Optimum It Structures For Insurance Companies

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Optimum IT Structures for Insurance Companies Here’s how you and your organization can benefit from IGEL thin clients: • by creating an IT environment that promotes efficient, productive company processes • by creating a transparent cost structure • by ensuring necessary flexibility • by ensuring proper levels of security Thin Client Computing – A Secure Investment! For more than two decades, insurance service providers have placed their trust in IGEL thin clients. Now is also a good time for you to invest in an economical and future-ready desktop infrastructure. IGEL thin clients are the reliable, secure choice, no matter whether you work with serverbased computing, virtual desktop infrastructures (VDI), mainframes, cloud computing or mixed IT environments. IGEL Thin Clients Mean Efficient, Green IT With our license-free administrative solution, the IGEL Universal Management Suite (UMS), you will achieve fast rollouts and permanently cut your IT administrative costs by up to 70%! And the savings don’t stop there: The larger your network of locations – of branch offices or stores – the more you will end up saving! You will also cut your energy costs by at least 50% compared to a conventional PC-based environment! Less CO2 output, materials used, transportation required and e-Waste will all lower your impact on the environment. A Standardized Infrastructure IGEL Universal Desktop thin clients are both powerful and versatile end-user devices. Whether they are used as POS terminals at sales counters, as demonstration display monitors in customer service or as multi-display terminals for day traders or security personnel – IGEL is always state-ofthe-art. This is proven by certifications from Citrix®, Microsoft® and VMware® as well as by validations conducted by leading IT service providers. The Secure Choice Whether your IGEL units are in the company headquarters, in branch offices or even in home-based offices – your data and applications are always kept in ONE secure computer center. With IGEL thin clients, there is no way that viruses and malware can target and contaminate a unit; your data exchange is always secure. Remote administration is encrypted and certificate-based. What is more, with IGEL thin clients, you have strict control over USB port access and easy integration of authentication solutions. In short, with IGEL your desktop environment will be lean, stable and secure. Market Leaders Rely on IGEL Thin Clients. For over 140 years, Basler Insurances (Basler Versicherungen) have been present on the German market. With its comprehensive lines of insurance products for private customers, business and industry as well as first-class consulting services, the company, with some 1,300 employees, is now among the top 30 insurance companies in Germany. Cost-conscious minimizing of risks is also part of the company’s IT strategy. A key part of this approach is the centralized provision of host-based and Windows®-based applications over a standardized thin client infrastructure. In all of its offices in Germany, Basler Insurances has a total of about 400 thin client users. Jens Borg, head of the Information Center at Basler Insurances, comments: “By making applications available from central servers to low-maintenance and remotely administered end devices in our different locations, we’ve succeeded in permanently cutting our support costs. We were looking for a stable table-top unit with a robust housing and at least three USB ports, some of them accessible from the front to make it easy to connect devices like external CD-ROM drives. In addition, we needed VGA and DVI interfaces for dualview operation. Our next step was to conduct online research concerning thin clients by different vendors. IGEL Technology appeared to be a good choice and had been recommended to us so that we decided to evaluate them. The devices let us implement our deployment scenario in an ideal way. Our users have access to Microsoft® standard applications, Lotus Notes, the Internet as well as the IBM host system.” Further References • Basler Insurance, Germany • AIG, UK • Generali IT, Slovakia • Targobank Insurance, Germany • Griffiths & Armour, UK • Jackson National Insurance, USA • ALBA Insurance, Switzerland • HPG, Belgium • CNA Insurance, USA • ELVIA / Mondial Assistance, Austria • Ineas, The Netherlands • Global Alliance, South Africa Design Transmission Access Server Network Applications are stored and run on a server or central server farm Only screen contents, mouse and keyboard commands are transmitted through any type of network IGEL Universal Desktops and converted PCs and TCs IGEL offers a variety of hardware solutions, here you see the thin clients UD2, UD3, UD5 plus UD9 (all-in-one). Server-based Apps: Microsoft® Terminal Services Citrix XenApp Linux etc. In centralized IT infrastructures, applications and / or virtual desktops run in a central computer