How To Create A Desktop Cloud Computing Solution For Call Centers

Transcription

1 Desktops in the Cloud: A Perfect Fit for Call Centers The Challenges Call Center Challenges >Call centers experience challenges such as decentralized management, difficulty in scaling, slow desktop performance, high operational costs, time-consuming desktop provisioning, labor-intensive Windows updates, short desktop replacement lifecycle, and decentralized support. Why Traditional VDI is a Bad Fit > Slow performance and poor end user experience. > Complex architecture that usually requres multiple products and services from different vendors, making it difficult to obtain technical support. > Several people are needed to troubleshoot a traditional VDI solution: a network engineer, a server engineer, and a SAN engineer. Call Centers experience a unique set of challenges and issues with their desktop management infrastructure. Such challenges include, but are not limited to, the following: decentralized management, difficultly in scaling, slow desktop performance, high operational costs, time-consuming desktop provisioning, labor-intensive Windows updates, short desktop replacement lifecycle, and decentralized support. Many call center managers would agree that in order to solve these issues, a centralized desktop management solution would help, but solutions like these are often too expensive. In addition, a centralized desktop management solution does not solve the problem of outdated and slow desktops. Nor does it save time and money when new Windows updates are released and desktop administrators are tasked to physically visit and update each individual machine. The question is, what is a viable, affordable, and scalable solution for these challenges that face call centers? One such solution would be a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), which offers centralized management and endpoint flexibility. Nonetheless, few organizations have implemented legacy VDI because of its drawbacks, specifically slow performance and poor end user experience. VDI can be very complex (as shown in the figure below) and NB( #, / ) A5( R2' %#/ =#' B2&#&%&' ( ) #2&#259&' 01 ' ( 8 #7 ( 5/ C -##NB2&#&B/ C &#' B( # usually requires multiple products and services from different vendors, making it difficult 1 8 / and A' 2/ time-consuming +#2&#/ =' ( +#&5/ to C obtain #1 +8 technical #C B%#) support. 1 +%#' 021 5&#( +8 #2+#=1 2590(, / ) A5( R2' %#/ =#/ +( #, / ) A( ' 2' / 0_&#&/ 59' 2/ +#1 +8 #259&' 01 ' ( &#C B%# &- V3: An Ideal Fit for Call Centers > V3 Systems offers a Desktop Cloud Computing solution that centralizes desktop management, speeds up the provisioning and updating process, increases desktop performance, cuts costs, maximizes endpoint flexibility, increases scalability, and offers a single point of contact for all support. Traditional VDI architecture - complex, slow, and expensive! " #$%&' ( %) *+, -. / +012' +&

2 The V3 Appliance > Provides the host and the compute component for a cloud desktop environment. > Equipped with local storage, CPU, RAM, and V3 Optimized Technologies. > The OS and apps are hosted locally on the appliance and additional storage, if needed, is hosted on shared storage. A minimum of three people are needed to troubleshoot a solution like this. 1. A network engineer to analyze the network packets and latency 2. A server engineer to understand the processors according to the blade servers 3. A SAN engineer, to understand the spindle contention, how many IOPS the SAN is capable of handling, and the load placed on the SAN. The purpose of this whitepaper is to educate and inform organizations how V3 Systems offers a Desktop Cloud Computing solution that is an ideal fit for call centers. V3 Systems centralizes desktop management, speeds up the provisioning and updating process, increases desktop performance, reduces costs, maximizes endpoint flexibility, increases scalability, and offers a single point of contact for all support. V3 Systems Overview V3 Systems offers a server appliance that acts as the host and the compute component for a desktop cloud environment. With a V3 appliance, (see figure below) users receive a virtual desktop that runs 2-8 times faster than a physical desktop, meaning that applications run more quickly, files open more rapidly, and the whole end-user experience is improved. These hosted virtual desktops are accessible from almost any device that is able to act as a terminal and connect with the V3 appliance through a desktop client. Components of the V3 appliance The V3 appliance offers the compute performance that legacy VDI never had. The appliance itself is equipped with local storage, CPU, RAM, and V3 Optimized Technologies. The OS and apps are hosted locally on the appliance and additional storage, if needed, is hosted on shared storage (a SAN or NAS). The V3 Optimized Technologies make the management of each virtual desktop centralized and easy. The V3 appliance contains the computing power, local storage, technology, and superior architecture to host virtual desktops that outperform physical desktops.

