Full Client Operation Service description

Transcription

1 Full Client Operation Service description August 2012

2 Content Contents What is an Industrialized Low-Cost Service?... 3 Full Client Operations... 4 The 7 Core Services... 4 Deployment System Management.6 Image Management..6 Driver Management..7 Application Management..7 Client Patch Management.9 License Management 10 Service Level Management 12 Full Virtual Operations (FVO) FCO/FVO options How To Get Going The Transition The RACI matrix Summary 21 Further information Figure 1 - Full Client Operations Core Services... 4 Figure 2 - Image Management phases... 7 Figure 3 - Driver Management phases... 7 Figure 4 - Screen dump from Application Manager... 8 Figure 5 - Example of Client Patch Schedule... 9 Figure 6 - Full Virtual Operations Core Services Figure 7 - FCO and FVO side-by-side Figure 8 - FCO/FVO options Figure 9 - Atea Services & Software current ISO certification Figure 10 - Example of RACI matrix Page 2 of 21

3 1. What is an Industrialized Low-Cost Service? An Industrialized Low-Cost Service, or ILCS as it sometimes is referred to, is defined by Gartner Inc. as ICLS are managed, multitenant, ready-to-use IT services Designed and offered as no-frills services with service options and add-ons. They are implemented as standardized, automated, configurable and scalable services. Entry-level price expressed as price per user, per month or price per unit, per month (PUPM) is very low and attracts a high number of prospects. According to Gartner Inc. the entry price is between 10% and 30% of the average corporate internal cost for performing the same task and function. And after configuring the services for a specific company and into a real offer, the price is still at least 50% less than the average client corporate cost in So, an ILCS is a standardized service with clear and precise definitions of what gets delivered and done including KPI s 1 and SLA s 2. Tailoring to a specific companies needs is done through options, parameters and add-ons. As a customer, a service is bought. The back end is often characterized by using a high degree of automation, workflows and tooling this not only lowers the cost for the service provider, but also the price for the customer. At the same time use of automation, workflows and tooling heightens the received quality of the service, since repetitive tasks are always performed with equal quality. Some of the more prominent ILCS services in the market are Microsoft Office 365, Google Apps, Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) and/or Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3). A historical analysis of IT services pricing shows, that companies only tolerate high IT usage costs only if there are no alternatives. IT delivered to an average corporate user is between USD 1,000 and USD 2,000 per month. And, the classical outsourcing approach has a potential value proposition based on corporate cost minus 20%, while an offshore approach is 30% minus cost. And, that is where ILCS break the barrier here the potential value proposition is corporate cost minus 50%. So, the overall value proposition of an ILCS is saving money while receiving a quality service, and being able to focus on core business for the company. And, that is what Full Client Operations is all about! 1 Key Performance Indicators 2 Service Level Agreements Page 3 of 21

4 2. Full Client Operations In short, the Full Client Operations concept from Atea takes care of operating PC s - including the corresponding system management platform. Full Client Operations takes the hassle out of day to day operations, so you as a customer can concentrate on generating additional value for your company s core business. With Full Client Operations you not only will lower your TCO 3 through standardization and more efficient operations, but also experience greater user satisfaction and efficiency because of a more stable client platform. At the same time you reduce risks through guaranteed service levels, reduced incidents, a predictive cost model and by minimizing the impact of staff turnover. In short, Full Client Operations is the Industrialized Low-Cost Service (ILCS) from Atea, which takes care of your PC s and at the same time lowers your monthly costs, while improving your end-user service level The 7 Core Services Full Client Operations consists of seven (7) core services, which together give flexible, stable and lower cost operations of physical Windows based PC s. Figure 1 - Full Client Operations Core Services 3 Total Cost of Ownership Page 4 of 21

