Oracle updates desktop virtualisation suite

Oracle has announced a slew of updates to its desktop virtualisation portfolio.

The products, Oracle Virtual Desktop Infrastructure 3.4, Sun Ray Software 5.3 and Oracle Virtual Desktop Client 3.1, give users access to personal desktop computing environments, enterprise applications and data without being tied to a particular physical client device.

This, Oracle claimed, would deliver benefits such greater mobility, data security, and centralised, simplified administration.

The company touted its Virtual Desktop Infrastructure 3.4 and Sun Ray Software 5.3 multimedia capabilities with up to 720p High Definition (HD) video playback on Oracle Sun Ray thin client devices.

The products also integrate with Oracle's Sun ZFS Storage Appliances and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure 3.4 and now supports options for local storage and third-party storage offerings.

The new offering is easier to manage, scalable and allows the creation of multiple, independently administered VDI deployments that automatically direct users to the proper server group on login, according to the company.

It also announced updated hot-desking features on Sun Ray 3 Series Clients and PCs running Oracle Virtual Desktop Client 3.1 that include new user location awareness capabilities and help ensure more secure access to applications. There are also new auto-resizing features, which automatically adapt a user's virtual desktop display size when moving between devices.

The software also now supports the Extended Application Protocol Data Unit (APDU) standard for smart cards that allows larger amounts of information to be stored on smartcards and exchanged with applications, for greater user functionality.

Security in the product has also been beefed up with the Sun Ray 3 Series Clients now supporting authentication to the network using 802.1X Extensible Authentication Protocols. This allows the network address of the device to be matched to the identity of the user prior to access authorisation.

Wim Coekaerts, senior vice president of Linux and Virtualisation Engineering at Oracle said the new enhancements would make it “easier and more cost effective for IT deliver centrally managed, secure services for end user desktops and provide access to enterprise applications from a wider variety of locations and devices."