3 Centralized Managment > What used to take two weeks to complete, now I can do in 15 minutes with the V3 appliance. -Jacob Phillips, CLEARLINK > Call Centers have the freedom to choose persistent desktops or non-persistent desktops. V3 guarantees performance, regardless of desktop persistence. Cloud Desktops Better Than Physical > Performance is 2-8x faster than physical desktops. > People actually request to use the V3 desktops in the cloud because the performance is so good. Below are advantages offered by V3 Systems Desktop Cloud Computing solution. These advantages provide a perfect solution for the challenges faced by call centers. Centralized Desktop Management for Call Centers V3 offers a simple centralized management resource for every virtual desktop that is hosted on the V3 appliance. As Jacob Phillips, Desktop Administrator and Help Desk Manager at CLEARLINK, a content creation and conversion company, said when speaking about new Windows updates, what used to take two weeks to complete, now I can do in 15 minutes with the V3 appliance. A decentralized desktop infrastructure for call centers creates an increased workload for the IT departments because each individual machine requires individual attention for updates. With V3 s solution, all desktops are centrally managed through vcenter, a product of VMware, which is an OEM partner with V3. One master image is cloned to the individual virtual machines (VMs), so updates are made to the master image and then pushed out to the remaining virtual desktops hosted on the V3 appliance. Windows updates and provisions can be managed from one central location, which provides ultimate control of each desktop. What used to take two weeks to complete, now I can do in 15 minutes with the V3 appliance. Jacob Phillips, CLEARLINK In addition, call centers have the freedom to choose persistent desktops or non-persistent desktops. Persistent desktops are uniquely assigned to each employee, with a personal desktop that is customizable and will not change as users log off and on to their desktop. Non-persistent desktops are just the opposite, meaning that each time someone logs on to the virtual desktop, it will be a fresh new desktop. None of the settings or data will be saved after the user is logged off in a non-persistent environment. Each call center has different needs; a persistent environment vs. a non-persistent is contingent on the needs of each call center. V3 guarantees performance, regardless of desktop persistence. Increased Performance Virtual desktops hosted on the V3 appliance run as fast as or faster than physical desktops. One of the huge problems for organizations implementing legacy VDI is slow performance. End users can feel punished when they experience slow or latent desktops, and traditional VDI is no stranger to this. Some traditional VDI vendors choose to measure performance with inputs and outputs per second (IOPS). IOPS can be an important metric for performance, because in some cases there is a direct correlation between IOPS and VDI performance, yet V3 has disrupted this correlation. V3 s cloud desktops are not dependent on increasing IOPS in order to increase performance, due to their patent-pending V3 Technologies and unique architecture that delivers the high performing virtual desktops. Andre Leibovici, Sr. vspecialist at EMC put it nicely saying, Mostly high IOPS = poor architecture of the solution. That poor architecture is found in traditional VDI, but not with the virtual desktops that V3 provides. V3 s Desktop Cloud Computing has overcome the problem of slow performance and delivers a very high performing cloud desktop. The performance remains consistent no matter how many virtual desktops are running. For example, a given organization could run from one to 10,000 VMs and the performance would still remain at a high level. Boot storm lag time, a problem with legacy VDI, is not an issue with V3. V3 s desk-

4 Save Money with V3 s Desktop Cloud > V3 cuts per desktop cost by more than half. > V3 provides desktops in the cloud that are 82% more energy efficient than physical desktops. tops give end users a true desktop replacement-grade experience, meaning that the virtual desktop performs as well as or better than a physical desktop. This is important because call centers depend on high-performing desktops to increase the efficiency of each employee. Lag time and latency are not acceptable as time is money for call centers. As performance per desktop goes up, productivity per employee has the potential to go up as well. Jacob Phillips from CLEARLINK mentioned that in his organization, people actually request to use the V3 virtual desktops because the performance is so good. Performance is also contingent on network speed. When a slow Internet connection is present, performance suffers. Another variable is the protocol for the workstation and desktop solution. V3 recommends using PCoIP rather than RDP to maintain the highest performance. Cost Savings V3 dramatically reduces the following costs: costs per desktop, management costs, energy consumption costs, and set up costs. Reduced Cost per Desktop Call Centers cut cost per desktop by replacing thick desktop clients with less expensive thin clients. CLEARLINK was initially spending around $800 per desktop; with the V3 solution, CLEARLINK has reduced their cost per desktop to $350. This figure accounts for the direct cost of the individual endpoint and not the cost of the V3 appliance. Including the cost of the V3 appliance, CLEARLINK has saved more than $200 per desktop. Cost savings per desktop depend on the number of physical desktops that will be replaced by utilizing the V3 appliance; the more seats per machine, the larger the cost savings per desktop. Desktop Management Savings Desktop management savings are significant with the V3 appliance because what used to take two weeks to complete with provisioning and updating desktops can be done by one employee in about 15 minutes*. Placing an exact dollar amount on this time-saving benefit is difficult, due to the fact that for some organizations it provides additional advantages such as better allocation of manpower resources and even cost savings in overhead. Energy Savings V3 virtual desktops inherently support the Green IT initiative. V3 provides virtual desktops that are 82% more energy efficient than physical desktops. A single physical desktop consumes over 1,000 kwh/yr. while a V3 virtual desktop only draws 175 Kwh/ yr. This means 1,000 V3 virtual desktops would cost an organization around $26,250/ yr** which allows any company converting 1,000 physical desktops to V3 s solution to immediately save $123,750/yr. in energy consumption alone. *Data was provided by Jacob Phillips of Clearlink **Calculations based on $.15 cents per Kwh

