The First Fully Functional Cloud-based “D” or Desktop

Sun addressed today’s very common security concerns about cloud computing

Dec. 17, 2009 09:45 PM

Sun Microsystems has unveiled what is being called the first fully functional cloud-based Desktop as a Service (DaaS) for grammar schools and community colleges.

The new product is in line with Sun’s vision to build and deploy public and private clouds that are open and interoperable.

In a venture with another tech firm, Ashbourne Technology Group, in Southampton, PA, Sun is offering a secure, cost-effective computing solution delivered anytime, anywhere via the cloud.

It’s a virtual desktop, and it works with all leading OSs, including Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Solaris to just about any client device, including Sun Ray thin clients and other platforms with Java-based browsers.

According to a Sun press release, the device’s zero-maintenance and very minimal 4-5 watt power draw makes it “one of the greenest desktop solutions on the market today.”

Addressing today’s very common security concerns about cloud computing, Sun said the technology has built-in VPN security so that parents, teachers and administrators needn’t worry about the privacy of students on the network. And, like true cloud-computing apps, the Sun DaaS, part of Sun’s education solutions portfolio, is subscription-based. Users can pay as little as $1.00 per day.

The product comes at an opportune time for cash-strapped school districts.

And it also promises hassle-free maintenance and virtual user access.

Hmm…classic benefits of cloud computing: savings, low maintenance and 24/7 access.

“Schools can escape from the desktop replacement cycle saving thousands of dollars per year while providing better access to need-to-know information,” said Ivan Segal, CEO of Ashbourne, Sun’s partner and service provider. “Plus, there are benefits to preserving the equipment you already have and keeping the familiar desktop environment, but now delivering it anytime and to anywhere”. The Sun Desktop as a Service solution makes a lot of sense from a business and manageability standpoint.”

I’m happy to see another example of more varied uses of cloud computing technology being developed for an ever-widening audience.

And, as I said in a previous post, I believe it’s crucial for schools and universities transacting and running databases on the web, to use monitoring services to ensure that their cloud-computing remains reliable, stable and secure.

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About Hovhannes Avoyan
Hovhannes Avoyan is the CEO of Monitis, Inc., a provider of on-demand systems management and monitoring software to 50,000 users spanning small businesses and Fortune 500 companies.

Prior to Monitis, he served as General Manager and Director of Development at prominent web portal Lycos Europe, where he grew the Lycos Armenia group from 30 people to over 200, making it the company's largest development center. Prior to Lycos, Avoyan was VP of Technology at Brience, Inc. (based in San Francisco and acquired by Syniverse), which delivered mobile internet content solutions to companies like Cisco, Ingram Micro, Washington Mutual, Wyndham Hotels , T-Mobile , and CNN. Prior to that, he served as the founder and CEO of CEDIT ltd., which was acquired by Brience. A 24 year veteran of the software industry, he also runs Sourcio cjsc, an IT consulting company and startup incubator specializing in web 2.0 products and open-source technologies.

Hovhannes is a senior lecturer at the American Univeristy of Armenia and has been a visiting lecturer at San Francisco State University. He is a graduate of Bertelsmann University.