IBM flexes technology muscle with new PC products

New IBM ThinkPads and NetVistas now boast innovative wireless and security features, and IBM-patented technology that dramatically reduces the costs associated with managing large numbers of personal computers. New products and technology announced today include:

Four new ThinkPad notebook and three new NetVista desktop models;

The industry's first embedded security subsystem that automatically encrypts user keys, files and e-mails;

Integrated wireless capabilities for 802.11 local area networking and Bluetooth technologies;

ImageUltra, a unique set of software and services that simplifies the management of PC images. Using ImageUltra, companies can save an estimated $100 per PC, per year, over the life of the system in support costs.

"In today's connected world, mobility, security and manageability are critical challenges for our customers, not just in the back office, but with the client devices their employees use everyday," said Sameh Farid, Regional Manager, IBM Personal Computer Division (PCD) Middle East, Egypt & Pakistan. "IBM has designed technologies that address these challenges into our other infrastructure products, and now we're extending them to PCs to deliver significant productivity and cost benefits to our customers worldwide and here in the Middle East."

"IBM continues to drive both in terms of innovation and manageability, with the new ThinkPad XTRA line offering important features such as integrated wireless connectivity and security as well as greater simplification of management solutions, allowing easy migration for end-users and IT Managers. In the area of industrial design, IBM has introduced the "nesting" concept with the new UltraBay Plus, allowing for an integrated numeric keypad or WorkPad cradle. Importantly, thin and light design normally reserved for higher price ranges - has been offered with the new R Series offering both style and mobility to end users at an entry level price point." said Andrew Brown, Research Manager for Mobile Computing at IDC.



ImageUltra: What is a PC Image?
A PC image is made up of the hardware and software loaded on a personal computer. Most large companies maintain many different PC images that represent a variety of hardware, operating systems, languages, network drivers and business applications. Each one of these separate "images" has to be developed, tested, managed, maintained, backed up, and documented -- all of which takes time and money. When this process is applied to thousands of individual PCs, it quickly becomes a costly and time-consuming problem that drains information technology resources and budgets.

In fact, according to industry analysts, most companies report that managing PC images represents as much as 50 percent of their total hardware support costs, and that they need to dedicate at least 30 percent of their internal computing staffs to deal with this problem.

Using patented software that comes loaded on the system's hard drive, IBM's ImageUltra can reduce the number of PC images from hundreds or thousands to a single "super-image" for all PCs in an enterprise network. IBM estimates this new technology and related services will save businesses an average of $100 per PC, per year over the life of the system, establishing a new benchmark for the PC industry in long-term affordability and manageability.

To introduce ImageUltra, IBM is announcing three Imaging Technology Centers in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina; Fujisawa, Japan; and Greenock, Scotland. These centers will provide custom image creation, management, compatibility testing and other services.

Wireless, Security and PC Services Today's announcement also represents the deployment of a number of investments IBM has made in the area of wireless, security and other PC-related services.

Wireless
IBM continues to integrate wireless LAN technology on its ThinkPad notebook computers. Select models now feature IBM's innovative dual antenna design, which was invented by IBM Research and provides significantly better signal strength coverage for optimal reception and transmission. Also, the newly redesigned ThinkPad A30p models offer integrated Bluetooth wireless communications providing even more wireless flexibility.

Wireless is also finding its way onto the NetVista desktops, which now offer a High Rate Wireless LAN PCI Adapter card. This card enables the system to be added wirelessly to an existing LAN when used with a wireless access point or gateway offers data transfer rates comparable to a wired LAN with (11 Mbps) and 128-bit security encryption.

Security
Many of the new systems come with enhanced security features. A growing concern for companies in a connected environment, IBM has addressed PC data security with its Embedded Security Subsystem that helps protect data from intrusion over both wireless and wired networks. It also helps identify computer users involved in transactions, and helps ensure data transmissions are authentic, confidential, and intact. IBM's security subsystem can also encrypt data on the PC's hard drive, so that even if the computer is stolen, the information can not be accessed. This security subsystem is designed to work seamlessly with Tivoli Policy Director software to enable centralized security management.

New PC Services/Tools
In addition to ImageUltra, other PC services being announced today include IBM Access Support and Rapid Restore PC. Access Support provides users with quick, automated solutions to commonly reported problems and allows for self-diagnosis of many system issues, using documentation customized for the specific model of PC.

Rapid Restore PC assures continued PC up-time, providing automated disk backup and easy restore capabilities. IBM estimates that more than 90 percent of hard file problems are due to software crashes and/or failures that require restoration of system images. Rapid Restore PC allows users or IT managers to recover systems and avoid needless downtime for users and IT staff.

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