Dell Canada (NASDAQ: DELL) is unveiling its newest line of cost-effective OptiPlex desktop computers aimed at business owners who wish to achieve higher security and performance while greening their company.
The commercial lineup of systems solutions will simplify desktop computing and allow business owners to save on both energy and finances.
The new products, launched today and available immediately, are the OptiPlex 360, 760, 960 and thin-client SX160. Dell Canada will be selling the computers directly and thru its channel partners.
The 360 is an entry-level product launched three weeks ago. The previous line included the OptiPlex 755; it will be phased out of the OptiPlex family in the next 90 days and replaced by the 760 and 960.
Carolyn Rollins, brand manager at Dell Canada, said the 760 continues with the previous model’s green features to remain energy-efficient and save on IT costs. The desktops are built with environmentally-friendly materials and are Energy Star certified and EPEAT gold certified.
“We’re developing products to fit into the current demands of the business environment – one of those demands is power efficiency,” Rollins said. “What we’ve done with the OptiPlex line is improve power efficiency by controlling the amount of power being used internally and added a remote turn on and off function.”
The SX160 is a thin client flexible computing solution rather than a stand alone PC and comes with the same green offerings.
The external chassis is also environmentally-friendly, made with HyperCool Technology to reduce heat and wear and tear, and made up of 10 per cent recycled material.
The OptiPlex 960 has a redesigned outside chassis and is smaller than the current model, and uses 43 per cent less power than other desktops.
The computers have been designed to last, Rollins said, allowing customers to save on IT costs.
“We transition the OptiPlex line on a regular basis; on average every 12-15 months. The 960 offers a 24 month transition time – one of the longest so that customers have comfort of consistent platform.”
The desktops are built with security and durability in mind with a chassis loop locking system, password security and automated data protection with full disk encryption.
The 960 with Intel vPro will have Danbury security encryption capabilities. As with the previous lines, it also has a TPM chip embedded in the systems connecting to your network to verify the PC is authorized to view data.
The new desktops are also designed with productivity and manageability in mind, aiming to reduce the number of desk side visits by IT staff, Rollins said. Over 90 per cent of desktop problems will be solved through the new management solution.
The 960 comes with full Intel vPro support for remote manageability solutions. The vPro technology allows IT professionals to diagnose the problem remotely and perform checks anytime. If the unit is down, users can still push a button to interact with IT professionals and let them know there’s a problem, allowing IT staff to use IDE Redirect to look throughout the system.
The target market for the new line is any business owner who wants control over their data and who is concerned about security, Rollins said. The desktops allow business owners to keep their data safe in a secure physical location and have flexibility to allow users to upgrade their system and increase the horsepower.
Realizing the popularity of mobile computers, some mobile features have been added to the desktops, Rollins said. “We’ve added wireless connectivity and the ability to add multiple video connections and new display ports, but there are things you can’t get in a notebook that consumers still need, such as high end graphics, large hard drives, substantial memory and increased connectivity.”
