Guidelines for Migration to Server-based Computing / VDI and Thin Clients: Analysis and Implementation

Transcription

1 Guidelines for Migration to Server-based Computing / VDI and Thin Clients: Analysis and Implementation

2 Centralized IT infrastructures with standardized, efficient desktops will lower the TCO and considerably improve internal processes, yielding smoother workflows. These guidelines cover the most important considerations and migration steps for the backend and frontend of an IT sysem. Table of Contents 1. Introduction: Why are centralized IT models so successful? 3 2. What centralized IT models are available? 3 3. Selecting the desktops - new hardware or repurposing old PCs 4 4. Thin clients as desktop workstations what requirements have to be met? 4 5. TCO: How high are the overall cost savings? 5 6. The best time to migrate Desktop life-cycles Change management simplified by centralized IT 7 7. Preparing for and carrying out the migration Step 1: Analysis of existing configuration and planned configuration Step 2: Evaluation phase Step 3: Dimensioning the servers Step 4: Test phase and pilot phase Step 5: Final roll-out Ensuring a clean migration; avoiding errors 10 2/11

3 1. Introduction: Why are centralized IT models so successful? For some years now, the manner in which both private and public organizations provision their IT applications has been steadily undergoing a major paradigm change. Companies and government agencies are replacing their client/server networks based on PCs (fat clients) with centralized infrastructures featuring thin clients. The reason for this move? By doing so, they can save up to 70% in the total cost of ownership (TCO) of their systems. Additional arguments in favor of such a migration are greater data security, higher system availability and improved safeguarding of business continuity (see Fig.1). Yet during planning the following key questions need to be carefully analyzed and answered: Which solution for centralizing IT and standardizing the desktop environment is the right one for the given case? When is the best time to proceed with the migration? What steps should be followed in implementing the changeover? 2. What centralized IT models are available? The first step is to analyze what types of centralized provision of IT should be considered and, of these, which ones might possibly be correct for the company concerned. For instance, are there IBM mainframe applications or legacy host systems that need to be integrated into the new environment? Furthermore, are other company departments and/or affiliated companies already using centralized IT environments? How many users need what kind of applications? In the case of an IT environment with many Reasons for centralized IT models: Decreased desktop administration workload Decreased overall IT costs Increased security Achieving compliance with legal rules and regulations Increased availability of applications Increased flexibility of the IT infrastructure (faster/ cheaper roll-outs of workstations, easy scalability) Lower environmental impact (less energy consumption, CO 2 emissions and e-waste) Box 1 standard applications, the model known as server-based computing (SBC) should be the first choice due to its inherent efficiency. The most impor tant SBC solution providers are Citrix with XenApp (for merly known as Presentation Server and now part of XenDesktop ) and Microsoft with Remote Desktop Services (formerly known as Terminal Services), which is a component of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2. For mixed application environments that cannot be consolidated or IT environments with a large number of power users or knowledge workers needing high performance, a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is the recommended solution. The most important VDI solutions available are the following: VMware View, Citrix XenDesktop and the Microsoft VDI Suite. In contrast to SBC, in a VDI environment individual application that several users can access at once (shared applications) are not separately Server Worlds and Communication Protocols and their Associated Clients on the Thin Client Windows Server Citrix Environment Linux/ Unix Server Legacy Host Mainframe Web Applications, Portals Virtual Desktops RDP/RDS ICA X11R6 XDMCP diverse TCP/IP RDP/RDS/ICA/ PCoIP RDP/RDS Client ICA Client Citrix Receiver X11R6 XDMCP Host Emulation Web browser, Java,.NET View/ICA/ RDP/RDS Client / PCoIP Local Protocol Clients on the Thin Client Fig.1: Universal access to a great variety of centralized IT infrastructures 3/11

