Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Desktop

The cost of keeping proprietary desktops secure is rising. Then there's the cost to deploy. And update. Not to mention administrative costs.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Desktop is an attractive and highly productive alternative for client systems like desktop and laptop computers. An environment that sets the standard for client operating systems in the focused areas of security and management.

Red Hat lowers acquisition and ongoing annual deployment costs, leaving:

• more money for new hardware and software projects to provide new services
• more redeployable personnel to work on high value-added tasks that deliver a competitive advantage to the company

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Desktop variants

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop
  A general purpose client solution suitable for desktop and laptop systems, offering a comprehensive suite of personal productivity applications such as OpenOffice, Firefox browser, and Evolution email client. Supports systems with up to 1 socket at 4GB of memory.
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop with Multi-OS option
  Provides virtualization capabilities, with the ability to host multiple guest operating environments.
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop with Workstation option
  Provides support for larger client systems and an extended software stack. Ideal for high end desktop applications, technical workstations in design, engineering, CAD/CAM, or software development, etc. Includes the full Red Hat Enterprise Linux software development stack and the complete set of server applications for client system use-cases like testing, administration, software development, etc.
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop with Workstation and Multi-OS options
  Combines all desktop features and options into a single product.

Desktop Features

Security

Linux has a reputation for being a very secure operating system. Red Hat has extended Linux's security advantage by developing a layered defense scheme for keeping desktops secure.

Featuring:

• more secure applications
• protection against commonly exploited security flaws like e.g. buffer overflows integrated in the standard software stack
• highest-grade protection via the SELinux security feature. Protects system services from attacks, full transparency and is easy to extend and adopt.
• smartcard authentication support

Red Hat makes it easy to secure a desktop deployment against external and internal threats.

Management

Red Hat provides a simple, rapidly-deployable tool that allows a systems administrator to manage a complex, geographically dispersed desktop deployment from a single web-based console.

Red Hat Network allows a system administrator to remotely update, group, deploy, and provision desktop systems. Whether it's 10 or 10,000 desktop systems, the system administration effort is the same. This frees up some of your desktop personnel to be redeployed on other projects.

Interoperability

Not only are the applications bundled with a Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop interoperable with Microsoft® formats, but Red Hat also includes other technologies to allow a Red Hat desktop to plug-and-play in a Microsoft-centric environment.

Applications

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Desktop includes the most popular desktop applications for no additional charge. Fully-featured and with intuitive interfaces, these applications make your users productive with little need for retraining.

And all of these applications are interoperable with their Microsoft counterparts. This means you can create, view, and edit Microsoft-formatted documents or email and leverage the investments you have already made.

User experience

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Desktop was designed to create a user experience where everything "just works". This involves major improvements to everything, from OpenOffice and Firefox to networking, laptop support, peripheral support, graphics, and multimedia. All of this ensures that your users are more productive with minimal need for retraining.

Pricing

Red Hat pricing is designed to be affordable, predictable, and uncomplicated. It consists of one base price and three options.