VMware Inc., a provider of virtualization solutions, announced what it calls the first open source client for virtual desktop infrastructure. VMware says that the product, View Open Client, enables IT organizations to host user desktops in the data center, while letting users access their personalized desktop environments from almost any device, at any time.
VMware says View Open is being made available for partners, enabling them to use VMware View source code to optimize their products to deliver rich, personalized virtual desktops to users. In addition, partners will be able to use the source code to help accelerate the development and delivery of solutions for enterprises to provision and manage thousands of virtual desktops.
"VMware feels strongly about industry collaboration to move the market forward to develop the best solutions," states Jocelyn Goldfein, vice president and general manager of VMware's Desktop Business Unit. "Now we are sharing our source code in VMware View Open Client so vendors can easily optimize devices to create the best virtual desktop solutions."
The solution enables cost efficiencies by enabling low-end or less-expensive devices that provide the same feature set as higher-end devices, Goldfein says. "This also brings us closer to our Universal Client vision, where users can access rich personalized desktop environments, from any device at any time."
Some of the features included in this release support secure tunneling using SSL, two factor authentication with RSA SecurID, Novell SLETC Add-On RPM package and a full command line interface. For more information, visit the VMware website.