5 Deployment System Management o The service of making sure, that the engine 4 used for deployment of applications and asset management both hardware and software is running without problems. Image Management o The service of making sure, that all necessary OS images are available and up to date at all times both current Windows based operating systems and future Windows based operating systems like Windows 8. Driver Management o The service of making sure, that correct driver packages exist for all the current and future PC models a customer uses. Application Management o The service of making sure, that all applications, both current and future, are packaged and ready to be distributed. This includes the deployment of applications and troubleshooting of application deployments. Client Patch Management o The service of making sure, that both PC s and applications are, according to customers guidelines, correctly patched. License Management o The service that monitors licenses, generates compliance reports, and asures that the customer is in compliance with the terms of their licenses. Service Management o The reporting service of Full Client Operations that works after ITIL best practices, where Release Management, Incident Management and Change Management are a focus. As clearly seen from the above short description of the seven (7) core services included in Full Client Operations, these offerings address the day to day operation of physical PC s; with the exclusion of the hardware itself 5. An integral part of Full Client Operations is a continuous improvement program (CIP), since it is both in the customer s and Atea s interest to continuously improve the technology used in the system management of PCs. The customer s interest is typically providing their users with additional and improved capabilities in regards to the PCs, and specifically the applications that reside on those PCs, while Ateas motivation is in providing an ever more efficient platform to operate. It is not unusual, that with each new platform new opportunities for improvement both for users and administrators. Charging for Full Client Operations is done at a fixed price per pc per month regardless of the number of images, packages, patches. And, thus giving you as the customer a very high degree of flexibility, transparency and an opportunity to accommodate trends like Consumerization; for example: using Windows 8 shortly after release. 4 The system management platform 5 The hardware would be covered by Ateas DLM offering. Page 5 of 21

6 The following sections briefly describe the 7 (seven) core services that make up Ateas Full Client Operations Concept Deployment System Management The operation of the deployment solution is an integrated part of Ateas Full Client Operations concept. Atea can t be responsible for SLAs and KPIs in regard to application deployment and/or patches if the engine that makes all this happen is not performing at its best, and thus the service Deployment System Management is a fully integrated part of the Full Client Operations concept. Daily operation of SCCM/Altiris includes and is not limited to the following: PC configuration management Collection of hardware and software asset information Distribution of applications Deployment of operating systems Updating and patching the deployment solution Troubleshooting application deployments In connection with the operation and administration of SCCM/Altiris, a wide range of tasks on a daily, weekly and periodic level will proactively be accomplished by Atea. Also upgrades to the deployment solution are an integral part of the Deployment System Management service. Meaning, that Atea will perform the upgrade when agreed on with the customer Image Management Daily handling of operating system images that a customer wants to make use of on their clients (PC s). Maintenance of one or more golden images- There are no restrictions in regard to which operating system and/or number of images. Images are made available to users for example through distribution points, USB sticks, DVDs and/or hidden recovery partition on laptops. Ateas recommendation in this regard is using a clean operating system image without applications and thus the number of images that have to be maintained is minimized. Also in regard to updating the images Atea has some clear recommendations and will in the transition phase together with the customer lay out a plan that suits the customer and the customer s users. Many current PC platforms are Windows XP based. The image management service also consists of creating and maintaining images for Windows 7 and even Windows 8, if the customer during the contract period wishes to make use of a newer operating system from Microsoft. This provides the customer with proactive management capability and flexibility on a day to day basis. 6 It is the customer s responsibility to have the correct licenses both client and server - and necessary hardware in place. Also not included is detailed planning and project management for major upgrades like going from one version number to another. Page 6 of 21

7 The process itself around the daily image management is divided into six phases: Figure 2 - Image Management phases SLA s and KPI s for the complete process will be agreed on in the contract negotiations Driver Management Driver Management is an integral part of Full Client Operations. Following best practice guidelines deployments use a clean operating system image, followed by driver packages and last, but not least the deployment of application specific packages for the user/computer. The purpose of driver management is ensuring that all PCs are installed with the correct drivers in relation to the operating system the customer wants to use. This is true both for the PC models the customer has in use today, but also those the customer may wish to use going forward - with no limit on the number of PC models. The process of driver management is divided into 6 phases and the complete process meets SLAs/KPIs defined during the contract negotiations. Figure 3 - Driver Management phases Application Management The daily handling of applications and application packages represent a large portion of the total Full Client Operations services, as it is natural that applications should be continuously updated, new applications are implemented, while others become obsolete and must be uninstalled from PCs. The Application Management service in Full Client Operations is not limited to the applications the customer is using at the signing of the contract, but also includes those the customer wants to use going forward - full flexibility and transparency. This even includes repackaging of applications for operating system like Windows 7 and the upcoming Windows 8 if the customer decides to move forward to the new operating system. However, it is the customer s responsibility to make certain, that applications in questions are compatible with for example Windows7/Windows Atea will be able to assist the customer in compatibility testing for Windows7/Windows 8, but the fee is not included in Full Client Operations. Page 7 of 21

