TCS debuts thin-client SecureOffice solution
Connecting state and local government leaders
The product lets users access multiple security levels from one computer.
Trusted Computer Solutions (TCS) has released a thin-client addition to its SecureOffice product line, which aims to ease the sharing of information between different classified domains.
The company unveiled SecureOffice NetTop2-Thin Client yesterday. The product lets users access multiple security levels from one computer, which eliminates the need to deploy multiple desktop computers to access networks with different security levels.
The company had previously announced SecureOffice NetTop, which permits access to multiple security levels from Intel-based PCs. The thin-client version, however, further reduces costs by using lower-cost hardware devices. Thin clients lack hard drives and, typically, the higher-powered, higher-priced, processor of full-featured desktop PCs.
Specific cost savings depend on the customer's environment.
'Government users recognize substantial cost savings using thin clients vs. other approaches, but each situation is unique,' noted Ed Hammersla, chief operating officer at TCS. He said TSC has analysis models that consider factors such as the number of networks and classification levels required.
SecureOffice NetTop and SecureOffice NetTop 2-Thin Client are based on the National Security Agency's Security-enhanced Linux. The product can run on a range of hardware platforms, but TCS said the current versions are deployed on IBM xSeries servers and Wyse Technology V50 thin clients.
Ali Fenn, vice president of business development and alliances at Wyse, said the company's work with TCS marks its first foray into the government's trusted computing environment. But, she added, Wyse's thin-client approach has historically resonated with some government sectors since no data is stored on the drive-less devices.
The beta version of SecureOffice NetTop 2-Thin Client is currently available. It is slated to be generally available Nov. 30. The product can be purchased directly through TCS or TCS resellers such as CDS, GTSI and Northrop Grumman, Hammersla said.