A flood of employee-owned mobile devices is driving federal, state and local government organizations to figure out how to securely ride the growing post-PC wave of end-user computing. This report highlights four examples of key government initiatives leveraging mobility solutions and desktop virtualization.

1. i360Gov.com | SPECIAL REPORT | June 2012
How to Ride the Post-PC
End User Computing Wave
Five Top Government Early Adopters Blaze New Trails
A flood of employee-owned mobile devices, combined flexibility, and secure mobile access to government
with a White House-mandated mobility initiative is driving resources,” said Anil Karmel, M&O CTO for NNSA.
federal, state and local government organizations to figure
out how they can securely ride the growing post-PC wave
Highlighted below are four more examples of key
of end-user computing.
government initiatives leveraging mobility solutions and
As market researchers such as IDC estimate, by desktop virtualization.
2015, more U.S. Internet users will access the Internet
through mobile devices than through PCs or other wireline
devices. Learning how to adapt to a post-PC world Training Vets Using Client Virtualization
order will require government organizations to find new Tasked with training the VA acquisition workforce in
ways to securely embrace mobility. The Administration’s support of U.S. veterans, the VA Acquisition Academy
recently announced Digital Government strategy http:// (VAAA) has expanded its training facility to provide
www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/egov/digital- instructors and students with a virtual client environment
government/digital-government-strategy.pdf lays out the that serves more than 22,500 students taking courses in
elements required to make government, “ready to deliver contracting and program management.
and receive digital information and services anytime,
The VAAA’s expansion from five to 16 classrooms
anywhere and on any device.”
spurred technological changes as well. The academy
And some organizations have already taken a opened in 2008 with five classrooms, using laptop
leadership role, such as the Department of Energy, computers configured to support students, allowing
which is working with the National Nuclear Security them to maneuver between classes with the systems/
Administration (NNSA) o deploy virtual desktops as part information needed for each course. This environment
of a ‘secure hybrid community cloud’ that will be offered required three IT administrators to support system
this fall. In a nutshell, the upcoming community cloud updates for the laptop computers. Drawbacks included
will allow government organizations to purchase and students turning off computers at night, which negated
deliver compute services for users on nearly any mobile system updates. Also, students were required to copy files
device. As officials from the NNSA explained, government to disk or ship printed student materials home, following
organizations must learn to give up on managing PCs and training. And cable management was also problematic.
mobile devices, and must focus instead on managing data,
As the academy grew, new funding was approved to
to fully embrace the future of post-PC computing. Allowing
add 11 more classrooms, along with 17 breakout rooms,
users to use any available device to access government
at the end of 2010. Growing from five to 16 classrooms
resources from nearly any location will require mobile
represented an enormous increase in support costs,
device management and a level of security the NNSA has
which drove the VAAA to investigate thin client computing
previously used to implement client virtualization for its
instead.
internal users. “Delivering virtual desktops as part of our
secure hybrid community cloud will allow agencies to VAAA worked with professional service providers
leverage existing PCs and other IT investments, providing to build a comprehensive virtual client environment that
a platform to help transform IT operations, bringing greater currently delivers video conferencing, collaborative

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Garrison recommends other agencies expand
VAAA Thin Client Benefits their integrated product teams to include network,
The VA Acquisition Academy (VAAA) has realized many security, business owners and project managers, when
client virtualization benefits, including: implementing client virtualization. “It’s also important
• eamless student log-ins from classrooms and
S to understand the design limitations of virtual client
breakout rooms; environments [such as ‘boot-storm’ challenges] and be
• eamless transitions for classroom changes;
S prepared to address them,” he said.
• atch emails of students’ files at training
B Currently, the VAAA is looking to develop two distance
completion, eliminating shipment of printed
learning courses, and tie its virtual client infrastructure into
materials.
the Department of Veterans Affairs network architecture,
• educed energy use per classroom by 80%;
R
although that effort will require additional resources in the
• ower energy costs for 370 thin clients, reducing
L coming months.