8 In connection with the Application Management service, Atea will continuously ensure that application packages for example in MSI format - are made available to the customer. These duties include application portfolio identification, tests of operating system compatibility of packages, application owner identification, and definition of installation and configuration requirements, packaging, distribution and assistance with UAT (User Acceptance Test). To achieve the highest possible quality and a quick implementation time in regards to Application Management, Atea will in the transition phase implement what is called 'Atea Application Management Framework'. Central in Ateas Application Management Framework is a web based solution called Application Manager, which both the customer and Atea will be able to use on a day to day basis. 8 Figure 4 - Screen dump from Application Manager Application Manager not only provides the possibility for ordering packaging of applications at Atea Services & Software, but contains also tools for documenting applications for example application owner, who should pay for licenses, who is the application expert, where to find source media files etc. and also gives opportunities for management and handling of the very important Discovery 9 and UAT 10 phases in an applications life-cycle. 8 The actual task distribution and the specific processes will be agreed on with the customer during contract negotiations and the general transition phase. 9 The process which documents how an application has to be installed and configured. Page 8 of 21

9 These integrated tools are run through a series of virtual workstations, which record small films of setup and configuration procedures at one end of the life cycle and again in conjunction with the User Acceptance Test (UAT). Everything is packaged nicely together and saved in Application Manager, so both the customer and Atea have just one place to look for information regarding the approved applications. In the transition phase selected employees from the customer will be trained in using Application Manager so that transparency can be achieved and the customer is able to follow the application lifecycle in regards to Discovery, Packaging, UAT and Deployment Client Patch Management With the Client Patch Management service Atea ensures that all of the customers PCs are always updated both in relation to security fixes, but also program updates, including anti-virus definitions from the vendor the customer is using. Patch Management is closely related to Application Management and Deployment System Management, because the way to update PCs and their application is done through MS System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM). Atea and the customer will together lay out a patching schedule in the transition phase, so this corresponds to the customers security guidelines on this matter. An example is shown below. Figure 5 - Example of Client Patch Schedule Overall seen, the patch management process consists of 2 phases: Monitoring, threat and vulnerability analysis Implementation of security patches and program updates 10 User Acceptance Test - The process which tests applications functionality after the package for ESD is created. Page 9 of 21

10 Atea will do a threat analysis based on the operating system and applications the customer is using and from this in cooperation with the customer decide when security patches are to be deployed. The following factors will be included in a threat analysis: Possible targets for vulnerability The probability of realization of the threat o Either Not likely, Possible or Likely Possible consequences Manufacturers risk rating Atea will perform and provide a threat analysis for the operating systems and applications that the customer and the customer s users are using and in cooperation with the customer will decide when security patches need to be implemented. As mentioned a concrete client patch schedule will be agreed on during transition phase and, as in the section about Application Management, Atea will make the necessary updates and patched applications available to the deployment system License Management The essence of the License Management service in Full Client Operations is only to pay for the licenses the customer is actually using. As simple as this may sound, experience shows, that this service is quite demanding. Atea has extensive know-how from a long range of customers on this matter and most of them were able to save money on licenses with proactive handling. License Management is a standard service in the Full Client Operations concept and consists of the following tasks: Entering license agreements in the customers software asset management (SAM) solution Managing and monitoring software assets Generating monthly management reports on software assets Generating compliance reports on software assets Ensuring that the customer is in compliance with its license agreements Reporting need for further purchase of licenses Reporting license waste Reporting potential cost savings on software Categorizing of applications, so the customer at any time knows which applications are installed licensed, non-licensed, non-business and blacklisted Reporting and supporting the customer s License Manager and Ateas Account Support Manager Several of the above tasks require a full blown SAM solution to be present. If the customer does not own a SAM solution, Atea can offer to implement such for example Compliance Manager or Atea Cloud SAM solution. As written, License Management is included in Full Client Operations. As an option, Atea is also able to offer the customer proactive license guidance on a regular basis. The cost for this is not included in the monthly Full Client Operations fee. Page 10 of 21