4 Server-based Computing (SBC) Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) thin client thin client thin client thin client thin client thin client ICA ICA ICA Virtual desktop Virtual desktop Virtual desktop = = = Applications Applications Applications Terminal-server-capable multi-user applications + Operating system + Operating system + Operating system Citrix XenApp Server OS (MS Server 2008 R2) Server hardware Hypervisor (Microsoft Hyper V, Citrix XenServer, VMware ESX, ) Server hardware Fig. 2: SBC model vs. VDI model provisioned. Instead, with VDI each user has his own virtual desktop with his own specific operating systems and application environment hosted in the data center (Fig.2). Depending on the method employed by the solution provider, these virtual desktops can either be provided as needed or dynamically assembled; that is, provisioned or compiled. Furthermore, as a part of cloud computing services, server resources (capacities), virtual hosted desktops (VHD) or applications (Software as a Service or "SaaS") can be outsourced as needed from external providers. 3. Selecting the desktops - new hardware or repurposing old PCs Depending on the goals of the project, the desktop migration can be either completed by installing new thin client hardware or by using the existing end-user devices (PCs, nettops, thin clients and notebooks). In the second case, the basis for the migration process is thin client software that makes the end devices remotely manageable and prevents data from being saved locally on the converted fat clients. However, what speaks in favor of a new investment in thin client hardware is, above all, their long service life of from six to eight years as well as the major energy savings to be realized. In contrast, existing end devices that are, for an interim transitional period, converted to run with a modern thin client operating system usually can continue to be used for two to three more years. The advantages of this interim, relatively temporarily period includes the fact that investments in existing equipment can be leveraged and safeguarded and that the costs of the desktop migration can be extended over a longer period of time improving liquidity. Existing end devices can be converted using the Universal Desktop Converter (UDC) from the German thin client manufacturer IGEL Technology. This is accomplished by transferring the thin client software to the end devices by means of a USB token or a CD-ROM (supplied with the UDC) or else by means of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 RIS. Once this step is completed, these end devices can be remotely managed and updated by means of the IGEL Universal Management Suite (UMS), just like any other IGEL thin client. 4. Thin clients as desktop workstations what requirements have to be met? A critical argument in favor of centralized and external provisioning models is the fact that the user needs only a cost efficient thin client to be able to access either the centrally or externally provided IT resources. These approaches also include the opportunity to standardize the desktop environment and to minimize the TCO, and not just on the server side. However, these approaches also mean that the thin client software (firmware) must have all the necessary protocols and software clients (Fig. 1). Specifically, this means that Microsoft-based environments require the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). Similarly, Citrix solutions require the software client Citrix ICA. With VMware View the best performance can be achieved by using PCoverIP (PCoIP); however, this solution will require considerably more server resources than standard SBC. In larger VDI environments, thin clients should also support the respective connection broker that assigns the correct virtual desktops to the respective end devices. Thin clients can also access host and mainframe applications if their firmware also offers a collection of compatible terminal emulations. Furthermore, if a local web browser is included, then thin clients can use TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) to access directly hosted web applications, portals and other cloud computing services. 4/11

5 5. TCO: How high are the overall cost savings? The greatest potential for savings is provided by conventional server-based computing. For example, the renowned Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT) (Oberhausen, Germany) has conducted a study that reveals that a Citrix -based environment with IGEL thin clients offers overall savings (TCO) of 70% compared to an unmanaged PC environment (Fig. 4). While in its study, Fraunhofer UMSICHT considers an SBC/thin client based IT infrastructure to be worthwhile starting with ten workstations, another German study conducted by an IT software/systems supplier and developer showed that such a changeover will pay-off starting with only 7 workstations. (Source: R. Wallis UBA EDV GmbH, Ibbenbüren, Germany 2006). In addition, a somewhat less detailed study by Gartner estimated the typical savings to be up to 50%. In PC vs. Thin Client (Example Calculation for 130 Clients) PC Thin Client Decommissioning Operation Startup Fig. 4: IT costs for a desktop infrastructure for a typical organization with 150 to 300 employees, Source: Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT) / IGEL