This document discusses how desktop virtualization can simplify IT environments and reduce costs. It provides examples of how desktop virtualization has helped Scottsdale Community College reduce their IT staff while improving application access and performance. The document also references a survey that found three-quarters of IT professionals feel their environments have become too complex, limiting their ability to achieve strategic goals and hindering innovation. Desktop virtualization offers benefits like simplified management, lower costs, increased agility, better performance, and ubiquitous access.
The document discusses 10 emerging technology trends that organizations cannot afford to ignore, including virtualization, big data and data management challenges, energy efficiency and green IT initiatives, and the rise of consumerization and social software both within and outside of enterprises. It provides an overview of each trend, how it will impact organizations, and what actions they should take over the next few years to prepare for and address these evolving technologies.
prove efficiency and reduce another. They’re very honest
costs. VDI is one of those
The document discusses a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solution based on Oracle's Sun technologies that can help brokers. They’re not going to
thin client systems. The solution improves security, mobility, and high availability while reducing energy costs and support steer you wrong or steer you
expenses. It increases productivity by allowing users to access their desktop environment from any thin client. Leveraging towards something that doesn’t
relationships with major technology providers, the solution transforms the working environment to a virtualized one with make sense for your organiza-
benefits such as decreased operating costs,
Communicating Virtualization to Non-IT AudiencesAkweli Parker
Virtualization brings numerous benefits including cost savings, reduced carbon footprint and potentially reduced IT workload. Implementing it successfully requires adaptation that some employees may find challenging. This paper explores those challenges and explains how to cultivate broad-based support for your virtualization project.
Webinar deck for our session on Virtual Desktop technology & how it can empower employees and streamline network management & costs. Access the session on-demand at: http://www.ali-inc.com/info-resource-center.html
Virtual Insight is a professional services firm focused on virtualization technologies like server, storage, and desktop virtualization. It works with business leaders to optimize existing IT infrastructure and turn it into business assets. Virtual Insight has experts with 15+ years experience in enterprise technologies who can help clients increase productivity, flexibility, and returns from their IT investments through virtualization assessments and implementations.
Virtual Insight is a professional services firm focused on virtualization technologies like server, storage, and desktop virtualization. It works with business leaders to optimize their existing IT infrastructure and turn it into valuable business assets. Virtual Insight has experts with 15+ years experience who can help clients plan, select, design, and implement virtualization solutions. Their services include assessing a client's IT environment, identifying optimization opportunities, and creating a roadmap to achieve goals like increased productivity and flexibility through virtualization.
The Zen and Art of IT Management (VM World Keynote 2012)CA Technologies
This document discusses strategies for IT management to drive business innovation. It suggests allocating resources between maintaining current systems versus delivering new business services, with 63% of spending going towards the latter. Maintaining systems is seen as a "chore" while investing in new services enables innovation. It also discusses using tools like CA Service Assurance to improve efficiency, streamline processes, and increase capacity for innovation. Case studies show how these tools helped companies like Jack Henry & Associates and Wikimedia Foundation improve service quality and the user experience.
The document discusses 10 emerging technology trends that organizations cannot afford to ignore, including virtualization, big data and data management challenges, energy efficiency and green IT initiatives, and the rise of consumerization and social software both within and outside of enterprises. It provides an overview of each trend, how it will impact organizations, and what actions they should take over the next few years to prepare for and address these evolving technologies.
prove efficiency and reduce another. They’re very honest
costs. VDI is one of those
The document discusses a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solution based on Oracle's Sun technologies that can help brokers. They’re not going to
thin client systems. The solution improves security, mobility, and high availability while reducing energy costs and support steer you wrong or steer you
expenses. It increases productivity by allowing users to access their desktop environment from any thin client. Leveraging towards something that doesn’t
relationships with major technology providers, the solution transforms the working environment to a virtualized one with make sense for your organiza-
benefits such as decreased operating costs,
Communicating Virtualization to Non-IT AudiencesAkweli Parker
Virtualization brings numerous benefits including cost savings, reduced carbon footprint and potentially reduced IT workload. Implementing it successfully requires adaptation that some employees may find challenging. This paper explores those challenges and explains how to cultivate broad-based support for your virtualization project.
Webinar deck for our session on Virtual Desktop technology & how it can empower employees and streamline network management & costs. Access the session on-demand at: http://www.ali-inc.com/info-resource-center.html
Virtual Insight is a professional services firm focused on virtualization technologies like server, storage, and desktop virtualization. It works with business leaders to optimize existing IT infrastructure and turn it into business assets. Virtual Insight has experts with 15+ years experience in enterprise technologies who can help clients increase productivity, flexibility, and returns from their IT investments through virtualization assessments and implementations.
Virtual Insight is a professional services firm focused on virtualization technologies like server, storage, and desktop virtualization. It works with business leaders to optimize their existing IT infrastructure and turn it into valuable business assets. Virtual Insight has experts with 15+ years experience who can help clients plan, select, design, and implement virtualization solutions. Their services include assessing a client's IT environment, identifying optimization opportunities, and creating a roadmap to achieve goals like increased productivity and flexibility through virtualization.
The Zen and Art of IT Management (VM World Keynote 2012)CA Technologies
This document discusses strategies for IT management to drive business innovation. It suggests allocating resources between maintaining current systems versus delivering new business services, with 63% of spending going towards the latter. Maintaining systems is seen as a "chore" while investing in new services enables innovation. It also discusses using tools like CA Service Assurance to improve efficiency, streamline processes, and increase capacity for innovation. Case studies show how these tools helped companies like Jack Henry & Associates and Wikimedia Foundation improve service quality and the user experience.
Timberland implemented Open Text's digital asset management system to centralize their collection of digital assets and media. This solved problems of assets being misplaced, duplicated efforts across regions, and not knowing global usage rights. The system provides a secure central repository, user permissions, and searchable access to assets. It has improved productivity, collaboration, and eliminated costs associated with physically distributing media.