11 As part of the transition, in regard to license management, the uninstall policies for applications users are not using on a regular basis are defined. This cannot be defined upfront, because policies like this also depend on the license agreements the customer has with different vendors and the used SAM solution has to support this feature. Page 11 of 21

12 Service Level Management The Service Level Management service in Full Client Operations so to speak ties a bow around things in relation to tracking and reporting of SLAs and KPIs including regular operations review meeting, which primarily will be done through video conferencing from Atea Services & Software. The service is provided according to ITIL best practices 11 and some of the processes Atea emphasizes are Release Management, Incident Management and Change Management. 11 Atea Services & Software is ISO 9001, ISO (ITIL) and ISO (Security) certified and thus ITIL is an integral part of the day to day work at Atea Services & Software. Page 12 of 21

13 3. Full Virtual Operations (FVO) Nowadays not everything is physical some things are virtual. Just think servers and applications, where virtualization is quite common. The same also goes for PCs. Usages of technologies like Citrix XenApp, Citrix XenDesktop, Microsoft Hyper-V and/or VMware View are often an integral part of an IT infrastructure and thus also need to be managed. Users might not have a physical PC anymore, but use a thin client or maybe have a PC, but at the same time also use a virtual PC to accommodate trends like Consumerization. Nonetheless those virtual PCs in a classical Citrix/Terminal Services environment or in a state-of-the-art VDI environment have to be managed. Managed very much like physical PCs, because many of the same challenges as with physical PCs exist. Application have to be updated, operating systems need to get patched, images need service packs, licenses have to be controlled, applications deployed the list is long. To accommodate those virtual PC s Atea has developed Full Virtual Operations as the virtual counterpart to Full Client Operations. Figure 6 - Full Virtual Operations Core Services While FCO and FVO share a lot of the same characteristic and service components, some distinct differences exist. Mainly in relation to the associated server backend, this is typically much simpler when talking about FCO compared to FVO. Full Virtual Operations is used when talking about classic Citrix solutions like Presentation Server/XenApp and desktop virtualization with e.g. Citrix XenDesktop. Page 13 of 21

14 FVO consists of the following six (6) service components: Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Management o The service of making sure that the associated server platform is running at the best possible performance. This includes desktop broker, provisioning server, licensing server, XenApp server and other server based components that make up a complete solution. This also includes troubleshooting of virtual desktops. o Also included in this service component is the management of the used thin clients - if any. Image Management o The service of making sure that the used images are available and up to date this also goes for the applications included in the base image. o In regards to a classic Citrix approach this would also include the necessary server images for the Citrix servers. Application Management o The service of making sure, that all applications are packaged and ready to be distributed both current and future applications. Included is also the deployment of applications and troubleshooting of applications deployments. Client Patch Management o The service of making sure, that the used OS images and applications are patched according to customers guidelines. License Management o The discipline that deals with licenses, compliance reports and making sure that you as the customer are in compliance with the terms of your licenses. Service Management o The reporting discipline of Full Client Operations that works after ITIL best practices, where Release Management, Incident Management and Change Management are a focus. Like FCO, Full Virtual Operations (FVO) takes care of operating the virtual desktops XenApp and/or XenDesktop - and the associated server platform on a day to day basis. FVO is a concept, that can stand by its own, but customers making use of both FCO and FVO from Atea share the benefit of economies of scale, since several performed services in FCO will be beneficial for FVO and vice versa for example Application and Patch Management. An integrated part of Full Virtual Operations is a continuous improvement program (CIP), since it is both in the customer s and Atea s interest to continuously drive the virtual desktop infrastructure further from a technology standpoint. The customer interest is giving the users more and new capabilities in regards to the virtual desktops, while Ateas motivation also can be found in regards to a more and more efficient platform to operate. It is not unusual, that with each new platform also new possibilities emerge both for users and administrators. Charging for Full Virtual Operations is done at a fixed price per user per month regardless of the number of images, packages, patches. Thus giving you as the customer a very high degree of flexibility, transparency and an opportunity to accommodate trends like Consumerization and for example begin using Windows 8 shortly after release if a VDI solution is part of the scope. Page 14 of 21