Technology: Thin Clients 2011 Ecological and economical aspects of virtual desktops TCO OPERATION ROLL-OUT HARDWARE + SOFTWARE Costs for a client/server (C/S) structure with 100 PCs in Euros Server-based computing (SBC) with 100 thin clients and 3 Citrix XenApp servers in Euros Purchasing 100 business PCs 50,000 Purchasing the server hardware 3 Citrix XenApp 15,000 servers Air conditioning system for cooling the 5,000 servers, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) 100 operating-system licenses (OEM) 12,500 3 server licenses for Microsoft Windows Server ,800 Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 100 TS-CAL licenses (HEK) 8, Citrix user licenses 6, IGEL thin clients 20,000 (The file server and network hardware are not reflected in this calculation since they are the same in both system configurations.) Total Investment Costs: 62,500 56,300 Work time for PCs including selection, evaluation, testing, removal/installation, disposal and setup (4 hours per PC) 30,000 Work time for thin clients including selection, evaluation, testing, removal/installation, disposal and setup (0.5 hours per TC) Work time for setting up the servers and centralizing applications (100 hours) Total Costs for Roll-out: 30,000 11,250 Administration, maintenance and support 60,000 Administration, maintenance and support 6,750 (8 hours/pc) (30 hours/server) Administration, maintenance and support for 3,750 thin clients (0.5 hour/tc) Hardware costs (50 Euros/PC) 5,000 Hardware costs (100 Euros/Citrix server) 300 Power costs for 100 PCs (average operating time: 8 hours x 220 days) 4,131 Power costs for 100 thin clients including share of power requirements for server hardware and cooling; operating time: 9 hours x 300 days) Total Operating Costs (per year): 69,131 11,626 TCO after 1 year: 161,631 ( = HW+SW + roll-out + 1 year of operation) 79,176 TCO after 2 years: 230,762 ( = HW+SW + roll-out + 2 years of operation) 90,802 TCO after 3 years: 299,893 ( = HW+SW + roll-out + 3 years of operation) 102,429 TCO after 5 years: 438,155 ( = HW+SW + roll-out + 5 years of operation) 125,681 TCO Savings After 5 Years: 312,474 Return on Investment (ROI): 71% 3, Table 1: TCO Comparison: PC environment and SBC (Citrix XenApp ) environment with thin clients 5/11

6 HARDWARE + SOFTWARE ROLL-OUT OPERATION Costs for a client/server (C/S) structure with 100 PCs in Euros Costs for VDI with 100 virtual desktops (Citrix XenDesktop) and 100 thin clients in Euros Purchasing 100 business PCs 50,000 Purchasing the server hardware 6 Citrix XenApp servers Air conditioning system for cooling the servers, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) Server licenses (bare-metal hypervisor) 100 operating-system licenses Windows 7 Professional (OEM) 12, operating-system licenses Windows 7 Professional (OEM) 30,000 10,000 None 12, IGEL thin clients 20,000 (The file server and network hardware are not reflected in this calculation since they are the same in both system configurations.) Total Investment Costs: 62,500 72,500 Work time for PCs including selection, evaluation, 30,000 Work time for servers including selection, evaluation, 2,250 testing, removal/installation, disposal and setup testing, removal/installation, disposal and (4 hours per PC) setup (5 hours per server) Work time for virtual desktops, including testing 15,000 (2 hours/virtual desktop) Work time for thin clients including selection, evaluation, testing, removal/installation, disposal and setup (0.5 hours per TC) Total Costs for Roll-out: 30,000 21,000 Administration, maintenance and support (8 hours/pc) 60,000 Administration, maintenance and support for virtual desktops (4 hours/virtual desktop) Administration, maintenance and support for thin clients (0.5 hour/tc) Administration and maintenance per server (10 hours each) 30,000 Hardware costs (50 Euros/PC) 5,000 Hardware costs (100 Euros/Citrix server) 600 Power costs for 100 PCs (average operating time: 4,131 Power costs for thin clients (average operating hours x 300 days) time: 9 hours/day x 300 days) Power costs for VDI servers (6 x 250 W average 2,234 consumption; operating time: 24 hours/day x 365 days) 100 Citrix XenDesktop licenses at 76 Euros each 7, Microsoft VDA licenses at 100 Euros each 10,000 Total Operating Costs (per year): 69,131 59,235 3,750 4,500 TCO TCO after 1 year 161,631 ( = HW+SW + roll-out + 1 year of operation) 152,735 TCO after 2 years 230,762 ( = HW+SW + roll-out + 2 years of operation) 211,969 TCO after 3 years 299,893 ( = HW+SW + roll-out + 3 years of operation) 271,204 TCO after 5 years 438,155 ( = HW+SW + roll-out + 5 years of operation) 389,673 TCO Savings After 5 Years: 48,482 Return on Investment (ROI): 11% Additional calculation factors: Hourly rate for IT service in Euros/hour: 75; average share of effective power for PCs: 90 W; energy costs in Euros/kWh 0.17; average share of effective power for TCs: 12 W Table 2: TCO Comparison: PC environment and VDI (Citrix XenApp ) environment with thin clients 6/11