Co2 emissions by 108 metric tons per year;
• ow heat output translates to less power required
L
for air conditioning. Air Force Mobility Initiatives
Facing strong requirements to drive down costs,
classrooms, web-based training and custom designed while supplying warfighters with the mobile capabilities
instructor lecterns, enabling students and instructors to they need, and finding a way to integrate stove-piped
have immediate access to their materials throughout each communications channels such as radio and plain old
course. The facility now supports more than 370 students telephone systems, the Air Force now plans to implement
students. tens of thousands of new mobile devices, including tablets,
notebooks and smart phones in the coming months. “The
A return on investment was derived from labor Air Force is moving toward unified communications using
and maintenance costs. The VAAA grew from three cellular connectivity to drive greater mobility, especially
IT administrators, supporting five classrooms to six for first responders and flight line personnel,” said William
staffers, now supporting 16 classrooms, along with 17 Marion, Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC) Chief
breakout rooms. Rather than managing multiple notebook Technology Officer.
computers, “we now have one single image pushed out to
Driving greater efficiency also translates to moving
all computers, eliminating individual laptop updates,” said
away from maintaining desktop PCs, with software
Richard Garrison, vice-chancellor of the VA Acquisition
updates, and desk-side help desk services. Streaming
Academy Program Management School.
applications from the data center using desktop
The virtual client environment generated an immediate virtualization, and enabling personnel to use mobile
20% savings over the previous notebook PC environment, devices or go to centralized kiosks for access to certain
Garrison explained. In total, the acquisition of the virtual applications are both appealing options. First, though, the
client solution included the cost of servers, along with Air Force is focused on delivering solutions for medical
thin clients, which was compared against the cost of the and emergency responders. By July, for example, Air
notebook computer infrastructure. The virtualized client Force functionals are planning to begin utilizing cell
environment has vastly simplified VAAA’s infrastructure. connectivity to deliver mobile capabilities in first responder
Students can move freely between rooms and log in vehicles that provides command and control displays
from any location. Instructors gained lecturns from which needed to cordon off areas during emergencies. “The
they can control everything from room lighting to volume goal is to extend the range for Air Force personnel, so they
controls for microphones and speakers in each classroom. can quickly respond, or order parts as needed without
The thin client infrastructure centrally stores desktop leaving the air field. Unified communications enables this
images and data on servers behind the firewall creating for us,” he added.
a rapidly deployable private ‘desktop cloud.’ No longer Marion said ACC’s client virtualization effort is in early
must students make copies of training files, or arrange pilot phase, with goals to move up to 30% of desktop
to have documents shipped home. At the completion of users to tablets in the next year. The reason is largely
training, all of the students’ files are consolidated and each economic. If the ACC can focus on $200-$600 tablets and
student receives an email with a link to the individual files smartphones with virtual applications, the cost will be far
to download. lower than a comparable $1500 notebook computer that
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3. continued from “How To Ride...” on page 2
requires three to five times its price to maintain over the between conventional and web-based applications in the
lifespan of each device. next two to five years.”
At the same time, despite the advances, Marion admits In the near future, however, the goal is to roll out
client virtualization isn’t quite ready for command-wide or thousands of devices featuring virtualized mobile device
large scale implementation [within the Air Force] just yet, management. This effort is really all about mobility. “It’s
citing a lack of maturity in the end-user experience and the about reshaping the way we communicate, integrating and
Air Force’s own strong security requirements. But in the collaborating, drawing down all of the legacy capabilities
coming years, the Air Force recognizes that virtualization in the IT world, and getting into soft clients, UC clients that
will be a key enabler of web centric application are on a ubiquitous mobile device, whether it be a tablet or
development. “As the market evolves, we’re hoping to a laptop, so we can start reducing what we call the single-
migrate from the conventional applications that make up use device,” Marion explained.
90% of our portfolio today, to a more balanced 50-50 split
Local Government Embraces Mobility
The City of North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, gain access to the applications needed to do their jobs.
has enabled 60 city workers, primarily public works Public works employees originally needed access to the
employees and building inspectors, to gain mobile access city’s geographic information system (GIS) and work
to specialized applications and large databases to help orders. Meanwhile, building inspectors started each day
streamline daily operational functions and enter job- in the office, then out in the field performing inspections.
related updates throughout each day. In the last hours of the workday, those inspectors had
And the sandy beach town that swells in population by to return to the office to input all data from inspections
100,000 or more each summer, from 14,000 who live there completed. Giving those mobile employees real-time
access to data and custom applications became a driver
year-round, is also now using an in-house app to assist
that led Wall to work with VMware’s View to deliver a virtual
city supervisors to offset the cost of lifeguards on the
client infrastructure. The client virtualization infrastructure
beach, by allowing supervisors to track and monitor sales
now stores desktop images on centrally managed HP
of beach services, including ice cream and snacks, along
Proliant servers, and allows mobile users with ruggedized
with the rental of umbrellas and beach chairs. Armed with
notebook computers to access the applications and
iPads, supervisors can now check inventories, and track
databases needed to get their jobs done. Public works
sales, right on the beach. “The beach sales help to make
employees now don’t have to come back to look things
the costs of providing lifeguards revenue neutral. Since
up during the day. And building inspectors enter data
then, we upgraded some features, and are looking forward
into the system throughout the day, rather than returning
to more accurately track beach sales and rentals this
to the office to enter everything. “It has probably given
summer,” said Rick Wall, Information Services Director for
them another 45 minutes of useful time every day,” Wall
North Myrtle Beach.
explained.
