Kidaro, a leading provider of enterprise desktop virtualization solutions, today unveiled a powerful new virtualization technology called Kidaro vDNA™ that enables self-cleaning virtual desktops. Kidaro vDNA virtualizes personal data and settings on the desktop, while automatically reverting the OS and applications to a stable, corporate-approved state at the beginning of every session. This approach greatly increases the security and manageability of enterprise desktops by automatically discarding malware, unwanted software, and user configuration errors from previous sessions.

Desktop security and the complexity of managing desktop and laptop computers are major IT challenges. So far in 2007, security breaches on PCs and portable storage devices have been responsible for the loss or theft of over 6 million customer records, affecting sectors such as financial services, healthcare, government, education, and consumer goods. (source: PrivacyRights.org). According to a Gartner Research study, the 5-year TCO for a PC averages more than 10 times the original purchase price, or about $21,000 for a $2,000 system. Desktop virtualization technology provides the tools to address many of these challenges.

Kidaro vDNA: How It Works

Kidaro’s desktop virtualization platform works by running an encrypted, corporate-controlled virtual machine (VM) image on top of any PC, providing a secure and standardized environment for enterprise computing. Because the VM runs locally on corporate or third party PCs, the platform enables user mobility and disconnected use, without the need for expensive server farms.

Kidaro vDNA enables a stable, self-cleaning desktop by virtualizing and isolating two different kinds of “virtual DNA”:

• Personal data: includes end user files, passwords, configurations, bookmarks, and registry settings that make a desktop "yours."
• Corporate desktop image: includes operating system, applications, configurations, and security tools that make up the standardized enterprise desktop.

By encapsulating and managing personal data separately, Kidaro vDNA enables the underlying virtual desktop image to be continually repaired and updated. In contrast to normal PC operation, where errors, corruptions, and unwanted software continually degrade performance, Kidaro vDNA insures that desktops always run clean, while enabling ongoing updates and upgrades from corporate IT. Users retain the ability to personalize their virtual desktop environment, and to run personal applications on the underlying host PC.

For enterprise IT groups, centrally managing one “cloned” VM image instead of manually supporting thousands of unique PC configurations can dramatically simplify desktop support. Different sets of applications and policies can be provisioned according to user role and business affiliation. The virtual machine can be updated, tested, and delivered to all users using Kidaro TrimTransfer™ network delivery, without disrupting user data and settings. In addition, Kidaro makes virtualization transparent for end users, seamlessly integrating the corporate workspace into existing desktops.

Take Your vDNA With You

Mobility is no longer a perk or a luxury for enterprise knowledge workers – it’s a fundamental competitive requirement. Using Kidaro ToGo™, users can run their corporate desktop on multiple PCs using an encrypted USB flash drive. In many cases, enterprises can provide a Kidaro ToGo USB drive as a laptop replacement, taking advantage of existing contractor and home computer assets. Combining the mobility, stability and security benefits of Kidaro’s desktop virtualization platform enables enterprises to rapidly transform the way they support end user computing, while leveraging existing infrastructure and workflows.

“Personalization and flexibility are qualities that made the PC great. Unfortunately, they have also created a constant stream of security and management challenges for enterprises,” said Kevin Brown, president and CEO of Kidaro. “Kidaro vDNA reconciles this dilemma, enabling users to customize their mobile virtual desktops, while enabling IT to securely manage a single, standardized enterprise desktop image.”

Kidaro vDNA technology is available immediately.