7 fact, for VDI environments Gartner determined a savings potential of 2 to 10%. In this case, the primary reasons given for this lower figure lie in the higher costs for server hardware, licenses and management of the virtual desktops. The calculations of the TCO savings for SBC and VDI for an operating period of five years are shown in Tables 1 and 2 below. An Example of Success: The Hong Kong branch office of the German fashion supplier Heiss has strengthened its leading competitive position with SBC and IGEL thin clients. The reasons for Heiss strategic replacement of desktop PCs with thin clients were quite obvious: Our old system was very failureprone, recalls Rani Li, Accountant & Administration Officer at Heiss. For instance, while synchronizing our sales and inventory data with the company headquarters, we frequently lost data a situation that had a considerable negative impact on day-to-day business. In fact, some of our personnel used to have to spend hours manually correcting the data. Once, one of our branches even ended up having to record a loss because the inventory figures were incorrect. Box 2 6. The best time to migrate Centralizing IT services and standardizing its associated desktop environment requires a certain level of planning and organization to properly prepare for the implementation phase. However, there are certain situations in which the time and effort spent in preparation will be less. For instance, this is the case when there are upcoming changes already schedulded for the data center itself. The most frequent reasons for performing a system migration are the desire to improve IT availability and safeguard business continuity. As part of a pending modernization program for the physical data center infrastructure, the system is redesigned with a more powerful, more available and more efficient backend. Modern, efficient, scalable and redundantly set up server, storage and network components, a scalable cooling system and an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system are the best prerequisites for successfully implementing SBC and VDI. Another incentive for a migration is the (pending) final amortization or the end of the service life of the server hardware and other data center components, especially when the majority of the IT equipment has become outdated. 6.1 Desktop life cycles In order to be able to use the latest operating systems and the newest programs and functions, companies and government agencies used to have to acquire new and considerably more powerful PCs every three to four years. Thin clients, whose firmware can be updated with new protocols, software tools and clients, allowing service life cycles of from six to eight years to be achieved, are a welcome alternative to the usual repeated reinvestments in expensive PC hardware. Attempts to extend the usual PC life cycle will also prove to be expensive since PCs that have been in service for more than four years require a disproportionate amount of service and maintenance, which compounds their operational costs. In fact, it's often the case that these very end-user devices have been upgraded many times already and are now reaching the limits of their capacity for improvement. For instance, it is highly likely that the existing hardware will not support any more RAM, a larger hard disk or a larger compact flash memory, or furthermore, that the CPU itself is too weak to handle such upgrades. In this case, too, desktop standardization by means of thin clients is a presents itself as truly viable solution for permanently cutting ongoing costs. Overview of suitable migration times: Desktop side: Increased PC failure rates Too much time, effort and expense for desktop maintenance and administration Deployment of new desktop operating systems Completed amortization of PC hardware New PCs needed at the end of previous PC life cycle Computer-center side: New equipment needed in computer center Conversion to virtualized servers Energy optimization of computer center External Company mergers Company expansion Box Change management simplified by centralized IT Changes in organizational structures and requirements can also present a favorable opportunity for a migration, especially mergers and takeovers. With centralized IT infrastructures and a standardized desktop environment, the data from two enterprises can be consolidated considerably more quickly and easily, and the desktop environment can be more readily adapted to meet the new scenarios and conditions. Over the mid/long-terms, the new consolidated company will not only benefit from a lower TCO but also from greater IT scalability. These revisions will not only improve competitiveness but also the initial financial basis for facilitating further growth and acquisitions. What's more, it will be faster and easier to set up and open new branch offices. This is because roll- 7/11