Microsoft India - System Center Desktop Virtualization Strategy WhitepaperMicrosoft Private Cloud
Several forms of desktop virtualization can help organizations satisfy users’ needs for mobility and flexibility, while relieving pressure on information technology (IT) departments to manage cost, security, and compliance. Additionally, desktop virtualization can enable more dynamic centralized management by separating the elements of the traditional desktop computing stack. This white paper describes how to create a virtualization strategy that achieves these goals and introduces comprehensive desktop-irtualization solutions from Microsoft. Finally, it provides high-level guidance to help companies develop a desktop-virtualization strategy.
Desktop Transformation Success - The 5 Secrets to Delivering User Satisfactio...eG Innovations
RES and eG Innovations combine best-of-breed virtual desktop management solutions to deliver maximum user productivity and satisfaction while dramatically reducing the cost and complexity of managing hybrid desktop environments:
- Deliver secure, personalized and compliant desktops
- Reduce the cost & complexity of user management
- Proactively manage dynamic desktop performance
- Right-size the dynamic desktop environment for maximum ROI
- Deliver on the ROI and user experience promise of desktop transformation initiatives
Flexible workstyle windows roadmap for solution day matthew hardmanMicrosoft Singapore
Matthew Hardman discusses enabling flexible workstyles through intelligent IT infrastructure. He outlines trends like consumerization, cloud computing, and virtualization that influence how people work today across multiple devices. Hardman presents Windows strategy to deliver the best experiences on Windows through solutions that enable anywhere connection, personalized experiences, and optimize infrastructure. He provides examples of how these solutions allow people to work on their own devices, remotely, and keep systems secure and updated in the cloud.
This document discusses Intel's adoption of cloud computing. It notes that Intel IT has realized $9 million in net savings up to 2011 from its internal cloud efforts. The document also states that cloud computing has become a reality, with the public cloud market expected to grow to $159 billion by 2020. It outlines Intel's definition of cloud computing and its objectives in adopting a hybrid cloud model to deliver applications and data on demand to users on any device.
This document discusses whether virtual worlds are still relevant for business applications. It provides several examples of how companies like IBM have used virtual worlds for various uses such as collaboration, recruitment, education, and training. While there are technological, legal, organizational, and cultural challenges to virtual worlds, they can provide benefits like establishing trust, saving time and costs, and enabling remote and immersive learning.
The document discusses the rise of shadow IT and consumerization of IT. It notes that over the last 3 years, user-driven IT has added more to productivity than corporate IT. Reasons for the rise of shadow IT include rigid corporate IT policies, lack of choice and fun usability. The document outlines how IT is evolving to become more flexible and driven by end user needs, including accepting bring your own device (BYOD) and moving to cloud-based solutions. It argues that standardization will mean creating a more dynamic IT environment that removes technology constraints and allows self-service options.
This document discusses the evolution of data centers and cloud computing. It notes that the workforce is increasingly mobile, the nature of work is transforming to be more collaborative both within and outside organizations, and budgets are under pressure. It discusses how colocation services and cloud computing address these trends by providing scalable, on-demand infrastructure and applications at lower costs. The basic building blocks of cloud services are software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and infrastructure as a service (IaaS). Enterprises see potential benefits but also have concerns that need to be addressed for cloud adoption.
The document discusses a virtual worlds seminar business workshop agenda. The agenda covers topics like thinking about 3D web applications, branding in virtual worlds, current research statistics, case studies, and the ecosystem around 3D web development. It provides examples and considerations for various 3D web and virtual world project types and implementation strategies.
Demystifying cloud computing with IBM POWER Systems and IBM i COMMON Europe
This document discusses IBM Power Systems cloud computing solutions. It begins by explaining how cloud computing can help businesses by improving efficiency and reducing costs. It then provides an overview of IBM's cloud offerings including Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, Software as a Service, and hybrid cloud solutions. The document focuses on IBM SmartCloud Entry, a basic private cloud solution for Power Systems. It describes the key capabilities of SmartCloud Entry such as projects, appliances, workloads, metering, and four-click deployment. Finally, it discusses advanced cloud solutions like CloudBurst that provide a fully integrated platform for private clouds.
The document provides an overview of objectives for Chapter 3 of Discovering Computers 2012, which includes summarizing different types of application software such as business, graphics, multimedia, personal, and communications software. It also discusses how application software works with operating systems and utility programs, as well as learning tools available for application software including online help, web-based help, and web-based training.
The document discusses career opportunities and preparation in the computer industry. It describes various computer-related careers grouped in areas like IT departments, computer equipment, software, services/repair, sales, training, and consulting. It also discusses computer-related education in trade schools and colleges, ways to stay current like certification and professional organizations, and provides examples of specific IT certifications. The goal is to provide an overview of pursuing a career in the computer industry.
The document discusses various input devices for computers including keyboards, mice, touchscreens, cameras, scanners, and devices for disabled users. It defines input and differentiates between programs, commands, and user responses. It describes common input devices like keyboards, mice, touchpads, microphones for voice input, and controllers for games. It also covers assistive technologies to enable people with disabilities to use computers.
Slides from my keynote this afternoon in Paris at the Enterprise 2.0 SUMMIT. Overview of where social business is, what the macro trends are, and the story about consumerization, big data, analytics, and much more.
Presentation dell - into the cloud with dellxKinAnx
The document discusses Dell's expertise in cloud computing and hyperscale solutions. It notes that Dell has developed over 40 platforms for hyperscale customers, has shipped over 600,000 servers powering major search engines and cloud providers, and is among the largest server manufacturers. The document promotes Dell's experience designing solutions for large-scale cloud and internet customers.
