Introducing the Fastest, Free RDP Client for Google Chrome and Chromebooks

Yes, we've released a new remote access client for the Google Chromebook / Chromebox. No, this client is not AccessNow. In fact, this client is not HTML5 - it is a native client. "But wait", you may say, "How is this possible? Isn't the Chromebook restricted to only run web apps?" The answer is that the Chromebook is indeed restricted to web apps, but it also supports web apps implemented as native clients, in addition to HTML5. Let me explain:

Google Native Client, NaCl for short, is a new technology for packaging cross-platform native executables so that they can run safely within the browser. Such clients can provide the performance of regular native applications, coupled with the security and ease of deployment of web apps. What makes this especially cool is that NaCl is fully supported on Chromebooks / Chromebox. For more information about NaCl, this Wikipedia article provides a good overview.

Using the NaCl technology, we packaged our acclaimed Blaze RDP acceleration remote access technology, as a web app. This new product, called AccessToGo for Chrome, is available directly from the Chrome Web Store. You can download it and use it for free as a high performance RDP client. That's right, you can use it to connect directly to any RDP host without installing any special component on the server-side. And for even greater performance, you can purchase the Blaze Server for x10 speed boost.

Will AccessToGo for Chrome replace AccessNow? Of course not. In the same way that we provide both native AccessToGo clients and also AccessNow for mobile platforms - both iOS and Android - we are now providing both options for Chromebooks as well. In an upcoming blog post I will provide a set of criteria that will help you chose the Ericom RDP client that is most appropriate for your specific needs.

Click here for more information about Ericom AccessToGo for Chrome or download it directly from the Chrome Web Store.

Google Chromebooks in the News

Google Chromebooks seem to be all over the news lately. At Ericom we have a particular interest in Chromebooks, and have been working with Google to deliver remote access solutions for that platform. A number of organizations and educational institutions are now using Ericom AccessNow, our HTML5 client, to gain remote access to Windows desktops and applications from Chromebooks. Examples of successful Chromebooks + Ericom AccessNow deployments include: Quality Distribution, Inc., a major transportation and services company, Richland School District Two and others.

Here’s a collection of what I consider to be the most important and interesting Chromebook related news items from recent weeks:

1. According to Google, "there are now 2,000 schools using Chromebooks for Education - twice as many as 3 months ago"
2. In a Bloomberg interview, Jim Wong, Acer president says Chromebooks account for up to 10% of Acer's US shipments
3. In addition, Acer may release a $99 Chromebox. In my opinion, a device at this price-point could be a significant driver for ChromeOS adoption
4. HP have released the first Chromebook with a 14" screen, joining Samsung, Acer and Lenovo on the list of Chromebook manufacturers
5. The Samsung Chromebook is the best-selling laptop on Amazon (ahead of Apple MacBook)
6. ZDNet comparative review: Surface RT vs. Samsung Chromebook: On the road
7. Chromebook Customer Panel: Virtualization – three school districts discuss how they are using Chromebooks with Ericom AccessNow

Click here for more information about using Google Chromebooks with Ericom AccessNow.

IT Windows Pro Reviews Ericom AccessNow, And More

On October 18^th 2012, IT Windows Pro magazine published a review of Ericom AccessNow 2.0, our HTML5 remote access solution. Independent IT consultant Russell Smith installed and tested the product. His conclusions: "Using AccessNow is an ideal way to provide remote desktop access with HTML5, which is supported by most modern web browsers" and "[AccessNow is] Perfect for giving users access to remote desktops from systems where client software can't be installed". He gave Ericom AccessNow 2.0 a score of 4 out of 5.

Ericom AccessNow was also discussed in a ZDNet article covering the new Google Chromebooks built by Samsung. In this article Ericom AccessNow is highlighted as a means to protect existing investments in Windows applications when switching to Chromebooks: "Trucking firm, Quality Distribution Inc. (QDI), and the aforementioned Richland and Hanover school districts, Kingston University and the University of Connecticut all use Ericom's Accessnow."

For more information about Ericom AccesNow, click here.

HTML5 Remote Access Checklist

It appears that almost every company involved in VDI and Terminal Services is coming out with an HTML5 remote access client. In reality, this is not the case. There are, in fact, only a few HTML5 remote access clients that are actually available for use at this time. The rest are just betas or tech previews, or even just videos showing a proof of concept or a mock-up. Either way, a release date for an actual product is usually unavailable. As a result, we generally encounter little or no competition for Ericom AccessNow.