The city is also issuing smart phones and iPads to
The early successes for public works and building
local officials and department heads, to aid their daily inspectors led to expanded use of VMware’s solutions for
functions. For instance, this has allowed the North Myrtle other city government applications, which now includes
Beach city government to go “paperless” for regular leveraging tablet computers and thin client devices as well
bi-weekly Council and Commission meetings. “We no as notebook computers, for a range of centrally managed
longer must pay for printing and copying of reams of paper end user computing services. In fact, Wall maintains it’s
for officials to carry to each meeting,” Wall explained. the new services delivered without additional cost or
The city has been able to invest in both server, and manpower that has been so critical to the city’s ongoing
later, client virtualization in the last several years, despite a virtual client expansion. “We see the value of centralizing
mostly flat $74.4 million budget, spawned by the success end user computing, keeping the data secured in our
of those initial efforts to help public works employees data center, and we will continue to add new services for
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4. continued from “Local Government Embraces Mobility” on page 3
barely working anymore under Windows XP. Today, thanks
employees as we now see signs of revenue improvement to VMware ThinApp, they can run those same applications
in the local economy,” Wall said. under Windows 7,” said Josh Burnett, Systems
Administrator, IOT.
Indiana Turns to Application Virtualization Currently, the IOT is halfway through a state-wide
The Indiana Office of Technology (IOT) which is upgrade to Windows 7. Using software virtualization,
working to centralize the state’s IT infrastructure, needed legacy applications can run under new operating systems,
to support desktop and laptop applications for 24,000 of and installations can be performed remotely, far more
the state’s employees more efficiently and cost-effectively, quickly than previously possible. By virtualizing its
and find a way to allow departments to retain legacy software infrastructure IOT has reduced by $3,000 per
applications, without redeveloping them for Windows 7. day the costs associated with onsite technician visits,
which were eliminated. Departments now stay current with
The IOT, based in Indianapolis, has transformed what
technology without incurring expense of upgrading critical
were previously 114 separate agencies spread across
legacy applications.
92 counties, each responsible for their own IT decisions.
IOT has already virtualized approximately 40% the state’s This client virtualization effort has done more
server infrastructure and is targeting 90% of servers for than extend the life of legacy applications. It has also
virtualization. To drive efficiencies and cost savings in streamlined the administration of the state’s desktops.
desktop environments, the IOT is now also virtualizing For example, it’s much easier to install new applications,
software applications using VMware ThinApp technology. according to Burnett. “We used to send technicians onsite.
VMware ThinApp is an enterprise application virtualization Now we virtualize new applications and upgrades and
solution designed to eliminate conflict and streamline push them out to users electronically.”
management of applications on physical desktops. ThinApp also plays a critical role in the IOT’s continuity
“VMware ThinApp allows us to purchase our software of operations planning (COOP) strategy. “We can pipe
virtualization solutions à la carte, because we don’t have out around 80 percent of our virtualized applications over
the budget to replace those older applications.” said the Internet,” Burnett says. “This gives us another way to
Paul Baltzell, Deputy Chief Information Officer of Delivery offer applications to our agencies should a disaster occur.
Services, IOT. We don’t have to worry if users’ laptops have the software
ThinApp simplifies application delivery by isolating installed on them. We can just point them to a Web page.”
applications from the underlying operating system and
plugging directly into existing virtual and physical desktop The post-PC era provides public sector organizations with
management tools and infrastructure. Applications can incredible opportunities. Digital Government initiatives,
be packaged once, then delivered to many. IOT gains advances in end-user computing capabilities and an
the ability to run a virtualized application on a variety of increasingly mobile workforce compel organizations to
Microsoft Windows desktop operating systems without consider truly transformational initiatives. Innovators in the
public sector, like those profiled in this report, are tackling
repackaging the application for each operating system.
these with great success. EMC Consulting and VMware are
A primary advantage of ThinApp is that it can be proud of our successful partnership with leaders like these
hosted on a much smaller server footprint, reducing costs who are enabling mission success and providing quantum
for IOT. ThinApp delivers functionality the IOT needs to leaps in service for their constituents.
streamline the administration of software applications. -- Brad Johnson, EMC Consulting Public Sector Director
“Some departments have critical legacy software that was
VMware® is the global leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure. More than
350,000 customers rely on VMware solutions to reduce the cost and complexity of IT,
enable more agile service delivery, and provide an evolutionary path to cloud computing
that preserves existing IT investments. Visit www.vmware.com/industry/government.
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