23 Things @ UL Lunchtime Talk on using social networking in the language classroom by Zoe Lawlor Language Centre Teacher,
Dept of Languages & Culture Studies
University of Limerick
Terry Wanzek is a fourth generation farmer from North Dakota who farms over 10,000 acres with his family. He discussed how biotechnology has benefited his farming operations through reduced costs, higher yields, and increased profits. Biotechnology has allowed no-till farming practices that conserve soil and reduce erosion while improving the environment for wildlife. Data from the USDA showed increases in acres of wheat, barley, soybeans, and corn planted over time in his county, indicating the profitable impact of biotechnology for farmers. Wanzek's overall message was that biotechnology provides economic and environmental sustainability for family farms and guarantees a future for the next generation of farmers.
Timberland implemented Open Text's digital asset management system to centralize their collection of digital assets and media. This solved problems of assets being misplaced, duplicated efforts across regions, and not knowing global usage rights. The system provides a secure central repository, user permissions, and searchable access to assets. It has improved productivity, collaboration, and eliminated costs associated with physically distributing media.
Microsoft India - System Center Desktop Virtualization Strategy WhitepaperMicrosoft Private Cloud
Several forms of desktop virtualization can help organizations satisfy users’ needs for mobility and flexibility, while relieving pressure on information technology (IT) departments to manage cost, security, and compliance. Additionally, desktop virtualization can enable more dynamic centralized management by separating the elements of the traditional desktop computing stack. This white paper describes how to create a virtualization strategy that achieves these goals and introduces comprehensive desktop-irtualization solutions from Microsoft. Finally, it provides high-level guidance to help companies develop a desktop-virtualization strategy.
Desktop Transformation Success - The 5 Secrets to Delivering User Satisfactio...eG Innovations
RES and eG Innovations combine best-of-breed virtual desktop management solutions to deliver maximum user productivity and satisfaction while dramatically reducing the cost and complexity of managing hybrid desktop environments:
- Deliver secure, personalized and compliant desktops
- Reduce the cost & complexity of user management
- Proactively manage dynamic desktop performance
- Right-size the dynamic desktop environment for maximum ROI
- Deliver on the ROI and user experience promise of desktop transformation initiatives
Flexible workstyle windows roadmap for solution day matthew hardmanMicrosoft Singapore
Matthew Hardman discusses enabling flexible workstyles through intelligent IT infrastructure. He outlines trends like consumerization, cloud computing, and virtualization that influence how people work today across multiple devices. Hardman presents Windows strategy to deliver the best experiences on Windows through solutions that enable anywhere connection, personalized experiences, and optimize infrastructure. He provides examples of how these solutions allow people to work on their own devices, remotely, and keep systems secure and updated in the cloud.
This document discusses Intel's adoption of cloud computing. It notes that Intel IT has realized $9 million in net savings up to 2011 from its internal cloud efforts. The document also states that cloud computing has become a reality, with the public cloud market expected to grow to $159 billion by 2020. It outlines Intel's definition of cloud computing and its objectives in adopting a hybrid cloud model to deliver applications and data on demand to users on any device.
This document discusses whether virtual worlds are still relevant for business applications. It provides several examples of how companies like IBM have used virtual worlds for various uses such as collaboration, recruitment, education, and training. While there are technological, legal, organizational, and cultural challenges to virtual worlds, they can provide benefits like establishing trust, saving time and costs, and enabling remote and immersive learning.
The document discusses the rise of shadow IT and consumerization of IT. It notes that over the last 3 years, user-driven IT has added more to productivity than corporate IT. Reasons for the rise of shadow IT include rigid corporate IT policies, lack of choice and fun usability. The document outlines how IT is evolving to become more flexible and driven by end user needs, including accepting bring your own device (BYOD) and moving to cloud-based solutions. It argues that standardization will mean creating a more dynamic IT environment that removes technology constraints and allows self-service options.
This document discusses the evolution of data centers and cloud computing. It notes that the workforce is increasingly mobile, the nature of work is transforming to be more collaborative both within and outside organizations, and budgets are under pressure. It discusses how colocation services and cloud computing address these trends by providing scalable, on-demand infrastructure and applications at lower costs. The basic building blocks of cloud services are software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and infrastructure as a service (IaaS). Enterprises see potential benefits but also have concerns that need to be addressed for cloud adoption.
The document discusses a virtual worlds seminar business workshop agenda. The agenda covers topics like thinking about 3D web applications, branding in virtual worlds, current research statistics, case studies, and the ecosystem around 3D web development. It provides examples and considerations for various 3D web and virtual world project types and implementation strategies.
Demystifying cloud computing with IBM POWER Systems and IBM i COMMON Europe
This document discusses IBM Power Systems cloud computing solutions. It begins by explaining how cloud computing can help businesses by improving efficiency and reducing costs. It then provides an overview of IBM's cloud offerings including Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, Software as a Service, and hybrid cloud solutions. The document focuses on IBM SmartCloud Entry, a basic private cloud solution for Power Systems. It describes the key capabilities of SmartCloud Entry such as projects, appliances, workloads, metering, and four-click deployment. Finally, it discusses advanced cloud solutions like CloudBurst that provide a fully integrated platform for private clouds.
The document provides an overview of objectives for Chapter 3 of Discovering Computers 2012, which includes summarizing different types of application software such as business, graphics, multimedia, personal, and communications software. It also discusses how application software works with operating systems and utility programs, as well as learning tools available for application software including online help, web-based help, and web-based training.
The document discusses career opportunities and preparation in the computer industry. It describes various computer-related careers grouped in areas like IT departments, computer equipment, software, services/repair, sales, training, and consulting. It also discusses computer-related education in trade schools and colleges, ways to stay current like certification and professional organizations, and provides examples of specific IT certifications. The goal is to provide an overview of pursuing a career in the computer industry.
