VDI can reduce costs, simplify systems and provide a less frustrating experience for users.

Transcription

1 1 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GROUP VDI can reduce costs, simplify systems and provide a less frustrating experience for users. infor ation technology group

2 2 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GROUP CONTENTS Introduction...3 Hardware Consolidation...4 Ease of Access...5 Reduced Downtimes, Increase Productivity...6 Eliminating Hardware Replacement...7 Enhanced Security...8 The End of User Support...9 Why Organizations are Increasingly Shifting Towards VDI...11

3 3 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GROUP INTRODUCTION As your company scales up, so do its computing requirements. Even relatively simple upgrades and fixes, such as installing the latest software patches, can become a resource-hungry chore. The cost of providing a copy of the necessary software to each user, as well as hardware capable of running it, can quickly spiral out of control. For these and other reasons, more and more companies are looking to virtualization to solve their computing issues. In a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) system, virtual versions of computer operating systems and software applications are implemented inside virtual machines (VMs). These VMs reside on servers, either on-site in your company s data center or as part of a cloud computing service. Users can access the virtual desktops through streamlined devices with minimal hardware and software, known as thin clients; there are also ultrathin or zero clients, which are even simpler. VDI can reduce costs, simplify systems and provide a less frustrating experience for users.

4 4 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GROUP HARDWARE CONSOLIDATION VDI systems allow you to consolidate your hardware. Instead of giving everyone a large, complex, expensive computer, each user can have a much simpler terminal over which he or she accesses the VDI. The actual hardware needed is thus minimized. Overall, far less physical hardware is required. The use of robust fault-tolerant servers means that your users experience far less downtime. It s much easier to build redundancy into a VDI system -- if any individual virtual machine should stop working effectively, another can take over, meaning that the user experiences no interruptions. Because the user s machine is virtualized on the server, there is no need for separate hardware. All the computers are effectively in the same location. In the event of a problem, there s no need for IT staff to travel to other offices or sites to fix a desktop PC -- hardware problems can be managed centrally.

5 5 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GROUP EASE OF ACCESS VDI systems also facilitate software fixes by providing easy access to users desktops. The virtual machine running the desktop is accessible from any location, regardless of whether the one is inside or outside the working environment. Furthermore, any device can access the virtual machine, meaning that users are not tied to their desks and support staff are not forced to travel between sites to access a user s machine when problems arise. A virtual desktop running on a virtual machine can be accessed using not just a home PC or a laptop but smaller devices -- tablets such as ipads, thin clients, zero clients and even iphones or other smartphones. Important files and applications are always accessible, whether the user is in the office, at home or on the road. The user s own computer effectively follows them between locations, as the desktop can be accessed from any terminal in the office as well as terminals offsite. With an Internet connection to the network hosting the virtual desktop, access is possible from any Webenabled device.

6 6 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GROUP REDUCED DOWNTIMES, INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY VDI technology also reduces downtimes and problem resolution. For instance, when system users call the IT support services center, the IT experts can attend to the problem in the data center either onsite or remotely, hence negates the need to visit users desktop which is not only costly but time consuming. This results in an increase of productivity for the company because of less downtime and faster problem solution. If something happens to the central server or an individual user account, restoring the account is easy and much less expensive. Simple backups of the entire server can be made and stored in cloud-based or offsite areas. Individual accounts can then be instantly restored or a backup server can be used in the case of a hardware failure.

7 7 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GROUP ELIMINATING HARDWARE REPLACEMENT Conventional desktop computers need to be routinely replaced. New versions of existing software, as well as entirely new applications, require more and more resources with every update. Hardware upgrades such as extra memory or larger storage devices only help you keep up for so long; after a certain point, the entire computer will need to be replaced in order to keep pace with requirements. When this cost is multiplied across hundreds or thousands of PCs, the expense can be astronomical. Thin clients and their ultra-thin cousins, zero clients, do not need to contain the complex processors used by conventional desktop PCs. Except for hardware failure, there is never any need to replace them. Upgrades only affect the virtual machines running on the central servers. Replacing a thin or zero client is far easier than replacing a conventional desktop, as there is no configuration required; the new unit is simply connected in place of the old one. If a client fails, the user can simply replace it or move to another terminal. The user then logs onto the virtual desktop as before; there s no need to configure the client or install any software.

8 8 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GROUP ENHANCED SECURITY VDI technology also enables the enterprise to enhance their security and also meet compliance regulations without focusing too much on the PC s security. In essence, unmanaged computers may still have access to applications residing on the virtual desktop, but the integrity of these very applications together with their associated sets of data can be safeguarded inside the data center by utilizing proactive tools. With a VDI solution, there is no need to worry about what a user installs on their system. The user has their own virtual desktop, giving them the opportunity to install applications that meet their needs. The system exists on a central server, making it easy to maintain and control several security aspects of the network as a whole.

9 9 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GROUP THE END OF USER SUPPORT Because there is no complex logic processing at the user s end of a VDI system, userside support can effectively be removed. Since the user s machine is a virtual machine running on the server, support for the user becomes completely server-based. Simplifying Virus and Malware Recovery Issues In a VDI system, the users desktops actually exist as single files which are saved on the host server. These files are regularly backed up. If the worst happens and a virus or other malware irreparably damages the current version of the desktop, the user s virtual machine can simply be restored to an earlier version from the backup files. In most cases this will take only a few minutes; there is no longer any need to spend hours tracking down and eliminating a virus from the user s desktop and downtime is almost completely eliminated. Energy Savings Using Zero Clients Computer processors require prodigious amounts of energy to run. Zero clients, also known as ultra-thin clients, use significantly less energy than a standard desktop. Replacing conventional desktops with zero clients typically saves around $250 per year per machine. Simplified Disaster Recovery Disaster recovery can be a major problem for companies using conventional networked systems. As well as the loss of expensive hardware, the destruction of locally stored

10 10 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GROUP information can cause major issues. Even if data can be recovered, users desktop computers will still need to be reconfigured and software reinstalled before work can begin again, resulting in significant downtime. The picture is very different if you re running a VDI system. All users desktops exist as files that can be backed up so individual machines are entirely recoverable. Entire servers can also be backed up and later restored. Individual files such as documents and s are also stored on the central servers and can be accessed from anywhere. Users can simply switch to a different terminal and work can continue as usual. If hardware is affected, replacing thin clients and zero clients is considerably cheaper than replacing standard desktops.

11 11 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GROUP WHY ORGANIZATIONS ARE INCREASINGLY SHIFTING TOWARDS VDI The main idea behind VDI is to run a desktop operating system and other client applications that virtually reside and run on servers located at the data centers. When such a technology is deployed, system user s can remotely access virtual desktops together with any client application installed. This access can be achieved using devices such as smartphone s, tablet computers, mobile devices, thin clients, laptops, and even desktop computers as the main gateway. Also going by the fact that VDI technology leverages VMware infrastructure, it is possible to custom tune virtual desktop to support any operating system platform. For instance, companies migrating towards the new Windows 8 need not upgrade their physical machines but instead they can tailor the virtual systems by allocating more CPU and memory resources.

12 12 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GROUP GET YOUR FREE IT ANALYSIS Request a onsite meeting with our engineers to review and analyze YOUR network infrastructure. Your FREE Analysis will include: Discuss results of our analysis Security vulnerabilities Storage capacity, backup Disaster recovery Fault tolerance Industry specific best IT practices Network capacity planning And other issues specific to your IT systems