Neoware will begin sampling a Linux-based thin client notebook next month. Unlike traditional notebooks, The m100 has no local data storage, and hence does not place sensitive data at risk of being lost or stolen, according to the company.

About 91 million records containing sensitive personal information have been compromised through data security breaches in the U.S., according to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse figures cited by Neoware. The Ponemon Institute, meanwhile, estimates that security breaches cost companies $5M on average, while resulting in 20 percent of victims cutting ties with the company.

Neoware says that its m100 allows all files and applications to remain on remote servers, “where they are better protected from data theft.” The device will support standard thin client remote access technologies, including Linux XDM, Citrix ICA, Microsoft RDP, SSH, and terminal emulation. It will also have a local Firefox browser. Support for Tarantella and NoMachine's NX caching proxies will be added via “future snap-ins,” a company spokesperson said.

The m100 will connect via wired or wireless interfaces, and will support a variety of network security schemes, including ICA and RDP's built-in 128bit encryption, Firefox's SSL, and WiFi schemes that include WEP, WPA-PSK, WPA-EAP, WPA2-PSK, WPA2-EAP, and EAP via LEAP and PEAP, the spokesperson said.

Neoware says it expects to be the first top-tier thin client company to ship a thin-client notebook design. The company currently ranks third in the thin client market, behind HP and relative giant Wyse.

Neoware is known for versatile terminal emulation software, having purchased technology from IBM some years back enabling its clients to support legacy mainframes, mid-range systems, and various and sundry “green screens.”

Availability

The m100 will initially sample in October, with Windows XP Embedded. The Linux version will begin sampling in November. The device is expected to reach general availability in Q1 of 2007, priced at $800.

Two years ago, Neoware was named the Eighth-fastest growing U.S. company by Fortune magazine. The company recently published a whitepaper on Why thin clients enhance data security.

 
This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.