center. The controlled access to these servers is regulated by the remotely administered thin clients, which essentially do not have their own storage media. This means that files cannot be saved and stored locally, which is exactly where the danger of data loss is the greatest. This also means that all IT resources are located on the servers, allowing maintenance and updating of applications and desktops to be carried out centrally. Administration and support of thin clients over the network cuts down on workloads, saving lots of time. A comparison to desktop infrastructures with PCs and locally installed applications reveals the following key fact: With thin clients, the overall costs for IT (TCO) can be cut by up to 70%. Virtual Desktops: VMware View Citrix XenDesktop Microsoft® VDI-Suite etc. Web-based Apps: Internet Java etc. Direct Access to: VoIP SAP Multi-media etc. Examples for file formats: DOC XLS JPG Why Choose Thin Clients? PDF Management of hardware and session settings Since they have no cooling fans, hard drives and other mechanical parts, thin clients are very reliable and have a lifetime twice that of PCs. The data exchange between the thin clients and the servers consists solely of screen content as well as keyboard and mouse control/command data. This means that even lower-bandwidth connections (e.g. ISDN) are sufficient for error-free links to external desktops, such as those in branch offices. Security measures are mostly limited to steps taken at the server level. Viruses or worms cannot constantly infect thin clients because they have no local hard drives (read-only memory). Furthermore, these lean enduser devices have significant ergonomic advantages such as space-saving design, low heat output and silent operation. IGEL Universal Management Server and database (Windows and Linux) IGEL Universal Management Console (Java and Web) Efficient branch-office operation included With the IGEL Universal Management Suite (UMS), which comes standard with IGEL units, you can conveniently manage all the IGEL thin clients in your enterprise network easily and economically from a remote location – no matter where you or they are – in a secure, group-based manner! Some features and highlights: ✓ Roll-out and replacement: Send out the thin client by delivery service and have it connected site by a local staff member; the IGEL thin client then configures itself automatically over the network (IP/ MAC-based). ✓ Profile-based administration: easy assignment of individual and group profiles simply by drag-and-drop ✓ Secure connections: certificatebased logons and SSL encryption ✓ Firmware updates: remote, fail-safe, automatable, optimized for available bandwidth ✓ Integrated tools: such as asset management for automatic discovery of device information Greater Security, Increased Productivity With IGEL Universal Desktops, you have access to a full, comprehensive selection of security solutions, allowing you to fully protect your data and data transmissions. At the same time, your users will enjoy a reliable, flexible and easy-to-use work environment. The highlights: ✓ Secure two-factor authentication with smartcard (on-board or external reader), USB token or biometric devices ✓ Integrated VPN clients (e.g. Cisco, NCP), security standards and protocols ✓ Single Sign-on to speed up logon times ✓ IEEE 802.1X: certificate-based authentication of thin clients at the network switch ✓ Session roaming: flexible selection of the thin client workstation, such as with an IGEL smartcard ✓ Anti-theft protection: Kensington lock slots and VESA mounting brackets Benefits High savings in time, cost and energy compared to PCs Smartcard reader as a basis for various security solutions A free, easy-to-use remote management solution to centrally deploy and manage IGEL thin clients and converted PCs and thin clients at all locations Energy Star 5.0 certification for numerous models Simultaneous access to old and new applications, such as mainframes, Windows®, VDI and VoIP Smartcard reader (internal optional), USB eToken: several security solutions DVI-I and analogue interfaces for dualview (in high resolution display) Long service life and low failure rates (no moving parts!) Several serial and parallel interfaces for connecting external devices Simpler and faster: IT support, user help desk (UHD), replacement of devices Technology Partners, amongst others: We’re here for you. Free Evaluation! Our capable and experienced IT team with comprehensive skills and expertise in the area of banking and financial services would be pleased to discuss your needs. See for yourself by experiencing IGEL thin clients in practical use. Your personal free IGEL thin client evaluation unit is ready for your review. Phone: +1 954 739 9990 Toll Free (US only): +1 877 GET IGEL E-Mail: [email protected] Web: www.igel.com/us/insurance Order your Evaluation Unit Today: www.igel.com/us/evaluation Errors and omissions excepted. 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