In mid-November, Lenovo announced a desktop alternative platform called the Secure Managed Client (SMC). This storage-based solution puts a diskless client with full PC fidelity on the desktop, and the applications and data on an iSCSI storage array. A software stack developed jointly by Lenovo and LANDesk manages the delivery of applications and data to the desktops on demand. The solution is simple yet sophisticated at the same time.

There are four key ingredients to Lenovo’s SMC solution. Here’s a look at how they fit together and where Lenovo says a company using SMC will save money.

On the desktop, users will have a diskless ThinkCentre desktop PC with embedded Intel vPro technology. Because the device is a full blown PC, it runs Microsoft Windows natively and supports all standard Windows applications—they just aren’t installed on the desktop device. This makes desktop setup very easy because there’s no configuration or customization for specific users’ needs. What’s more, an end user can use any device on the network and have all his applications and preferences downloaded on demand based on his login profile.

Since the desktop device has no hard disk, the OS, applications and data have been moved to a central Lenovo storage array. This is a standard Lenovo iSCSI device that can support up to a hundred concurrent users that are centrally managed from the SMC management console. The storage array can be located close to the switch where the users are in order to use network bandwidth more efficiently.

The secret sauce of the SMC solution is the software interface between the desktop PC and the storage array. The Lenovo SMC Management Software is used to centrally manage all SMC users, images and the storage array. During the desktop device boot up sequence, this software goes and gets the appropriate OS and application software and pushes it to the desktop based on the end user’s profile. Desktop management software ensures that the devices are well managed to reduce the cost of support. The license for the SMC Management Software is per client and is available as a subscription or standard purchase.

The fourth component of the overall solution is a range of Lenovo professional services to help you assess, design, implement, support and manage the SMC configuration. Lenovo offers the following optional services:
* Test Drive – a proof of concept trial.
* Assessment – consultation to help with migration and implementation planning.
* Infrastructure Planning & Design – a detailed integration plan to deploy SMC.
* Pilot Deployment – deployment for the initial user group.
* Managed Deployment – full rollout of the solution throughout an organization.
* Training – IT staff training on how to manage and rollout SMC.
* Consulting – help from Lenovo engineers on project planning, deployment and management support.
* Tuning – periodic tuning to optimize system performance.

Linda Musthaler is a principal analyst with Essential Solutions Corporation.