The document discusses various input devices for computers including keyboards, mice, touchscreens, cameras, scanners, and devices for disabled users. It defines input and differentiates between programs, commands, and user responses. It describes common input devices like keyboards, mice, touchpads, microphones for voice input, and controllers for games. It also covers assistive technologies to enable people with disabilities to use computers.
Slides from my keynote this afternoon in Paris at the Enterprise 2.0 SUMMIT. Overview of where social business is, what the macro trends are, and the story about consumerization, big data, analytics, and much more.
Presentation dell - into the cloud with dellxKinAnx
The document discusses Dell's expertise in cloud computing and hyperscale solutions. It notes that Dell has developed over 40 platforms for hyperscale customers, has shipped over 600,000 servers powering major search engines and cloud providers, and is among the largest server manufacturers. The document promotes Dell's experience designing solutions for large-scale cloud and internet customers.
23 Things @ UL Lunchtime Talk on using social networking in the language classroom by Zoe Lawlor Language Centre Teacher,
Dept of Languages & Culture Studies
University of Limerick
Terry Wanzek is a fourth generation farmer from North Dakota who farms over 10,000 acres with his family. He discussed how biotechnology has benefited his farming operations through reduced costs, higher yields, and increased profits. Biotechnology has allowed no-till farming practices that conserve soil and reduce erosion while improving the environment for wildlife. Data from the USDA showed increases in acres of wheat, barley, soybeans, and corn planted over time in his county, indicating the profitable impact of biotechnology for farmers. Wanzek's overall message was that biotechnology provides economic and environmental sustainability for family farms and guarantees a future for the next generation of farmers.
UL 23 Things 7 1/2 habits of successful life long learnerspeter.reilly
This document outlines 7 1/2 habits to cultivate lifelong learning. The habits include: beginning with the end in mind, taking responsibility for your own learning, viewing problems as challenges, having confidence as a competent learner, creating your own learning toolbox, using technology to your advantage, teaching and mentoring others, and playing.
This document discusses key aspects in the theory and practice of online learning. It covers instructional design considerations for online courses, the evolution of online learning from early text-based courses to today's use of learning management systems, and strategies for effective online course development and teaching. Faculty support, active learning, technical skills, and collaborative course development are important factors for creating high-quality online instruction.
This document contains a 40 question practice exam for the Foundation Certificate in Software Testing. The questions cover a range of software testing topics including test stages, test coverage criteria, test techniques, test planning, and defect management. The goal of the exam is to assess knowledge of terminology, principles, and best practices related to software testing.
THE WORLD FOOD PRIZE - 2008 Norman E. Borlaug International Symposium
Confronting Crisis: Agriculture and Global Development in the Next Fifty Years
October 15-17, 2008 - Des Moines, Iowa
October 16, 2008 – 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Moderator: Bob Thompson – Gardner Chair of Agricultural Policy, University of Illinois
Speaker: Rajul Pandya-Lorch – Head, 2020 Vision Initative, International Food Policy Research Institute
Participants: Jim McCarthy – Marburn Farm, County Kildare, Ireland
John Powell – Deputy Executive Director, UN World Food Program
Jerry Steiner – Senior Vice President, Monsanto
Carlo Trojan – Chairman, the International Food and Agricultural Trade Policy Council
*Bob Thompson also moderated TATT's 2008 Global Farmer Roundtable
*Jim McCarthy participated in the 2008 and 2007 Global Farmer Roundtables
The document discusses the importance of conservation agriculture and biotechnology for the success of farming in Portugal. It notes that prices for crops have decreased significantly while input costs have increased, reducing farmers' incomes. Conservation agriculture practices like no-till and strip-till farming have been adopted on the author's family farm since 1998. These practices cause less soil disturbance and help prevent erosion and maintain soil productivity and biodiversity. Conservation agriculture and biotechnology will be crucial for the long-term viability and sustainability of agriculture by making it more economical, environmental benefits like increased soil fertility and carbon storage, and addressing challenges like weeds and water scarcity.
This document provides an overview of negotiation skills and strategies. It discusses the importance of planning, controlling emotions, and seeking win-win solutions. Key phases of negotiation include planning, debating, proposing, and bargaining. Effective negotiation requires skills like communication, facilitation, understanding interests and triggers, and practicing scenarios within time constraints.
23 Things @ UL Lunchtime talk Blogs & RSSpeter.reilly
This document provides an introduction to blogs and RSS feeds. It explains that blogs are online journals that are frequently updated and displayed in reverse chronological order. RSS feeds allow users to access updated content from blogs and websites in one place using an aggregator. The document describes how to find blogs and subscribe to RSS feeds, and outlines some benefits of using blogs and RSS feeds for students and in teaching, such as providing up-to-date information and avoiding repeatedly checking websites for updates.
The event is the latest of our training on personal finannce and entreprenership.
The series of trainings and events was on personal finance were organized by PFG since early 2010
This document discusses barriers to desktop virtualization adoption, different types of desktop users and their requirements, and provides an overview of the RingCube vDesk solution. It notes that while virtualization has reduced costs in data centers, applying it to desktops has faced challenges. vDesk uses its Workspace Virtualization Engine to encapsulate a user's desktop environment separately from the operating system, addressing issues of prior approaches. It can deliver virtual desktops locally or remotely to meet the needs of different user types.
This paper discusses the barriers of desktop virtualization adoption in the enterprise, the need for convergence in desktop virtualization approaches and the unique requirements across different types of enterprise users. Finally, this paper reviews the RingCube vDesk solution, including how it works and how it’s Workspace Virtualization Engine (WVE) overcomes the barriers posed by legacy virtualization technologies.
Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) represents the future of enterprise desktop computing and brings with it the detachment of OSs and applications from physical endpoints—a compelling trend that promises greater flexibility, scalability, cost savings and security benefits. The movement also represents radical, and possibly painful, changes in market dynamics for providers of endpoint hardware, software and services.
Yankee Group analysts Phil Hochmuth and Zeus Kerravala dissect the future of VDI and discuss what the technology has to offer enterprises today.
Desktop Virtualization: Reduce Costs, Improve Efficiencies with Proven VDI So...Citrix
This whitepaper busts myths and describes how VDI has proven to be successful—providing positive outcomes for IT and employees, addressing security vulnerabilities, and delivering favorable economics back to the business.
Designing End-User Experience for Workplace of the Futurestevej7699
Desktop virtualization technologies can help enterprises design and deliver superior end-user experiences for the workplace of the future. Desktop virtualization adopts a user-centric approach to securely deliver data and applications to employees across any device from any location. It provides a flexible, agile environment while ensuring security and availability. Understanding employee needs through user profiling is key to identifying the right virtualization deployment methods and enhancing productivity and experience. Managing the virtual desktop environment well after implementation also requires addressing challenges to maintain optimal performance over time.
Idc White Paper For Ibm On Virtualization Srvcslambertt
The document discusses IBM's virtualization services. It begins by providing background on how virtualization can help enterprises reduce IT costs through server consolidation and improved hardware utilization. It then discusses IBM's approach to virtualization services, which includes planning, implementation, ongoing support, and consulting services to help clients develop virtualization strategies and optimize their IT environments. IBM views virtualization as part of an overall IT strategy and offers a portfolio of services addressing various aspects of virtualization.
The document discusses how client consolidation (virtualization) can significantly reduce the total cost of ownership for PCs. It states that hardware and software costs make up less than 30% of total PC costs, while other non-hardware operation and support costs dominate. Client consolidation through virtualization can lower these total costs by reducing operational and end-user support expenses. Sample pricing information is provided for a virtual desktop infrastructure solution.
Jose Carlos Norte discusses the limitations of traditional VDI approaches that involve virtualizing entire desktop environments. He proposes a more efficient "hybrid virtualization" approach using eyeOS's cloud desktop solution, which provides a centralized web-based desktop environment under a company's control. This allows applications to be selectively virtualized using Citrix XenApp when needed, while other applications can run locally or as web apps, optimizing software licensing and server resource usage compared to traditional VDI.
This document analyzes the business value of deploying VMware View for centralized virtual desktops (CVD). It finds that organizations using VMware View realized significant cost savings and return on investment compared to traditional desktop management. Organizations saved over $610 per user annually on lower device/IT costs and improved productivity. Those leveraging additional VMware View features saved an additional $122 per user. The document also discusses VMware View editions, features, use cases, benefits, challenges, and methodology for quantifying savings.
This document summarizes a proposal for implementing a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) at ABC Inc. It includes an executive summary highlighting benefits of VDI like simplified provisioning and centralized management. It then provides an overview of the current desktop challenges, typical corporate desktop models, and advantages of VDI. The objective is to evaluate the financial and operational impacts of VDI solutions. The analysis compares the 5-year total cost of ownership for the current (BAU) environment versus a VDI solution. It finds that while the VDI solution has higher initial capital costs, it provides overall savings of $66,000 over 5 years through reduced operating expenses.
Smart Style Office for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure247 Invest
Smart Style Office is a virtual desktop infrastructure solution that allows IT administrators to remotely manage desktops running as virtual machines. It offers advantages like simplified management, improved security and data protection, flexibility for users to access desktops from any device, and support for an increasingly mobile workforce. Resellers can offer Smart Style Office to help customers with tasks like desktop migration, securing devices and data, and providing hosted desktops from centralized data centers. The solution involves virtualization software, management tools, backup agents, and thin clients to access virtual desktop environments.
Electric Supply Distributor deploys virtual desktops for increased mobility, productivity and business continuity. Revere Electric Supply keeps its remote workers productive with RingCube vDesk which was chosen over VMware View and Citrix XenDesktop.
You may shudder at the thought, but modern enterprise
architecture is slowly but surely returning to the mainframe
fold, at least conceptually, and never more so than with the
idea of virtual desktops – hosted in ‘the cloud’. iStart reviews
the leading alternatives...
by Hayden McCall
http://www.istart.com.au
The document discusses the benefits and trends of virtualization technologies. It notes that virtualization can help improve server utilization and reduce IT costs through server consolidation. It also discusses how virtualization allows for centralized management of desktop environments. The document outlines different types of virtualization including server, application, and desktop virtualization and how these technologies are enabling more efficient IT infrastructure solutions.
The document discusses disruptive changes in communications networks driven by the Internet of Things, big data, cloud computing, and the evolution of services. These "tectonic shifts" are transforming networks and driving the transition to software defined networking (SDN). SDN uses virtualization and network functions to abstract the network, enabling faster innovation, lower costs, and more flexible, software-based control of network resources. The changes present both challenges and opportunities for network operators and providers to reinvent their networks.
Cisco and The Applied Group Point of ViewDavid Barry
Virtualization is a mature technology that can significantly increase plant floor efficiency and production profitability. It standardizes the production floor environment, making security updates quicker and recovery from hardware failures almost instantaneous. While virtualization was initially adopted more in corporate IT, its benefits for plant floors are compelling and its adoption is increasing rapidly. Cisco and The Applied Group help manufacturers virtualize their plant floors using Cisco UCS technology combined with manufacturing expertise, delivering increases in profitability, risk avoidance, and security.
The presentation discussed 10 emerging technology trends that organizations cannot afford to ignore, including virtualization, data growth, energy efficiency, mobility, and cloud computing. It provided an overview of each trend and how they will impact organizations, and recommended actions organizations should take to evaluate and prepare for the trends. The presentation also promoted upcoming Gartner events and research reports related to these trends.