8 ing out a thin client can be readily accomplished in a few minutes, while installing a PC can take several hours. The migration to SBC or VDI with thin clients is not only an ideal way to bring about long-term, sustained reductions in IT costs, it also offers the perfect opportunity to readily optimize missioncritical enterprise processes. The typical goals to be achieved in the course of what is known as "business process reengineering" include improved data consistency, data transparency and process integrity. 7. Preparing for and carrying out the migration The process of migrating to an SBC or VDI environment with thin clients can be subdivided into five major project phases: Step 1: Analysis of the existing configuration and planned configuration Step 2: Evaluation phase Step 3: Dimensioning the servers Step 4: Test phase and pilot phase Step 5: Final roll-out 7.1 Step 1: Analysis of the existing configuration and planned configuration The initial considerations concerning the migration begin with a thorough, fundamental analysis of the current situation and the desired, final situation. In this respect, the critical questions and issues can be summarized as described in the following overview: The desired, final situation can be described based on analysis of the goals to be achieved (necessary end results). This analysis takes into account the method of application provision (SBC, mainframe, VDI, web services, etc.) and the desktop strategy (the desired level of thin client coverage). In addition, this analysis can also include other goals such as software and server consolidation, new system availability requirements, data security/backup, etc. The requirements of the new IT infrastructure are gathered and compiled along with all the prerequisites for the new, upgraded installation. The issues among them that are actually economically viable can be determined by means of a cost/benefit analysis. For instance, it may, in fact, be more economical to continue operating certain special applications that are only used at individual workstations locally on a PC instead of investing in the cost and effort of acquiring the expertise, hardware and licenses to include them in an additional VDI environment. 7.2 Step 2: Evaluation phase The most commonly used software solutions for centralized provisioning of applications and/or desktops are Microsoft Windows Server, Citrix XenDesktop (including XenApp ) and VMware View. When investigating software solutions, the following criteria should be evaluated: The most important decision criterion is the application environment. Standard applications can be most efficiently provisioned by means of SBC. For those applications that are processing-intensive or graphics-intensive as well as test stations for software developers, VDI is the better way to go. Web-based applications can be very efficiently provisioned by means of thin clients with an integrated browser (included in the firmware), a method that bypasses the central server in the data center, thus conserving resources. Questions to ask about the initial situation (analysis of existing configuration): What kind of user environment is currently being used? How high is the share of standard applications such as MS-Office applications, Internet, , etc.? How many workstations use special applications or require higher-than-average performance, such as for graphics editing, CAD use or software development? What bandwidths are available in the LAN and WAN (branch offices) systems? How many users have to work at the same time? What type of desktop infrastructure do I have in place? How high are the costs for my data center and desktops? Box 4 Among other things, VDI is more cost intensive than SBC because VDI licenses have to be renewed each year and each thin client must have its own, separate Microsoft Virtual Access License (VDA). In contrast, with SBC the license fees are due only once per server and per user (e.g. for a TS-CAL and a Citrix user license). The best way to determine the best solution for a given company is to conduct both initial lab and field testing. If, during the evaluation phase, new requirements are identified, then the planners need to go back to the first step in the migration workflow and adapt the prerequisites for the new, upgraded installation (requirements specification). Evaluate thin clients in parallel with the software During the testing phase, the thin clients should be evaluated alongside the software because a well-chosen desktop solution can significantly improve overall performance and even compensate for a lack of server resources or bandwidth. A good example is provided by the manufacturer IGEL Technology, whose Universal Desktop (UD) thin clients can relieve the workload on the centralized IT infrastructure through their own computing performance and local software tools including a web browser, a multimedia player, a Thin- Print client or an SIP client for IP telephony. Their direct access to 8/11

