Hedgehog Technology

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IGEL Technology GmbH
legal form GmbH
founding 1989
Seat Bremen
management Jed Ayres, Nicolas Helms, Heiko Gloge
Number of employees 400 (as of February 11, 2020)
Branch Information technology
Website www.igel.de
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The IGEL Technology GmbH ( IGEL stands for I ntelligent G esamtlösung in micro el ektronik ) is a German manufacturer of computer hardware and software with headquarters in Bremen and a development site in Augsburg. The company develops and sells the endpoint operating system IGEL OS for access to virtual workplaces via Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) or server-based computing architectures, such as those used in B. are offered by Citrix , Microsoft or VMware . Igel also develops and produces so-calledThin clients and, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC), has been the market leader in Germany since 2018 and one of the five largest manufacturers worldwide. The company is also developing a management solution for end devices that run under the Igel operating system. Igel's customers include companies of all sizes and industries around the world, especially financial service providers, healthcare organizations and authorities, who benefit from the security and easy management of end devices under the Linux-based IGEL OS.

history

The company began in 1989 in Augsburg as Igel GmbH with the development and sale of the first multi- video graphics card for Unix environments. In 1992 Igel started developing and selling terminals . In 1997 the first modern thin client went into production. Igel Technology has been part of the globally active Melchers Group since 2001 . In addition to the headquarters in Bremen and the development department in Augsburg, Igel has 12 branches worldwide, including in Europe and North America. Igel is represented in over 50 other countries through distribution partners and so-called Authorized Partners and, according to its own information, has more than 17,000 customers worldwide. Long-time managing director and founder Heiko Gloge handed over his position to Jed Ayres, who runs the San Francisco-based company, at the beginning of 2020. IGEL is thus underlining its ambitions in North America and worldwide. Igel has technology partnerships with over 90 companies that offer users a complete eco-system for everything to do with hedgehogs. Sales are carried out exclusively through sales partners. Igel is a member of BITKOM .

Products and Competitors

The Igel hardware product portfolio includes classic desktop thin clients that are sold under the product name Universal Desktop (UD). Since the end of 2016, the portfolio has also included the Micro Thin Client UD Pocket, with which computers can be temporarily converted into thin clients by booting from a USB stick without removing the actual operating system. The end devices of the type UD differ in terms of processor, memory and connectivity. The entry-level model is suitable as a cost-effective endpoint for access to cloud services as well as for Internet use and for playing media. High-quality end devices from Igel have several USB connections, serial interfaces and sometimes also several display ports. This means that demanding applications such as CAD or video processing can also be carried out in cloud or VDI environments. Up to four independent screens can be connected to the high-end model to support application scenarios such as trading floors in banks. Competitors in the market for thin client devices include Wyse Technology ( Dell ), Hewlett-Packard , Fujitsu .

In 2019 Igel announced that it was separating hardware and software, i.e. H. software licenses for the use of the operating system, codec and the Igel Cloud Gateway (ICG) are sold independently of the Igel hardware. This means a change in strategy at Igel, as the licenses were previously always linked to the hardware. Igel justifies this with a higher flexibility for the customers and the possibility to set up more broadly as a software company.

In terms of software, Igel has the Igel Universal Management Suite (UMS) remote management software in its portfolio in addition to the Linux-based operating system Igel OS. Another software product that has been available since the beginning of 2017 is the Igel Cloud Gateway (ICG), a virtual tunnel with which mobile thin clients can be managed by the UMS via a standard Internet connection. This should make VPN connections superfluous, for example.

Studies

As part of the study commissioned by Igel “Ecological comparison of the climate relevance of PCs and thin client workstation devices 2008”, the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology compared the environmental impact of PC and thin client-supported IT services . In this comparison, the production, manufacturing, usage and disposal phases are taken into account.

In the study PC vs. Thin Client , the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT examined the influence of the Managed PC and Thin Client / Server-based Computing operating models on the IT cost structure.

As part of the study Thin Clients 2011 - Ecological and Economic Aspects of Virtual Desktops , Fraunhofer UMSICHT examined the energy-saving potential of IT infrastructures based on thin clients and virtualized terminal servers as well as desktop virtualization (Citrix XenDesktop and VMware View) in productive operation. PC and thin client devices were compared for two exemplary installations. In this comparison, the production, manufacturing, use and disposal phases were taken into account.

As part of the study Managed Workplaces 2015 commissioned by Igel - ecological and economic analysis of software thin clients , Fraunhofer UMSICHT examined the possibilities of reducing the emission of CO 2 equivalents through IT components. The focus was on the operating models of various workstation computers and in particular the so-called software thin clients. It is a software solution that is used to convert existing workstation computers (desktop PCs or notebooks) into logical thin clients in order to extend the service life of the devices.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Peter Hanuschke: Business with the data cloud . ( weser-kurier.de [accessed on February 5, 2018]).
  2. ↑ Thin client market gets even thinner, down seven per cent in a year . ( theregister.co.uk [accessed February 5, 2018]).
  3. ↑ Central control, demanding users ▪︎ LANline. Retrieved on February 5, 2018 (German).
  4. ↑ The hedgehog story. Retrieved June 16, 2020 .
  5. ^ Vogel Business Media GmbH & Co. KG: inconspicuous in the top group . ( it-business.de [accessed on February 5, 2018]).
  6. ^ Wilhelm Greiner: Igel-Hausmesse Disrupt, Munich: The hedgehog with the second trick. Retrieved June 16, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Heinemann Verlag GmbH, Leopoldstrasse 87, 80802 Munich: Thin Client in pocket format | it-administrator.de. Retrieved February 5, 2018 .
  8. ↑ Customer and partner event "Disrupt": Igel Technology is reinventing itself and end-user computing. Retrieved February 23, 2020 .
  9. ↑ Cloud gateway from Igel | Cloud. Retrieved February 5, 2018 .
  10. ↑ Study "Ecological comparison of the climate relevance of PC and thin client workplace devices 2008" , Fraunhofer UMSICHT
  11. ↑ Study PC vs. Thin Client , Fraunhofer UMSICHT (page 52–53)
  12. ↑ Study Thin Clients 2011 - Ecological and Economic Aspects of Virtual Desktops , Fraunhofer UMSICHT
  13. ↑ Study Managed Workplaces 2015 - Ecological and Economic Analysis of Software Thin Clients , Fraunhofer UMSICHT