IGEL Technology

IGEL Technology (/ˈaɪdʒɛl/ EYE-jell) is a developer, manufacturer and distributor of thin and zero client hardware and software headquartered in Bremen, Germany. It was founded by El Igel and Barros family.According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), IGEL is one of the five biggest thin client manufacturers worldwide.^[1]

History

A manufacturer of thin and zero client solutions, IGEL Technology produces one of the industry's range of hardware thin and zero clients, based on Linux and Microsoft Windows, and provides software based thin clients allowing customers to access a broad spectrum of server-based infrastructures and applications. IGEL also offers management software for deployment and administration of thin clients throughout any size organization. IGEL provides stuff to clients in industries that include Healthcare, Education & Research, Public Sector, Financial, Insurance, Retail, Logistics, and Manufacturing. IGEL has offices in the United Kingdom, Australia, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, the United States, Germany, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Singapore and is represented by partners in over 50 countries worldwide. IGEL Technology is a subsidiary of the German-based Melchers-Group.^[2]

IGEL Technology GmbH was started in 1989 as IGEL GmbH, developing and distributing the first multivideo graphic cards for UNIX environments. IGEL began developing and distributing computer terminals in 1992 and introduced its first modern thin client in 1997.^[3]

In 2006, IGEL Technology became a member of Germany's Federal Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media (BITKOM).^[4]

Environmental impact

ENERGY STAR compliance

IGEL series UD2, UD3 and UD5 thin clients and IGEL IZ1, IZ2 and IZ3 Zero clients are compliant with ENERGY STAR Version 5.2 specifications.^[5] Specifications include: less than 15 watt in idle mode, less than 2.7 watt in sleep mode and Wake on LAN (WOL) functionality.^[6]

Fraunhofer studies

The Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT) completed a study in 2008 consisting of an economical evaluation of IT technology across all phases of the life cycle, including production, use and recycling/disposal. The study found, among other things, that replacing a desktop PC with a thin client and terminal can reduce the emissions of a computer workstation by up to 54%.^[7]

In 2011, IGEL Technology commissioned a study from Faunhofer on the ecological impact of thin clients as compared to PCs. The study found that under equivalent usage, a thin client combined with a terminal server causes around 63% lower greenhouse gas emissions than a comparable desktop PC. A thin client combined with a desktop virtualization solution causes 30–42% lower greenhouse gas emissions than a comparable PC.^[8]

Products

Hardware

IGEL Technology’s product portfolio of Zero (IZ) Clients and Universal Desktop (UD) thin clients includes both traditional desktop clients and integrated LCD thin client units equipped with either Linux or Microsoft Windows operating systems.

• IGEL IZ1 – entry-level system-on-a-chip model with ARM architecture available for Citrix HDX, 2X Software RAS and Microsoft RDS/RemoteFX.
• IGEL IZ2 – mid-level model with x86 Driver support for Citrix HDX, 2X Software RAS, Microsoft RDS/RemoteFX and VMware Horizon View
• IGEL IZ3 – top-level model with dual-core processor and multiple connections for peripherals for Citrix HDX, 2X Software RAS, Microsoft RDS/RemoteFX and VMware Horizon View
• IGEL UD2 – entry model for standard Citrix ICA and 2X Software RAS and Microsoft RDP protocol users
• IGEL UD2-LX MultiMedia – system-on-chip thin client based on ARM processor architecture for multimedia use
• IGEL UD3 – mid-range thin client with integrated smart card reader, dualview support and several ports for peripherals
• IGEL UD5 – thin client with expandable hardware platform
• IGEL UD9 – thin client integrated into a 21.5” widescreen LCD monitor
• IGEL UD10 – thin client integrated into a 23.6” widescreen LCD monitor

Software

IGEL Universal Desktop Operating Systems

IGEL Linux - IGEL Linux comes with a broad set of software clients, tools and protocols giving the user the possibility to access the required application with the best protocol.

Microsoft Windows Embedded Standard 7 - Microsoft Windows Embedded Standard 2009’s successor is equipped with the new Aero user interface and supports RemoteFX.

IGEL Universal Desktop Converter 2 (UDC) – used to implement the IGEL firmware on PCs, mini PCs/nettops and thin clients from third-party vendors

IGEL Universal Management Suite (UMS) – remote management software to manage the IGEL thin client infrastructure and converted desktop hardware

Competitors

Competitors in the market include: 10ZiG Technology, Dell Wyse, Hewlett-Packard and Fujitsu, beside others.

References

1. ↑ International Data Corporation (IDC), Worldwide Enterprise Client Tracker Q4, 2013
2. ↑ Melchers-Group homepage
3. ↑ Who We Are IGEL Technology.
4. ↑ BITKOM List of Members Federal Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
5. ↑ Energy STAR Product Database EU ENERGY STAR. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
6. ↑ "ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Computers" (PDF). EU ENERGY STAR. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
7. ↑ "Environmental Comparison of the Relevance of PC and Thin Client Desktop Equipment for the Climate, 2008." (PDF). Fraunhofer UMSICHT, 2008.
8. ↑ "Thin Clients 2011: Ecological and Economical Aspects of Virtual Desktops." (PDF). Fraunhofer UMSICHT, 2011.