Red Hat SummitRed Hat's strategy will bring the security, manageability and reliability of open source to the client environment. Existing Red Hat customers will benefit from a consistent platform for both client and server applications and new customers will have the opportunity to pilot and integrate flexible open source alternatives. The client strategy is an extension of Open Source Architecture designed to enable open source in the enterprise by providing breadth and depth of open source and partner-certified solutions.
"Several industry trends are coming together which are likely to change how organizations deploy information technology on the desktop," said Dan Kusnetzky, IDC's VP of system software research. "Strategies to lower costs while still providing a well managed, secure platform are increasingly important. This announcement makes it clear that Red Hat understands these emerging requirements and has a strategy to provide the needed products and services."
In March, 2004 Red Hat announced a partnership with Wind River to jointly pursue the device market, with a standard open source platform. This is now followed with the first market deliverable of the client strategy;the delivery of the Red Hat Desktop.
The Red Hat Desktop is a secure, manageable solution for the enterprise and is targeted at Government, Academic and Enterprise IT organizations. The Red Hat Desktop is a productive environment that features mature open source office applications including an e-mail client, browser and office suite. Organizations seeking a single client for developers who require both development and office productivity solutions are ideal pilot sites.
LVM, one of Germany's largest insurance companies, is one of the heavier users of Linux on the desktop today with more than 8,400 previously in-house developed Linux desktops deployed in their organization. "We are considering the Red Hat Desktop solution because of the open source merits of security, manageability and cost-effectiveness," said Matthias Strelow, Technical Team Leader at LVM.
The Red Hat Desktop will be made available in configurations which include either Red Hat Network Proxy or Satellite Servers. A Proxy or Satellite Server deployment enables several clients to be deployed and managed simultaneously, and greatly simplifies the ongoing security and management of systems.
Future enhancements to Red Hat's desktop strategy will focus on productivity and interoperability with the support of key industry partners. Partners such as VMWare, Real, Macromedia, Adobe and Citrix are working to certify applications to enable great cross-functionality with other technologies. "VMware desktop solutions have provided millions of technical professionals with the ability to develop and test Linux-based applications with minimal effort," said Michael Mullany, VP of Marketing at VMware. "As organizations turn to the security and manageability of Linux on the desktop, we look forward to delivering innovative capabilities to Red Hat Desktop solutions."
In parallel, Red Hat will continue work with Wind River to address thin client computing and the device marketplace. By building thin clients and devices based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, customers will have access to flexible open source technology for a broader range of solutions, from single-purpose call center clients to handhelds. For the first time, developers will be able to standardize device software development across the enterprise. "The enterprise today requires a truly collaborative infrastructure that enables next-generation devices to exchange data with enterprise computers running highly available applications," said Brad Murdoch, vice president of strategic alliances for Wind River. "In order to connect the device to the enterprise efficiently, companies must optimize device software development. With Wind River and Red Hat, companies have the two industry leading standards in device software that will enable device to server connectivity better, faster at a lower cost and more reliably."
For more information on Red Hat's client strategy, please visit http://www.redhat.com. To listen to Red Hat's client press conference, hosted by CEO Matthew Szulik, please visit http://www.redhat.com
About Red Hat, Inc.
Red Hat, the world's leading open source and Linux provider, is headquartered in Raleigh, NC with satellite offices spanning the globe. Red Hat is leading Linux and open source solutions into the mainstream by making high quality, low cost technology accessible. Red Hat provides operating system software along with middleware, applications and management solutions. Red Hat also offers support, training and consulting services to its customers worldwide and through top-tier partnerships. Red Hat's open source strategy offers customers a long term plan for building infrastructures that are based on and leverage open source technologies with focus on security and ease of management. Learn more: http://www.redhat.com
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