Virtual Computer Inc., the company redefining PC lifecycle management through virtualization, today announced its ‘Get Smart About Desktop Virtualization’ initiative, encouraging IT professionals to take a deeper look at the economics of desktop virtualization and in the process become eligible to win a 2009 smart car. The program, to kick-off August 31 at the VMworld 2009 show in San Francisco, will continue via webinars through the end of September. A cornerstone of the initiative is Virtual Computer’s new Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculator, designed to help IT decision-makers move beyond the hype and look at the actual costs of the various proposed solutions for desktop management.

“Desktop virtualization based on a distributed computing model will dramatically reduce the cost of deploying and managing PCs,” said Dan McCall, president and CEO, Virtual Computer. “Until now, the only option for desktop virtualization was a server-based approach that suffered from lack of mobility and a poor user experience. We look forward to introducing IT teams to a smarter approach to desktop virtualization backed by hard cost savings numbers and a deployment model that end-users will embrace.”

The Road to Smarter Computing Begins at VMworld 2009

Virtual Computer will coordinate a series of activities at VMworld 2009 to demonstrate how NxTop, its award-winning PC management platform, applies virtualization technology to make it as easy to manage thousands of PCs as it is to manage one. VMworld attendees can visit Virtual Computer at booth #1940 to see a demo of NxTop and pick up their ‘Get Smart About Desktop Virtualization’ report card. The report card will lead show attendees through a series of activities where they can interact with Virtual Computer and its partners to amass points towards a grand prize giveaway of a brand new smart fortwo automobile.

Exploring the New Economics of PC Management

As part of the ‘Get Smart About Desktop Virtualization’ program,’ Virtual Computer has launched a new online community site featuring an interactive TCO calculator that compares three distinct approaches to desktop management:

• Traditional agent-based PC management tools
• Server-centric virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) approaches
• NxTop’s approach of centralized virtual desktop management with distributed execution

The cost-saving benefits of NxTop, as well as the Virtual Computer TCO calculator, will also be demonstrated on a series of webinars titled “The New Economics of PC Management.”

Sharing online feedback on the TCO tool, as well as attending one of the webinars, will increase VMworld attendees’ chances of winning the smart car grand prize and also provide non-attendees with a chance to win.

Further details about the ‘Get Smart About Desktop Virtualization’ program will be revealed on the Virtual Computer blog throughout the VMworld show. To follow the blog, try the TCO tool, or to register for one of the upcoming webinars, visit Virtual Computer’s new online community at: http://orbit.virtualcomputer.com