Cloud computing has evolved from mainframe computers running thin client applications on dumb terminals. Standardization of technologies like Ethernet and TCP/IP allowed hardware manufacturers to focus on building machines rather than developing their own protocols. As IT became more critical to businesses, the role of Chief Technology Officer emerged to manage increasingly complex systems. Cloud computing provides a way for organizations to access services remotely and overcome challenges of maintaining their own infrastructure, reducing costs and increasing flexibility. While cloud adoption continues, security and control issues remain hurdles.
Connectivity is here (5 g, swarm,...). now, let's build interplanetary apps! (1)Samy Fodil
Webinar recording: https://youtu.be/t30Aa-mq93Q
Do you need to build scalable 5G and IoT applications? Or, maybe distribute the computing required by AR/VR throughout the data path? Perhaps you need to implement Digital Twins? Well you've come to the right place.
Edge Computing is a paradigm that distributes computing and data storage between the Cloud and the users. In fact, the data center infrastructure that sits between you and the Cloud is actually larger than all the Cloud data centers combined. For over two decades, thanks to that Edge infrastructure you've been able to watch videos and smoothly surf the web. Today the "Edge" is powering all the automation around you; for example, smart cities, smart cars, smart factories, etc.
Cosa hanno in comune un mattoncino Lego e la backdoor XZ?Speck&Tech
ABSTRACT: A prima vista, un mattoncino Lego e la backdoor XZ potrebbero avere in comune il fatto di essere entrambi blocchi di costruzione, o dipendenze di progetti creativi e software. La realtà è che un mattoncino Lego e il caso della backdoor XZ hanno molto di più di tutto ciò in comune.
Partecipate alla presentazione per immergervi in una storia di interoperabilità, standard e formati aperti, per poi discutere del ruolo importante che i contributori hanno in una comunità open source sostenibile.
BIO: Sostenitrice del software libero e dei formati standard e aperti. È stata un membro attivo dei progetti Fedora e openSUSE e ha co-fondato l'Associazione LibreItalia dove è stata coinvolta in diversi eventi, migrazioni e formazione relativi a LibreOffice. In precedenza ha lavorato a migrazioni e corsi di formazione su LibreOffice per diverse amministrazioni pubbliche e privati. Da gennaio 2020 lavora in SUSE come Software Release Engineer per Uyuni e SUSE Manager e quando non segue la sua passione per i computer e per Geeko coltiva la sua curiosità per l'astronomia (da cui deriva il suo nickname deneb_alpha).
Goodbye Windows 11: Make Way for Nitrux Linux 3.5.0!SOFTTECHHUB
As the digital landscape continually evolves, operating systems play a critical role in shaping user experiences and productivity. The launch of Nitrux Linux 3.5.0 marks a significant milestone, offering a robust alternative to traditional systems such as Windows 11. This article delves into the essence of Nitrux Linux 3.5.0, exploring its unique features, advantages, and how it stands as a compelling choice for both casual users and tech enthusiasts.
Building Production Ready Search Pipelines with Spark and MilvusZilliz
Spark is the widely used ETL tool for processing, indexing and ingesting data to serving stack for search. Milvus is the production-ready open-source vector database. In this talk we will show how to use Spark to process unstructured data to extract vector representations, and push the vectors to Milvus vector database for search serving.
How to Get CNIC Information System with Paksim Ga.pptxdanishmna97
Pakdata Cf is a groundbreaking system designed to streamline and facilitate access to CNIC information. This innovative platform leverages advanced technology to provide users with efficient and secure access to their CNIC details.
Unlock the Future of Search with MongoDB Atlas_ Vector Search Unleashed.pdfMalak Abu Hammad
Discover how MongoDB Atlas and vector search technology can revolutionize your application's search capabilities. This comprehensive presentation covers:
* What is Vector Search?
* Importance and benefits of vector search
* Practical use cases across various industries
* Step-by-step implementation guide
* Live demos with code snippets
* Enhancing LLM capabilities with vector search
* Best practices and optimization strategies
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Ci oezine v2
1. V
VIRTUALIZATION ISION
An interactive eZine from IDG Enterprise
Virtualization 2.0:
The Desktop
Revolution
2 Drive Out Complexity with Desktop Virtualization
3 Desktop Virtualization: The New IT Rock Star
7 Building the Future of IT
IDG Enterprise Custom Solutions Group
COMPUTERWORLD
2. V
VIRTUALIZATION ISION
Drive out complexity with desktop virtualization
By Mark Templeton, CEO, Citrix Systems, Inc.
I
DG Research Services recently conducted a We’re also making it easy for companies to get
study that clearly illustrates how IT professionals started with desktop virtualization. We realize there is
are suffering from the complexity they are forced a wide array of exciting desktop delivery technologies
to deal with day to day. Of the more than 200 IT on the market today, ranging from VDI and shared
pros surveyed, nearly three-quarters said their virtual desktops that run in a data center to desktop
IT environments have become so complex that it’s limit- streaming and client-side hypervisors that run at each
ing their ability to achieve strategic business goals. endpoint. Some of these technologies are great for
I can’t say I was terribly surprised by that finding, task workers but not for power users. Others work
because it mirrors what we at Citrix hear every day great for office workers but not mobile users. Figuring
from CIOs. It’s why we’ve focused our entire company out which virtualization model is right for your needs
on helping customers sim-
plify computing by delivering
IT as an on-demand service. The Magic of XenDesktop
One technology that “There is no one desktop virtualization technology that will address
can dramatically reduce IT
complexity is desktop virtual-
all your unique users. But now, for the first time, there is one product Slide Show – New IDG
ization. Instead of making IT that encompasses every major desktop virtualization technology.”