15 Unlike with Full Client Operations we will refrain from describing the different core services in Full Virtual Operations in more detail, since as mentioned earlier most of them are identical with the core services in Full Client Operations, as clearly seen in the picture below where FCO and FVO are shown side by side. Figure 7 - FCO and FVO side-by-side The biggest difference between FCO and FVO is the absence of the Driver Management service in FVO. This is not necessary when working with virtual clients, since all of them are on a common hardware platform. On the other hand the engine part Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Management is more time and task consuming in FVO than in FCO. Page 15 of 21

16 4. FCO/FVO options As mentioned in the first chapter an ILCS is a predefined set of services delivered with clear and precise KPI and SLA But, not one size fits all and sometimes it is advantageous to expand the scope of FCO and FVO - expanding because it makes sense from a technical standpoint, expanding because it makes sense from a financial standpoint or maybe expanding the scope, because Atea has greater experience than in-house expertise has. For that reason Atea has developed a set of options that can be selected by customers entering a FCO/FVO contract with Atea. As with FCO and FVO those options are well defined both from a technical view, but also in regards to pricing, which is a fixed fee per computer per month. Figure 8 - FCO/FVO options Most of the above options were born from actual customers demands and thus have real life eligibility when talking about FCO and FVO. For that reason Atea at all times keeps the two Customer defined options open. Experience shows that quite a few customers have their own options they would like Atea to handle when entering an agreement for FCO and/or FVO. Active Directory Management as the name implies it is about handling the day to day operation of the customers Active Directory including the necessary DNS infrastructure. Group Policy Management GPO s are closely related to PC clients and thus it often makes sense letting Atea handle those when considering FCO and/or FVO. Security Management Security is an important part of a client infrastructure and Atea is able to offer several services in this area - it being compliance with security guidelines, handling of laptop encryption with BitLocker and other solutions or taking care of the day to day operations of a customer s antivirus solution. This option is typically specifically configured and designed for each customer s specific needs. Page 16 of 21

17 Desired Configuration Management If the focus is having a desired configuration on the pc platform it is possible to use this option. It not only includes the reporting part on whom and what deviates from a desired configuration, but also remediation is a part of this service. Vulnerability Management Scanning for software vulnerabilities on a regular basis is a good idea and Atea is able to offer this as an additional service with FCO and/or FVO. Additional license charges may apply for this option. Client Automation Management Automating client deployment and giving the service desk the necessary tools to be able to help users the 1 st time they contact the service desk is the key component in this service, where Atea will install and maintain a series of client automation tools for the mutual benefit of the customers service desk and the customers end users. C-SAM Management As an option, Atea is able to offer a world class software asset management solution called Atea C-SAM see also This service/option, which also can be purchased independent from FCO/FVO, will give you the customer the necessary information in regards to license compliance and thus you will be able to save money on your software licenses. If you already have an on-premises SAM-solution installed, Atea is with this FCO/FVO option able to offer you operating it on a day to day basis. Self-service Management Self-service is one of the fastest growing trends in it-infrastructure and Atea has a state of the art solution called Atea Accelerator also see The Self-service Management option not only includes the necessary license for Atea Accelerator, but also the design and implementation plus the day to day operations of your future end-user self-service portal. AppMarket Management If your self-service focus is solely related to giving your end-user the possibility to install applications on their PCs on their own through an easy to use web-based portal, then the AppMarket Management options is definitely for you. This option not only includes the necessary license for Atea AppMarket, but also the design, implementation and day to day operations of your future AppMarket portal. Apple Management PCs with OS X are becoming more and more common in a Windows based infrastructure and this FCO option is about managing those PCs through Active Directory. Additional license charges may apply for this option. Customer defined During Full Client Operations negotiations with customers, it is not uncommon that additional areas are identified where it is possible for Atea Services & Software to assist on a daily basis. Those areas typically end up with being customer defined option, where the specific content/service to be delivered is definedin close cooperation with the customer. Page 17 of 21

