Userful Announces the Worlds Largest Desktop Virtualization Deployment – 324,000 Green Workstations
Calgary, Canada and Brasilia, Brazil – February 4, 2009 – Userful, ThinNetworks, and Positivo today announced that they have been selected to supply 324,000 virtualized desktops to schools in all of Brazil’s 5,560 municipalities.
This initiative will provide computer access to millions of children throughout Brazil. It is a historical achievement being: the world’s largest ever virtual desktop deployment; the world’s largest ever desktop Linux deployment; and a new record low-cost for PCs with the PC sharing hardware and software costing less than $50 per seat. The decision to deploy Userful’s low-cost and environmentally friendly solution establishes the Brazilian Ministry of Education as a global leader in educational computing and provides other governments and institutions with a proven model for improving student to computer ratios while rolling out large numbers of desktops with minimal cost and environmental impact.
Userful is a simple, high performance approach to desktop virtualization. It delivers full PC performance including full-screen streaming video for less than $50 per seat and uses standard PC hardware. Userful and ThinNetworks are providing the desktop virtualizaiton and PC sharing software and hardware while Positivo is providing the PCs and services. This is the third phase of a nation-wide rollout of computers in schools. Userful and Thin-networks have been selected for all three phases. The first phase (19,000 desktops) has already been installed and they are functioning well.
Userful’s ability to turn 1 computer into 10 independent workstations will save the Brazilian government an estimated $47 million in up-front costs, $9 million in annual power savings and additional savings in ongoing administration and support costs. The computers will use 90% less electricity as compared to a traditional PC-per-workstation solution. “Userful is creating amazing results around the world. We are very happy to have been selected by the Brazilian Ministry of Education, to participate in this historic opportunity to help millions of children get the computer education they need in a sustainable way,” said Tim Griffin, President of Userful. “For just $50 per additional seat, Userful Multiplier is the best solution for schools, businesses, and governments wanting to maximize their IT investment. This record setting deployment solidifies Userful’s position as the world leader in high-performance low-cost desktop virtualization.”
Modern desktop computers sit idle while we check our e-mail, surf the web, or type a document. Userful’s PC sharing & virtualization technology leverages this unused computing power to create an environmentally efficient alternative to traditional desktop computing. Up to 10 users can work on a single computer by simply attaching extra monitors, mice and keyboards. “This deployment alone saves more than 140,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually, the same as taking 24,000 cars off the road, or planting 35,000 acres of trees”, said Sean Rousseau, Marketing Manager at Userful. Turning 1 computer into 10 reduces computer hardware waste by up to 80%, further decreasing its environmental footprint.
Project steward ThinNetworks is the exclusive distributor of Userful solutions in Brazil. Leveraging their knowledge of the unique challenges faced by the Brazilian education system, ThinNetworks has successfully installed Userful Multiplier-enabled computer laboratories in both urban and rural schools. Rural schools are often located in the most remote regions of the country, where there is typically insufficient facilities for a traditional PC-per-user computer lab.
The hardware developed and manufactured by ThinNetworks for the project is designed to work reliably in harsh conditions with little supporting infrastructure, and could even be deployed successfully in the schools of indigenous villages, where infrastructure is minimal.
“This project will bring access to information technology to almost every young student in Brazil. But this project will mean much more than this: it marks the beginning of a cycle that brings Brazilian children and adults together, socially and technologically integrated,” says Luiz Ferreira, President of ThinNetworks. With this project, ThinNetworks becomes a marketleader in the distribution of multi-solutions, with more than 800,000 terminals installed in the country.
The workstations will be used to teach students the computer skills they need to succeed in the modern workforce. “Our goal is to bring information and communication technologies ICTs) to 45,000 schools by 2010, and they will serve about 60% of 2.7 million students” said Ronaldo Mota from the Brazilian Ministry of Education. Linux Educacional 2.0, a special software package put together by the Brazilian Ministry of Education for schools, will be used to leverage the power, flexibility, and cost savings of open source software.
About Userful
Userful is the industry leader in desktop virtualization and multi-station Linux computing: the low-cost, high-performance alternative to thin clients. Userful’s powerful software transforms standard PCs to support up to 10 simultaneous monitors, keyboards and users, and manages them all at once through a central website.
Privately held and founded in 1999, Userful was recently named Alberta’s 10th fastest growing company under $20 million in revenue, and has brought affordable green desktop computing to millions of users worldwide. www.userful.com
About ThinNetworks
Founded in 1986, ThinNetworks arose from a need for high quality IT consultancy. In 1999, ThinNetworks began specializing in solutions for ultra-low cost computer environments. With more than 800,000 multi-terminal stations sold and 23 years of experience, ThinNetworks is the absolute leader in multi-terminal solutions in Brazil.
Following the demand for IT cost reductions and green IT, ThinNetworks develops, manufactures, and distributes: thin clients, intelligent network devices, terminal servers and operating systems for all types of markets. www.thinnet.com.br
About Positivo
Positivo Informática S.A. (Bovespa: POSI3), is the largest manufacturer of computers in Brazil and the leader in the educational technology segment. www.positivoinformatica.com.br