manage, secure, patch and
Virtualization Research
update thousands of unique desktops individually, solu- can be confusing in its own right. How does your progress in desktop
tions such as Citrix XenDesktop enable it to manage That’s why we recently introduced XenDesktop 4, an and server virtualization stack up
everything centrally. The time required to get new users entirely new version of our flagship desktop solution. against a research sample of more
up and running is reduced from days to minutes. Moves, The magic of XenDesktop 4 is our unique FlexCast™ than 200 IT managers? Click here
adds and changes are a snap. Updating and patch- technology, which gives IT the ability to deliver any
and check out the results.
ing are simple. And security is far tighter and easier to type of desktop virtualization technology to any user,
control. on any device. There is no one desktop virtualization
Desktop virtualization also simplifies network con- technology that will address all your unique users. But
nectivity for employees, making them more productive. now, for the first time, there is one product that encom-
With virtual desktops, users are no longer tethered passes every major desktop virtualization technology.
to a specific device. They simply grab whatever PC, As you can tell, I’m excited about XenDesktop. I be-
Mac, laptop or smartphone is most convenient and lieve that it has the power to transform desktop comput-
get instant, secure access to their fully personalized ing, simplifying life for thousands of overworked IT pros
Windows desktop and everything on it. As long as that and saving organizations a lot of money in the process.
virtual desktop is powered by our Citrix HDX technol- A groundbreaking new solution that can help you
ogy, they can be sure they’re getting a high-definition deliver desktops and applications as rich, personal-
experience every time, even with voice, video and ized, on-demand services: That’s the power of Citrix
multimedia applications. XenDesktop. Read on to learn more. • > View slideshow
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VIrTualIzaTION 2.0: ThE DESkTOp rEVOluTION
3. V
VIRTUALIZATION ISION Fig. 1. Time consumed annually
by routine PC management tasks
On average, approximately how many
IT person-hours per client access device
are consumed annually for routine
Desktop Virtualization: The New IT rock Star management and maintenance tasks
such as device configuration, software
installs, upgrades, patches, etc.?
Simplified IT environments. lower costs. Increased agility. Better performance.
(Percentage of respondents, N=480)
ubiquitous access. There’s a lot to like about desktop virtualization technology.
By paul Desmond
T
wo years ago, Scottsdale Community College It’s no wonder, then, that in a survey of more than 200
managed its 2,000 college-owned desktops IT decision-makers by IDG Research Services, about
much like most corporations, with a mix of utili- three-quarters of the respondents said their IT environ-
ties for pushing out patches and other updates, ments were too complex and costly (see Figure 2), limit-
and a staff of four IT experts to troubleshoot ing their ability to deploy IT resources to address their
individual problems. Those problems abounded, given organization’s strategic aims and goals. Perhaps worse,
the mix of machines with different versions of applica- 63 percent said IT complexity was “hindering innovation”
tions, uncertain patch status and changes individual users at their company (see Figure 3 on page 5). 10% Don’t know
made, from downloading utilities to tweaking settings. “We have 561 machines, and we’re supposed to be 8% More than 24 hours per device
“Desktop management was time-consuming and not 100 100 percent patched,” reported an IT manager at an 6% 19–25 hours per device
18% 13–18 hours per device
percent accurate in terms of delivering patches and updates,” automobile assembly plant in Chicago, who asked not to
35% 6–12 hours per device
says Dustin Fennell, CIO for the Scottsdale, Ariz., college. be named. “But patching is a nightmare. It’s extremely 24% Less than 6 hours per device
Today, the college is handling more applications with difficult to even locate some of these machines. People
fewer resources. It has reallocated budget for one desk- move around, and we lose track of their location.” SOURCE: Enterprise Strategy Group 2008
top administrator to a more strategic IT position, and Simultaneously, end users continually report desktop
when another soon transfers to a different department, problems, the result of myriad issues, including viruses
he won’t be replaced. The difference? Desktop virtual- and corrupted operating systems, he says. “We have all Fig. 2. Has IT infrastructure grown
ization technology has significantly eased the IT support these IT people running around addressing individuals’
too complex and costly?
burden while improving application access and perfor- desktops—it’s a huge part of the support load,” the IT
mance for students, faculty and staff. manager says. “I don’t understand why we’re not pursu- Please rate your agreement with the state-
ing desktop virtualization.” ment: “IT infrastructure has grown too
A Familiar Story complex and costly.” (214 respondents)
Far too many IT shops know the kind of complexity A Different Desktop
Fennell describes, much of it due to the sheer number of According to users and analysts, desktop virtualization Top 2 boxes = 77%
applications they must support. In a survey of 480 North can indeed help reduce IT complexity and deliver vari-
American and Western European IT decision-makers ous benefits along the way, including simplified manage-
by Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), almost half of the ment; ubiquitous application access; and a more respon- 19% 58% 15% 6% 2%
respondents supported 20 to 100 applications, with sive, agile IT group.
another 24 percent supporting more than 100 applica- For starters, by hosting desktop images and appli-
Strongly agree
tions. Therefore, nearly one-third of the respondents said cations on centralized servers, desktop virtualization
Somewhat agree
they spent more than 12 hours of IT staff time per client dramatically reduces the number of operating system,
Neither agree nor disagree
device annually on routine maintenance chores, with application and desktop images IT has to manage.