9 legacy host systems by means of integrated terminal emulation also makes it unnecessary to run expensive middleware on the server. This is a notable benefit because the use of middleware degrades the performance of the overall system. 7.3 Step 3: Dimensioning the servers The servers in the new IT environment should be dimensioned so that in the event of the failure of an application server the remaining systems can readily take on the sudden, added workload. In addition, the hardware must be replaceable to the point that in the event of a failure any portion can be quickly replaced by another unit. These fundamental requirements can be very easily met by using server virtualization. The exact specifications of the server hardware depends greatly on the system requirements of the preferred software solution, on the number of users, their application environments and the performance specifications of the thin clients themselves. For SBC, the following general "rule of thumb" applies: for Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 (64 Bit), each server can support up to 200 standard (non-power) users. By contrast, in VDI environments 25 standard users per server is a realistic load. In addition to the user/server ratio, the user/client ratio also needs to be determined. It should be kept in mind that not every employee needs his own thin client, which means that the number of users per server can most likely be somewhat reduced. Important selection criteria for thin clients: Is there a universal approach for as many user scenarios as possible? What about the features of the management solution: no licensing costs, profile-based, platform-independent and easy and intuitive to operate? Future readiness: updateable firmware, enough RAM and flash memory for updates Technological openness/flexibility: software clients, tools and protocols for direct access to SBC, VDI, cloud services, mainframes, VoIP, etc. Support for peripherals: USB, serial, parallel, PS/2, DVI (dual or multiview capability) Network: LAN, WLAN, WAN, DSL, ISDN, etc. Security features: VPN client, smartcard support, etc. Box 5 Furthermore, what also needs to be determined is the desired level of system performance and availability. Among other things, this level will determine the degree of redundancy to be present in the given IT environment. This examination starts by considering the server hardware, but it can extend across storage devices, the network itself, cooling capacity, power supply and distribution, and the like. 7.4 Step 4: Test phase and pilot phase The first tests of the overall proposed solution, including the server hardware, the provisioning software, the thin clients and the peripheral devices are followed by a pilot project for deploying the first new IT workstations. This first, pilot-project roll-out involves all those user groups for which a typical user scenario was defined back during the first planning step. As a rule, these users will come not only from company departments but also from different company branch offices covering the entire range of possible applications to be encountered in the enterprise. The first thing to do in advance of the first roll-out is to create the relevant user groups and profiles on the servers. After this, all files locally stored on the PCs and the settings for the PCs themselves should be backed up and transferred to the server. There are different migration tools Important selection criteria for server software: How high are the licensing costs (for servers, users and clients)? How high are the system and resource requirements? What types of management capabilities and tools does the solution offer? What security features are available? How well does the proposed solution balance loads? How high-performance/efficient is the solution when it comes to supporting multimedia, printing and peripheral devices? Box 6 available to facilitate this step. It's recommended that the personnel participating in the pilot project be part of a hierarchical structure so that the new technology becomes readily accepted at all levels, from top to bottom, within the enterprise. During the pilot project, the feedback from the initial set of users is collected along with the technical results. If, as result of this dual information, new requirements become evident, these should be critically evaluated for inclusion in the final roll-out. In this case, the evaluation step (Step 2) should then be repeated reflecting any changed conditions. 7.5 Step 5: Final roll-out Once the pilot project (initial roll-out) has been successfully completed, the final roll-out for the SBC or VDI environment can start. At this stage, any user profiles still missing need to be created and any other locally stored data must be transferred to the data center. The final roll-out of the thin clients is done in parallel. Based on the user profiles on the server, the corresponding device groups and profiles should be defined in advance in the thin client man- 9/11

