Unisys and Internet Access Technologies (IAT), a software development company, have signed an agreement that will make it easier and cheaper to provide access to SimDesk, IAT`s suite of Web-enabled productivity applications, for anyone connected to the Internet.
SimDesk includes word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail, calendar, contact and file management, backup utilities, and remote printing applications. As part of the licensing and reseller agreement, Unisys will deliver SimDesk on an ASP (application service provider) basis to government and educational institutions. It will also offer the greater public access to valuable applications and new technology from any device connected to the Internet.
"Governments everywhere are faced with tight budgets and increased security priorities, but they remain committed to providing the benefits of technology to all people," says Maphum Nxumalo, area sales director, public sector, Unisys Africa. "Unisys is eager to help public sector organisations reduce IT costs while still serving their constituents and employees well."
Unisys will host SimDesk on a Unisys ES7000, the only enterprise server that takes advantage of the Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server operating system`s support for 32-processor scalability. The ES7000 provides the mainframe-class capacity, performance, reliability and simplified administration needed to maintain uninterrupted service to thousands of online users around the clock.
The SimDesk applications offer a suite of software applications over the Internet and uses proprietary transport protocols and load balancing techniques that enhance the Unisys ES7000 server`s ability to support thousands of simultaneous users.
"The agreement has the potential to offer government and educational organisations the ability to reduce IT costs while providing citizens and civil servants greater access to office and educational software," says Nxumalo. "The SimDesk patented technology significantly reduces IT budgets by allowing for server consolidation and software maintenance to take place on a server rather than on the local machine."
User information resides on a server, so having access to a personal computer is no longer an issue, because users can now store, manage, and access personal information from any device with access to the Internet. The device can be a cellphone, Palm device, personal or public computer, or Internet appliance.
Nxumalo says users gain exceptional emergency preparedness with the ability to retrieve, restore, and access documents and information anytime, anywhere even if a local machine has been lost or destroyed. For example, if a user is not able to access a computer in the event of a disaster, all that is needed to recover files and documents is a device connected to the Internet.
Unisys is now able to offer greater public access to an unparalleled suite of applications," says Nxumalo. "With SimDesk there is finally a solution that helps bridge the digital divide between the technology haves and have-nots - not only in terms of access to computers, but access to new technology."
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