DesktopDirect™ RDP Features & Specifications

DesktopDirect uses proven remote desktop protocol (RDP) technology to provide direct access to office desktop PCs, both virtual and physical, from any device, anywhere via the Array Networks SPX appliance.

Optimized RDP User Experience

Remote employees can connect immediately to their office desktops by launching the DesktopDirect mobile app or opening any common Web browser – Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari or Google Chrome. Employees log in using their daily credentials, just as they do every day at the office and are presented with their desktop icons exactly as they set them up, to their own personal liking. As a result, they benefit from the familiarity of their office computer’s desktop environment – as if they were actually sitting at their desks and typing and clicking on their office computer.

This translates to immediate user productivity without any prior user training and overall greater business productivity. What’s more, DesktopDirect’s RDP connectivity requires very little bandwidth and is built to operate over relatively high-latency links, thus making it the perfect solution for Internet-based communications.

Full Application Availability

DesktopDirect leverages existing desktop, application and security infrastructure. Unlike server-based computing, a traditional PC work environment is provided to nearly all employees. Without any need for new hardware or software, licenses or application environments, employees enterprise-wide can be provided with full application availability.

Security & Data Leakage Prevention

DesktopDirect seamlessly extends compliance already established on office computers to remote and mobile devices – thus no new effort is required on the part of IT to maintain compliance. The solution’s appliance-based, on-premise architecture provides full control for IT administrators, including viewing and termination of sessions in real-time.

Because DesktopDirect’s remote desktop protocol (RDP) architecture transmits only keyboard, video and mouse-control data between remote devices and office computers, data never leaves the corporate network. In addition, controls for copy, paste and printing and measures against screen capture and key logging may be enabled to fully eliminate the potential for data leakage.

DesktopDirect leverages existing policies via integration with authentication methods including AD, RSA SecurID, RADIUS and LDAP. In addition, AAA data is stored deep in the trusted network so security is never an issue. Connectivity is secured over SSL and FIPS-compliant options are available to meet the most stringent of security requirements.

Mobile Computing

The DesktopDirect RDP solution enables productivity for Android, iPad and iPhone users, who can easily download the DesktopDirect mobile app to gain mobile access to Windows applications on their office computers. Deploying DesktopDirect for tablet access, enterprises get a cost-effective solution that is fully secure and fully under IT control and at the same time provides full application availability, supports a bring your own device (BYOD) strategy and is simple to deploy, manage and use.

A comprehensive suite of touch screen gestures and controls are built into the DesktopDirect mobile app in order to provide intuitive control over mouse, keyboard and other PC-specific functions. Leveraging RDP, business data never leaves the corporate network, and never mixes with personal data or applications. As a result, organizations can unobtrusively support a range of personal devices to confidently and cost-effectively address the consumerization of IT.

Power Management

DesktopDirect’s power management capabilities deliver the industry’s first and only energy-efficient RDP remote access solution. Wake-on-LAN (WoL) capabilities allow office laptops and desktops to be powered down at night, over the weekend or anytime they are not needed and powered up on-demand when selected by users.

According to the PC Energy Report prepared by the Alliance to Save Energy and 1E, “mid-sized
companies waste more than $165,000 a year in electricity costs for computers that have been left on overnight.”

By allowing users to remotely turn on their PCs when needed, the average mid-sized company can benefit from considerable savings in energy costs while reducing their environmental impact from carbon dioxide emissions.

Desktop Self-Registration

DesktopDirect enables administrators to choose whether to manually register desktops – either individually or in bulk – or whether to allow dynamic self-registration of desktops by users directly, making registration of desktops easy, fast and transparent.

Reducing Cost & Complexity

Compared to the time and expense of deploying native applications or server-based computing, the DesktopDirect remote desktop protocol architecture is highly cost-effective. Unlike perpetual fees for managed services, DesktopDirect represents an affordable one-time purchase. In addition, DesktopDirect can be set up in as little a few hours and is capable of achieving ROI in the time it takes to deploy alternate solutions.

Scalable RDP Appliances

DesktopDirect runs on the award-winning line of Array Networks SPX Series Universal Access Controllers. The RDP access appliances support high-speed hardware SSL encryption and built-in active clustering for unmatched performance, scalability and high availability.

SPX1800 SPX2800 SPX4800 SPX5800 SPX6800
SSL Processing HW HW HW HW HW
Ports 4xGigE 4xGigE 4xGigE 4xGigE
Optional:
2xGigE Fiber		 4xGigE
Optional:
2x10GigE Fiber
Max. Concurrent Users 100 1200 6000 12,000 12,000
Maximum Throughput 100 Mbps 200 Mbps 400 Mbps 850 Mbps 850 Mbps
Form Factor 1U 1U 1U 2U 2U
Power Supply Single Single Single Dual Dual
Clustering Active/Active
Active/Passive		 Active/Active
Active/Passive		 Active/Active
Active/Passive		 Active/Active
Active/Passive		 Active/Active
Active/Passive