18 5. How To Get Going The questions that might arise, when reading the previous pages is how do I get going with Full Client Operations, Full Virtual Operations or a combination of both depending on the current IT infrastructure. The answer is actually quite easy, since nothing has to be installed or reconfigured in your existing IT infrastructure; Atea Services & Software just takes your current system management platform 12 and starts operating it, including all your clients. All agreed on services of FCO and FVO will be carried out and through the continuous improvement program mentioned earlier, enhancements will be carried out, that not only benefits your business, but also your users and thus gives a more stable and productive client platform. To be able to do the above, it is necessary for Atea Services & Software to get access to the system management platform. This can be accomplished by a VPN-connection, Terminal Services access, Remote Desktop and/or Citrix access to the IT infrastructure. Atea Services & Software is ISO certified and is thus very much aware of how to handle access to customers IT infrastructure and data with the utmost care and security in mind. Sometimes a useable system management platform does not exist or the existing one is in need of modernization. A design and implementation of a system management platform or even the modernization of an existing one can be accomplished as part of the transition. Actually this is not uncommon, since it is Ateas experience that improvement in existing system management platforms can be accomplished with benefits for the business, the users and IT department right away. An example could be the introduction of productivity tools for the 1 st line Servicedesk. Figure 9 - Atea Services & Software current ISO certification 5.1. The Transition An FCO/FVO transition mainly consists of a series of workshops where concrete processes in regards to the delivered FCO/FVO services are agreed on and thus how the day to day operations are handled both from a communications and technical standpoint. The template for these workshops is: Responsible persons definition AS-IS o o o TO-BE o o Evaluation of current processes Evaluation of tools used currently Evaluation of current challenges and issues Definition of processes Definition of tools to be used 12 Could be SCCM, Altiris, Capa, Landesk etc. 13 See also Page 18 of 21

19 o Definition of phases o Granting of required access permissions for involved parties Plan Development As mentioned, the above is just a template for the workshops involving the different services delivered and they might differ from service to service, but in general the workshops follow the above template and are done in close cooperation with the customer s team for the different services. Also an important part of the transition is the preparation of a RACI matrix see next section The RACI matrix 14 A RACI matrix describes the participation by various roles in completing tasks or deliverables for a business process. This kind of matrix is developed for all services delivered through Full Client Operations and Full Virtual Operations. The starting point is always the standard definition done by Atea Services & Software and in the quotation phase or transition this is adapted to each customer s specific needs and organizational setup. The following picture is a short example of the standard Atea Services & Software RACI matrix and showing Image Management and parts of Driver Management services. 14 For a definition of a RACI matrix see Page 19 of 21

20 Figure 10 - Example of RACI matrix Page 20 of 21

21 6. Summary Hopefully the pages you have read about Ateas Full Client Operations and Full Virtual Operations concepts have given you some inspiration for the future of your client operations and how you not only will be able to save money, but also regain time for focusing on your company s core business. Atea truly believes that Full Client Operations and Full Virtual Operations are the most complete industrialized low-cost services (ILCS) in the market today. Not only from a pricing perspective, but also being flexible, quality-conscious and visionary by embracing trends like the Cloud, VDI and Consumerization Further information If you would like more information, please don t hesitate to contact your local Atea Account Manager. Or please visit Page 21 of 21