Still, prospective customers often do ask us how Ericom AccessNow compares with other HTML5 remote access products (existing or vaporware.) For this reason we have created a checklist that can be used for comparison and evaluation. Given the rapidly growing interest in this type of offering, I have decided to publish this checklist here. I've pre-filled the AccessNow column, and have set aside an additional empty column for whichever product you choose to evaluate:

	Ericom AccessNow	Alternative Product
Generally available	Version 2.1
Supported host types
VDI	✓
Terminal Services	✓
Remote PC	✓
Supported client platforms
Windows	✓
Mac	✓
Linux	✓
Chromebook	✓
iPad	✓
iPhone	✓
Android tablets	✓
Android phones	✓
BB Playbook	✓
Supported browsers
Chrome	✓
Firefox	✓
Safari	✓
Opera	✓
IE10	✓
IE9	✓
IE6 - IE8	requires Google Chrome Frame
Supported connection brokers
Citrix XenApp/XenDesktop	✓ (BETA)
VMware View	✓
Quest (DELL) vWorkspace	✓
Ericom PowerTerm WebConnect	✓
Standalone (no broker)	✓
Features
Publish desktops	✓
Publish apps	✓
Audio	✓
Audio recording	✗
Print to local	✓
File transfer	✓
SSL VPN / Proxy tunneling	✓
Clipboard redirection	✓
URL redirection	✓
Pass credentials (SSO)	✓
Pass app parameters	✓
Embed in frame	✓
Performance
Play video	✓
Smooth scroll	✓
Fast response	✓
Variable image quality	✓
Keyboard
Multiple locales	✓
Chinese/Japanese/Korean support	✓
RDP hotkeys	✓
Chromebook special keys	✓

I hope you find this checklist useful. Please let me know if you think I've left anything out.

#Twitter and I

Four months ago I read a blog post by Dan Brinkmann: "The Impact of #Twitter on My Life"? In this post Dan wrote:

I can tell you with a straight face, Twitter has completely changed my career ... my network is worldwide…no shit…and it’s awesome, there are some really smart folks out there and I get to talk to them whenever I want.

Dan's post resonated deeply with me - I'm a great believer in Internet as a tool for bringing people together. And yet, I myself was not on Twitter. So, after reading the post, I opened a Twitter account and started tweeting. It's still early days for me, but I can already state that Dan was absolutely correct. I now have over a hundred followers. But more importantly than the number, this is an amazing group of people, which includes, for example, most of the BriForum speakers, including Dan himself.

Thanks Dan - I owe you big time.

What We Learned About VMware AppBlast at VMworld 2012

A year ago, at VMworld 2011, VMware unveiled a new technology under the title Project AppBlast. AppBlast promised to enable remote access to Windows applications and desktops utilizing only pure Web technologies, from within any HTML5-compatible web browser. Project AppBlast generated a lot of excitement at VMworld, with many attendees referring to it as the "star of the show" and "the hottest thing at VMworld." We, at Ericom, were also very interested by AppBlast since we had released our own HTML5 remote access solution - Ericom AccessNow - several months before. At that time, AccessNow already delivered the benefits promised by AppBlast, and we were curious to see how the two stack up. However, during the year that followed, VMware did not release AppBlast nor did they provide any information or conduct any public demonstrations of it. In fact, they seemed to have gone into "stealth mode" regarding this project. Therefore, we were unable to discover any information about it whatsoever.

When VMworld 2012 arrived, we were curious to discover what's up with AppBlast. Here is a summary of what we've learned:

1. AppBlast will not be an independent product, but rather be part of a new VMware product called Horizon Suite - a collection of features and services intended to enable "workforce mobility." It appears that in order to obtain the HTML5 remote access functionality, organizations will be required to purchase the entire Horizon Suite.
2. While Horizon Suite was shown during the VMworld keynote, AppBlast itself was only mentioned in passing, and was not demoed on stage - a long way down for last year's "star of the show". This caused industry analyst Brian Madden to quip: "Keynote over. The important new things: ... App Blast is not dead"
3. AppBlast in Horizon will provide access only to virtual desktops managed by VMware View. AppBlast will not provide access to applications, an aspect which was emphasized at last year's VMworld. Also, AppBlast will not provide access to remote physical desktops – another aspect which was highlighted last year.
4. Horizon will be wholly dependent on Citrix XenApp and Citrix Receiver for access to remote Windows applications. (Yes, this means VMware Horizon customers may be required to purchase Citrix licenses in order to properly use it.)
5. Horizon Suite and AppBlast are not available yet. To paraphrase on VMworld's slogan: "Right here, not now". VMware stated that they hope to release a beta version of Horizon during Q4. They did not provide guidance regarding when the first production version will be available, and what its pricing will be.

How Does VMware AppBlast Compare to Ericom AccessNow?

It doesn't, because Ericom AccessNow is available right now, and has been a generally available for over 18 months. We've already released the second major version of AccessNow, and it has been deployed in production at numerous sites worldwide, to tens of thousands of users. AccessNow supports VMware View, and also Citrix XenApp/XenDesktop (BETA), Quest vWorkspace and our own PowerTerm WebConnect connection broker for VDI and RDS. And it provides remote access to both applications and desktops, virtual and physical.

Several months ago, industry analyst Gabe Knuth wrote an article titled "How long can Ericom's HTML 5 client dominance last?" Based on what we’ve learned at VMworld, Ericom's HTML5 remote access dominance will continue to last, at least for the foreseeable future.

To learn more about Ericom AccesNow, click here.

Perfect Example of FUIT / CoIT

We received this email inquiry for Ericom AccessNow. This is the perfect example of FUIT / CoIT. I modified the text slightly to protect the innocent:

Hi Ericom,

I'm sorry that I don't use my company email because my manager did not allow this.

I'm using a MacBook Pro and my company's software is available for use as Windows applications only. Can the Ericom product let me access my company's software from my MacBook Pro?

If so, how much will it cost?

Thanks

Follow me on Twitter: @DanShappir