worldwide partnership agreement with Quest Software for the inclusion of the Quest vWorkspace client into all IGEL Universal Desktop firmware. The integration of Quest vWorkspace will allow IGEL customers to benefit from the most comprehensive capabilities for provisioning, deploying and managing enterprise desktop infrastructures through a secure and easy-to-manage thin client.

Quest vWorkspace is a platform independent, virtual application and desktop delivery solution. It aggregates applications and virtual desktops from multiple virtualization platforms, through a single access point. vWorkspace delivers enterprise-grade management of virtual desktops and applications, transforming the corporate desktop infrastructure into an on-demand service with an optimized user experience for LAN and WAN deployments.

In addition, the vWorkspace management platform supports and automates rapid provisioning, deployment and management of virtual desktops and applications on Microsoft Hyper-V, VMware ESX and Parallels Virtuozzo Containers, together with Terminal Services (Remote Desktop Session Host) and blade PCs, all from a single console.

Simon Richards, IGEL Technology’s UK general manager, said: “The integration of the Quest vWorkspace client into IGEL’s firmware is an important addition for customers looking for an effective desktop virtualization management solution. The joint solution lets organizations provide more flexible access to data and applications, while also improving control over managing and securing IT assets. This development once again underlines IGEL’s commitment to offering its customers the most flexible, reliable and cost effective thin clients on the market.”

Jon Rolls, Quest Software Desktop Virtualization Group’s vice president of product management, said: “IGEL thin client customers will now have the capability to access a desktop virtualization management solution that delivers the flexible and feature-rich user experience they expect. Quest vWorkspace is enterprise-grade and customer-proven with hundreds of thousands of VDI and Terminal Services users. vWorkspace includes Quest’s Experience Optimized Protocol, which ensures the users’ virtual experience is like that of a physical device, and our platform-independent approach gives IT managers peace of mind that their virtualization investments are future-proofed against changing needs and requirements.”

The latest IGEL firmware, including the Quest vWorkspace client, is available immediately in Entry, Standard and Advanced firmware feature packs. Existing IGEL customers will also be able to download the latest version of the firmware from www.igel.com free of charge. There is an additional software licence charge payable to Quest Software for customers wishing to use Quest vWorkspace.