5 Endpoint Freedom > Since endpoints are essentially only acting as a terminal for virtual desktops, endpoint flexibility gives the freedom to compute however, whenever, and from almost any device. Highly Scalable > Scaling is as easy as adding another V3 appliance, or allocating a new appliance to a new location. One-Stop Shop for Support > V3, an OEM partner with VMware and Fusion-io, is able to offer comprehensive support on every aspect of the V3 appliance. Reduced Set up Costs Set up costs are reduced because of the simplicity in setting up and configuring an endpoint to work with the V3 appliance. Essentially, all that is required is a software client installed on the endpoint, enabling it to connect to the virtual desktop. Simplicity is key when it comes to reducing set up costs. With the V3 appliance, all configuration changes are made to a central master image of the virtual desktop hosted on the appliance; only clones of the master image are delivered to the virtual desktops. The end point simply acts as a terminal from which to access the virtual desktop. In this way, the V3 appliance makes it possible to access virtual desktops from almost any endpoint without sacrificing performance. Maximized Endpoint Flexibility Endpoint flexibility becomes important as new machines age over time and must be upgraded or replaced. Since endpoints are essentially only acting as a terminal for virtual desktops, endpoint flexibility gives the freedom to compute however, whenever, and from almost any device. Whether that endpoint is an ipad, thin client, thick client, tablet, or phone, it does not matter. All that is needed is an Internet connection and client software installed on the device. Endpoint replacement intervals are lengthened with the V3 appliance because software updates and compatibility are mainly managed through the V3 appliance and not through the endpoint itself. This means that older machines are still compatible with a V3 virtual desktop as long as they can run the software client. Below is a graphic depicting types of endpoints that are currently compatible with the V3 appliance. Additional vendor products may also be supported. V3 Cloud Desktops are compatible with desktops, smartphones, laptops, and tablets Highly Scalable Setting up a call floor on-the-fly is critical for expanding call centers. The V3 appliance can easily accommodate scaling needs. With its seamless integration into existing environments or new installations, the V3 appliance can deliver a solution that grows as your company grows. Scaling is as easy as adding another V3 appliance, or allocating a new appliance to a new location. Setting up a call center can be done very quickly and with ease. Traditional VDI does not cater to the needs of growing businesses due to its complex architecture and increased latency problems as more and more apps and data bog down the SAN. V3 offers a scalable solution that never sacrifices performance as more virtual desktops are added. One-Stop Shop for Support A typical VDI solution combines a whole array of products from multiple vendors; this

6 can make it difficult and time consuming to obtain technical support from multiple sources. Because V3 is an OEM partner with VMware and Fusion-io, it is able to offer comprehensive support on every aspect of the V3 appliance, everything from the CPU and RAM, to local solid-state storage. Support is a one-stop shop instead of having to go from vendor to vendor, and this saves the customer both time and money. Conclusion In conclusion, V3 Systems Desktop Cloud Computing solution is a perfect fit for call centers because it centralizes the management of desktops, increases performance, cuts costs, maximizes endpoint flexibility, is highly scalable, and provides support for the complete product. The desktop challenges that a call center faces are real and nerve-racking for IT administrators and help desk managers alike. These challenges can become manageable tasks with the V3 virtual desktop solution as it is a perfect fit for call centers. The solution is perfect in the sense that it allows call centers to do what they do best, servicing their customers as quickly as possible with little to no downtime. To learn how your organization can start experiencing the fastest virtual desktops in the industry, please contact a V3 Systems Solutions Expert at or www. v3sys.com.