NComputing enters Uganda with virtualization products

NComputing, a California IT solutions provider, has introduced its virtualization software and hardware to the Ugandan market after inking a deal with Linux Solutions.

The virtualization products allow multiple users to share the resources of one computer that acts as a server, said Frank Coggrave, NComputing's vice president of marketing and sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

A customer would purchase a single PC with multiple monitors, keyboards and other peripherals, then affix NComputing terminals to each monitor. The technology, thereby, cuts costs and energy consumption associated with CPUs (central processing units).

Today's PCs are so powerful that the vast majority of applications only use a small fraction of the computer's capacity; NComputing's virtualization software and hardware tap the unused capacity and enable users to simultaneously share it, Coggrave explained at a launch event.

With the need to minimize expenses for such resources as electricity, office space and support, NComputing's terminals will enable up to 30 personnel to utilize a single computer for all office computing needs, he added.

Linux Solutions, an IT solutions provider specializing in open-source software, will sell the two devices on behalf of NComputing. Costing less than an entry-level PC, the X-series and L-series access devices sell for US$290 and $250, respectively. Coggrave noted that they are both rugged, durable and easy to deploy and maintain, given Africa's computing challenges.

"The NComputing solutions are what Uganda has been in need of for a long time," said James Wire, managing director of Linux Solutions. "A lot of people believe that second-hand computers are the way forward towards spreading ICT in Africa, but with the X and L series from NComputing Inc., one cannot justify the massive investments going into second-hand PCs."

PC penetration in Uganda is still low due to the initial cost of ownership. There are, however, efforts by both the government and the private sector to increase penetration through the sale of refurbished PCs and through laptop ownership schemes.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.