Wyse Technology and Kaviza are leveraging their respective cloud client computing and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) expertise to bring $99-per-seat thin clients to the SMB. They claim the price “shatters a cost barrier” in the VDI world, finally making virtualization affordable for companies with up to 250 seats. But perhaps more importantly, the so-called Wyse-Kaviza EZ VDI offering represents the first time the thin-client market has come up with a credible threat to the Google Chromebook.

Here’s the scoop on the three ways to get your hands on the Wyse-Kaviza EZ VDI offering, straight from the press release:

1. The breakthrough price of $99 per seat VDI enables SMBs to securely repurpose their existing PCs with Wyse PC Extender software and Kaviza VDI-in-a-box, to experience VDI at the lowest entry point available.
2. For SMB-level companies wanting improved performance with a green and economic thin client, Ingram Micro … is offering a specially priced 10-desktop pack of Wyse-Kaviza EZ VDI for SMB for $2,290 ECP that includes the new Wyse T50 thin clients and Kaviza VDI-in-a-box; enabling $229 per seat VDI.
3. For SMB-level companies wanting optimized security, manageability, performance and user experience, Ingram Micro … is offering a specially priced 10-desktop pack of Wyse-Kaviza EZ VDI for SMB for $3,290 ECP including the … Wyse C10LE thin clients and Kaviza VDI-in-a-box with built-in Kaviza Accelerator for Citrix HDX; enabling $329-per-seat VDI.

All three will be available to both Wyse and Kaviza resellers in the United States. Oh, and with Kaviza’s recent acquisition by Citrix, Citrix Solutions Advisors can offer EZ VDI, too, starting in July 2011.

The two companies are hyping EZ VDI as being, well, easy, with management features designed to reduce complexity while enabling enterprises to turn their existing hardware into virtualization clients. It can be installed on Citrix XenServer and VMware vSphere hypervisors, and endpoints are self-patching, reducing headaches when it comes to management. And it apparently uses Citrix HDX, to boot, which the companies said makes running any virtualized application smooth and optimized.

But here’s the thing: Google Chromebook is selling for $28 per user per month, and users get the full range of Google Apps with it. I’ve heard more than a little chatter that it’s the final nail in the coffin for VDI. But if VDI is dead, it’s sure not doing a good job of it. And as always, if you have any thoughts on SaaS vs. VDI, we’d love to hear it in the comments below.

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