10 agement solution. After they are physically connected to the network, the system management solution will locate the thin clients by means of their respective IP or MAC address and then automatically assign their settings to them. In this way, it's possible to roll out several hundred end-user devices over a weekend. Notes on desktop migration The desktop strategy defined in Step 1 of the migration workflow is all aimed at achieving a minimum TCO by replacing as many maintenance-intensive fat clients with remotely manageable thin clients. The most important selection criteria for the evaluation process (Step 2 in the workflow) are shown in the flow-chart depicted below: 8. Ensuring a clean migration; avoiding errors The following fundamental principle applies: The more detailed the planning, the smoother the roll-out will be. If the expertise to achieve this is not available within the company itself, it's a very good idea to seek external support from an IT solution provider or an IT systems consultant, supplier and installer. Further aspects that ensure trouble-free migration are conducting testing as closely as possible replicating the conditions in actual, real-world use and, if necessary, also hiring professional support. Figure 6 shows a list of the most frequent errors that must be avoided. If these errors are avoided, then the IT modernization program will achieve its desired effects. To ensure that these benefits can be enjoyed as long as possible, the solutions selected for the server and desktop sides do not, however, need to be proprietary ones. In other words, a company should remain ready and willing to use future technological improvements and new technological developments. When it comes to thin clients, this is ensured by a manufacturer that offers regular updating of the operating system and conducts its own software R&D program. This approach will allow users to continue to fully exploit the potential for future system optimization. 1. Definition of Requirements and Migration Strategy (user and client scenarios, TCO savings, system availability, security, etc.) NON-CRITICAL: Evaluation phase reveals new requirements Software Evaluation SBC, VDI, cloud services, etc. (lab/field testing) Desktop Evaluation Thin client software and hardware (lab/field testing) CRITICAL: Pilot phase reveals new requirements 3. Datacenter (re)dimensioning (servers, storage, backup, cooling, network, power supply/distribution) 4. Pilot phase / 1st roll-out (departments, branch offices, key/power users) 5. Final roll-out Fig. 5: The individual phases in migrating from client/server networks with PCs over to SBC or VDI with thin clients 10/11

11 Error Causes Results Remedy Tips Error during testing Time pressure: not enough time for adequate testing Incorrect or too few user scenarios No/insufficient user feedback Inexact evaluation Poor performance, security, user experience Missing functionalities Limited TCO savings Test in situations as close as possible to real-world usage Set up desktop and server sides in parallel Seek external support from experienced partner(s) Mixed desktop environment Short-term solution Several end-devices per user (e.g. virtual PC in data center and local PC at workstation) Host terminals or IP telephony not integrated in thin client solution Proprietary solutions and protocols (e.g. zero clients: only VDI, no SBC, etc.) Functionally limited thin clients (only RDP/only ICA /only PCoIP, etc.) Fig. 6: Frequently occurring errors when migrating to SBC/VDI and thin clients Up to twice the administrative workload High maintenance and support costs due to mixed desktop environment Limits to/lack of safeguarded investment Low level of technological future-readiness Forgoing current and future potentials for savings Consolidate end devices by replacing them with universally deployable thin clients Convert fat clients to thin clients using conversion software Employ a technologically open/flexible, manufacturerindependent and future-proof thin client solution Universal, updateable firmware Head Office United Kingdom United States Singapore Hong Kong IGEL Technology GmbH Hanna-Kunath-Strasse Bremen, Germany Tel.: +49 (0) Fax: +49 (0) IGEL Technology Ltd Parkview Arlington Business Park Theale Reading Berkshire RG7 4TY UK Tel.: +44 (0) Fax: +44 (0) IGEL Technology America, LLC 2106 Florence Avenue Cincinnati OH USA Tel.: Fax: Toll free (US only): GET IGEL info@igelamerica.com IGEL Technology Care of: C. Melchers GmbH & Co. Singapore Branch 101 Thomson Road # 24-01/05 United Square Singapore Tel.: Fax: IGEL Technology Care of: Melchers (H.K.) Ltd Shun Tak Centre West Tower Connaught Road C. Hong Kong Tel.: Fax: IGEL is a registered trademark of IGEL Technology GmbH. All hardware and software names are brand names or registered trademarks of their respective manufacturers. Errors and omissions excepted. info@igel.com 03/2011 IGEL Technology 99-US