IGEL and DLoG: The Next Generation of Industrial Clients

This international development partnership will decrease both management workloads and client-related costs in production and logistics environments. Our first product: the WLAN/VoIP-capable Advantech-DLoG MTC 6 industrial PC.

Cincinnati, OH – January 12, 2012 – IGEL Technology, Germany’s leading manufacturer of thin client solutions, is now collaborating with Advantech-DLoG, a major global provider of rugged PC solutions for use in logistics applications, heavy-duty equipment and industrial production. The first product to result from this development partnership will be a thin client version of Advantech-DLoG’s energy-efficient and WLAN/VoIP-capable “MTC 6” industrial-grade PC. This device, which features a 10” high-contrast LED display, will soon be available with the lean IGEL Linux operating system. Furthermore, it will be able to be remotely managed by means of the IGEL Universal Management Suite (UMS), which comes standard with IGEL devices.

The Advantech-DLoG MTC 6 has been on the market since 2010 and is primarily aimed at meeting the needs of seaport logistics and intra-logistics. The designation “MTC” stands for “Mobile Thin Client” and emphasizes the focus on lowering the total cost of ownership (TCO). Future availability of these devices running the IGEL Linux thin client operating system will cut their already low TCO even further. That’s because the MTC 6 with IGEL Linux will be an even more energy-efficient device for accessing centralized infrastructures. It will also be able to be fully managed remotely – a major inherent benefit of thin client computing.

Universal Access to Centralized IT Infrastructures

The IGEL operating system allows access to centralized IT infrastructures that are provisioned by means of Citrix XenApp/XenDesktop, Microsoft Remote Desktop Services, IBM Mainframe, VMware View and many other software solutions. In addition, a local web browser provides the interface to cloud services. This configuration will make the Advantech-DLoG MTC 6 a universally deployable client that is also suitable for hybrid environments.

Centralized Management Cuts Costs for Management and Maintenance

As is already the case for standard IGEL thin clients, all settings for the new MTC 6 running IGEL Linux will be able to be made remotely by means of the IGEL UMS management software, which is included with the devices. The new Linux-based MTC 6 thin clients will be able to be managed in groups based on profiles. This feature allows frequently used settings to be easily predefined and then readily assigned to individual or whole groups of devices with just a few mouse clicks. Firmware updates, which are only occasionally needed, can be scheduled to be distributed automatically over the network at convenient times, such as during stops in production.

“Through our strategic collaboration with IGEL, we’re creating real added value for our common customer base,” says Robert Vasenda, the Global Business Development Manager at Advantech-DLoG. “The synergies leveraged from combining thin client computing with our Fully Rugged Terminals will simplify the management of our industrial PCs and cut operating costs, even for production.”

“We’re pleased to be collaborating with such an experienced and globally successful partner in the area of industrial PCs,” stated Dirk Dördelmann, IGEL’s Managing Director and Head of Research & Development, who added that “this collaboration with Advantech-DLoG will also greatly help us to further increase our market share of thin client software.”