Wyse Technology announced that it has enhanced its flagship operating system, Wyse Thin OS, including new features and functionality for popular desktop virtualization environments from Citrix Systems, Microsoft and VMware. Wyse Thin OS is the industry's most popular "purpose built" thin client operating system, which now offers users IEEE 802.1X security protocol support, and USB virtualization capabilities for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solutions provided by Citrix and VMware.

Wyse Thin OS 6.1 maintains its status as the smallest, fastest and most secure purpose-built operating system for thin computing. This ultra-thin operating system boots in seconds, automatically updates itself, and allows users to easily leverage their investments in Citrix Presentation Server(TM) and Citrix XenDesktop(TM), as well as VMware(R) VDI/VDM solutions.

"We have millions of users, across all industries, who rely heavily on Wyse Thin OS to deliver mission critical information everyday," said Jeff McNaught, Chief Marketing Officer for Wyse Technology, Inc. "Our latest version of Wyse Thin OS is targeted at the knowledge worker who wants the richest experience, including multimedia, multi-display, and USB peripheral capabilities on a thin client. This breakthrough broadens the appeal of thin computing, allowing users to leverage existing IT investments while extending performance and security capabilities beyond what's previously been possible."

Wyse listened to the thin computing community and added more robust desktop virtualization features to Wyse Thin OS while maintaining its rock solid security. Key new features on Wyse Thin OS include USB virtualization which eliminates the need to have device drivers installed locally on the client, making network administration a breeze. By virtualizing USB peripherals, hundreds of USB 1.1/2.0 devices are now supported and compatible with Wyse Thin OS including printers, scanners, storage devices, Palm(R), BlackBerry(TM), and Microsoft(R) Pocket PC hand helds.

"Our partnership with Wyse continues to drive key innovations that will help enable the emerging desktop virtualization market," said Mick Hollison, VP of Product Management for the Desktop Delivery Group at Citrix Systems. "This will enable our joint customers to easily adopt desktop virtualization and leverage the increasing power and manageability of desktop appliances for providing customers the best possible user experience at the lowest cost."

Other enhancements to Wyse Thin OS include tighter integration with the Citrix ICA(R) client allowing all configurations for Citrix application delivery infrastructure to be made centrally from Wyse end-point devices. Also, Wyse Thin OS includes IEEE 802.1X security protocol support which enhances network authentication. As a result, Wyse Thin OS provides thin- client users with a simple solution that delivers big on performance, management and security.

"We use Wyse Thin OS to help automate and streamline our patient care workflow procedures throughout the hospital," said Lenny Goodman, Director, Desktop Management Group for Baptist Memorial Health Care in Memphis, Tennessee. "We designed our IT systems from the patient's bedside back to the data center so healthcare professionals have real-time access to vital information resulting in quicker access to patient data at the point-of-care. The latest software offering from Wyse helps us achieve this by delivering a fast, secure, manageable and robust operating system for our thin computing needs."

"We've been using Wyse Thin OS for years," said Rod Lefever, CTO for Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc. "The latest version incorporates key features that will allow us to leverage our existing investment in Citrix technology while augmenting and improving network security. We expect this new product offering from Wyse to deliver an even faster, more robust and versatile operating system for thin computing that meets the demanding IT needs of our users across multiple departments and offices."

Wyse Thin OS 6.1 is available today and requires only 32MB of RAM and has an unpublished API, making it one of the smallest, most secure operating systems on the market. It delivers twice the typical screen drawing performance per CPU cycle as other options, and utilizes a "zero-management" model that provides for self-management, reducing the need for additional management software. For more information visit http://www.wyse.com/products/software/os/.