10ZiG Technology has added support for Amazon DCV on its thin clients and on PCs converted into managed endpoints with its RepurpOS software. The change gives organizations another endpoint option for accessing remote desktops and applications, particularly for graphics-intensive Windows and Linux workloads.
The announcement is aimed in part at customers considering alternatives to HP Anyware. 10ZiG says HP Anyware is approaching end of life, and is positioning Amazon DCV support as a way to adopt a different remote display protocol without replacing existing infrastructure. The company did not identify which 10ZiG endpoint models or firmware versions support DCV, leaving deployment requirements to be confirmed with the vendor.
Remote access for demanding workloads
Amazon DCV streams desktops and applications from hosts in the cloud or on premises. 10ZiG identifies 3D visualization, engineering design and media production as relevant workloads, and cites support for high-resolution displays. The company also says DCV is designed to maintain image quality as network conditions vary.
Those characteristics may be relevant to organizations whose users need to interact with graphics-heavy applications while compute runs on centralized systems. Rather than relying on each workstation to perform the full workload locally, a remote display setup sends the desktop or application experience to an endpoint. The source announcement does not provide performance benchmarks, supported display specifications or details about network requirements for 10ZiG’s implementation.
10ZiG names engineering, manufacturing, media and entertainment, and architecture among the industries evaluating alternatives to HP Anyware. The company’s announcement frames DCV as an additional choice for those customers, rather than as a requirement to migrate their applications or compute hosts to a particular environment. DCV can be used with cloud and on-premises hosts, according to 10ZiG.
Centralized endpoint administration
Endpoints using DCV remain managed through 10ZiG Manager, the company’s free platform for centralized configuration, software updates and ongoing administration. That management layer applies to 10ZiG thin clients as well as PCs repurposed with RepurpOS, according to the announcement.
RepurpOS converts existing PCs into centrally managed endpoints. 10ZiG says the approach can extend the useful life of hardware and reduce the cost and complexity of moving to a different remote display protocol. The announcement does not quantify potential savings or specify how much of an existing PC’s hardware is required to support the setup.
Kevin Greenway, 10ZiG Technology’s CTO, said the support is intended to give organizations leaving HP Anyware a high-performance remote computing option while retaining endpoint flexibility, security and centralized management. Those descriptions are the company’s characterization; no independent performance or security assessment was included in the announcement.
Deployment details remain open
For IT teams assessing a transition, the unspecified endpoint compatibility is a practical consideration. Organizations will need to establish which devices and software versions can run DCV, and determine how the configuration fits their host environments and application requirements. The announcement does not provide a migration timetable or a list of tested deployments.
The update brings together Amazon DCV’s remote display capabilities and 10ZiG’s endpoint and administration products. Its potential fit is clearest for businesses seeking to retain or repurpose endpoint hardware while accessing graphics-intensive applications hosted remotely. More detailed compatibility and deployment information will be needed before customers can assess the change against their current HP Anyware environments.