Somewhat disagree
some devoting double that time (see Figure 1). Scottsdale Community College now centrally hosts
Strongly disagree
< 3 >
SOURCE: IDG Research
VIrTualIzaTION 2.0: ThE DESkTOp rEVOluTION
4. V
VIRTUALIZATION ISION
some 100 applications, using Citrix virtualization inherent business continuity and disaster recov- important, given the changing nature of the work-
technology, and consequently no longer has to ery plan, because it enables users to access their force, with younger workers who expect to be able
worry about issues that used to routinely plague applications and desktops from anywhere. “Users to use the device of their choosing, Lambert says.
end users. “Maybe an update failed or somebody can work from home if they can’t get to the “Because it helps enable the concept of bring-
didn’t get a download, so people have different office,” says Natalie Lambert, principal analyst ing your own PC, desktop virtualization is going
versions of applications and different patch levels,” with Forrester Research, Inc. “If a user spills coffee to be a huge help for retention,” she says. As an
Fennell says. “Then you add the applications and on a device, nothing is lost, because there’s no attendee at a recent event mentioned to her, “If
nefarious content employees may download—little data on client devices—it’s all in the data center.” this is a competitive advantage today, it becomes
utilities that conflict with other apps, patches we Hosting all data centrally also improves security, a requirement tomorrow.”
haven’t tested, changes they make in Control because loss or theft of a laptop won’t compromise Giving end users more computing device
Panel. Rather than managing one instance of an corporate data, if a proper authentication mecha- choice meshes with another benefit of desktop
application, as in the Citrix environment, we may nism exists. And once IT is alerted to the loss, it virtualization: improved productivity. When users
be managing it 2,000 times.” can simply shut down access from that laptop. are more comfortable with their client device,
The school can also deliver new applications “Improving security is what helps companies they get more done. What’s more, end users
far more quickly by hosting them on a virtual make the business case for desktop virtualiza- typically suffer less downtime when applications
application server and testing with a few users. tion,” says Sumit Dhawan, vice president of prod- and desktops are hosted and managed centrally
Once an application is deemed ready for produc- uct marketing for XenDesktop at Citrix Systems, by IT. And users enjoy a vastly increased level of
tion, it can be immediately published for all to Inc. “It’s No.1 in some industries and a great self-service, with IT able to automate the process
use—no need to distribute it to 2,000 desktops, benefit in others.” of distributing applications to users on demand,
with the inevitable handful of failed installations. Desktop virtualization also means that users much as users download applications, music and
With all applications, desktops and data hosted can employ any device, because the technology videos from the Web for personal use.
centrally, desktop virtualization also offers an is operating-system-agnostic. That’s especially “People are looking at the desktop from an
Citrix assures the best end, processor-intensive applications such as 3-D modeling. update and data is backed up.
virtualization fit • TaSk wORkERS. when many users need to share the
same application, it makes sense to host that application
XenDesktop 4 includes an enhanced version of Citrix HDX
technology, providing a quality user experience, regardless
on a centralized server, where as many as 500 desktops can of users’ location and devices. “Enhanced HDX as part of
No single desktop virtualization technology can address all access one application image. XenDesktop 4 offers rich multimedia, rich Voice over IP
user requirements in an enterprise, so your chosen product and rich 3-D application access while consuming one-tenth
should be flexible enough to meet all your needs. • DESkTOP STREaMING. Streaming can extend the life of the bandwidth of any competing technology,” says Sumit
That’s why Citrix recently introduced XenDesktop 4 with powerful PCs already in the field, while reducing the burden Dhawan, vice president of product marketing for XenDesktop
FlexCast™ delivery technology. FlexCast enables a single on servers. The application is streamed to the desktop at Citrix Systems, Inc.
product—XenDesktop 4—to support different use cases for when the user logs on and executes on the endpoint, not Citrix is offering existing Xenapp customers an attractive
desktop virtualization: the server. upgrade option to XenDesktop. For a $15 premium over the
regular upgrade price, users get two XenDesktop licenses for
• OFFICE aND REMOTE wORkERS. Virtual desktop infra- • MObILE wORkERS. with forthcoming Citrix XenClient every Xenapp license they own, to make it simple and cost-
structure (VDI) and blade-PC-based desktops, where all technology incorporated into XenDesktop, users can load effective for organizations to deliver the benefits of XenDesk-
desktop images, applications and data reside and execute corporate applications onto a virtual machine on their top to all their end users.
on centralized servers, are well suited for office workers and laptop, segregating business and personal applications and as Dhawan puts it, “XenDesktop 4 delivers the best desk-
remote workers who may need access to their desktops from data. Users can work offline, and when they connect back top for every user and the best-possible user experience,
anywhere. The blade model is especially beneficial for high- to the corporate network, all applications automatically with the best application management built in.
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VIrTualIzaTION 2.0: ThE DESkTOp rEVOluTION
5. V
VIRTUALIZATION ISION Fig. 3. Is the compexity of IT
infrastructue hindering innovation?
Do you believe that the complexity
of maintaining and managing your
organization’s IT infrastructure is
operational perspective, including the amount of time the school opened a new building in July, IT was given hindering innovation at your company?
and the number of full-time employees they have dedi- budget for an additional computer technician to support it. (214 respondents)
cated to managing desktops and how inefficient it’s “I didn’t fill that position, because the virtual environment
become,” says Mark Bowker, senior analyst with Enter- allows us to support the new building with the same staff,”
prise Strategy Group. “It’s now business-driven.” Fennel says. “I was able to take that line item and use it
Consider a hospital scenario, Bowker says, where to fill a more strategic need,” namely an additional Web
doctors complain that it takes two minutes to log onto a developer to support the school’s growing Web presence.
PC inside a patient’s room. “I’ve seen IT looking at differ- Customers need to assess all the various benefits
ent options and using desktop virtualization to address desktop virtualization provides when assessing the cost Net “Yes”
log-on time,” he says, with a user ID/password providing of an implementation, Dhawan says. If you merely want Responses
63%
access to all applications doctors need. “Ultimately, doc- to reduce the cost of your end user hardware, you may
tors can put more billable hours back into the business.” find it’s a wash. “We ask customers to look further and
Scottsdale students and faculty also exemplify the power see the reduced costs in management and responsive- 16% Yes, significantly
46% Yes, somewhat
of classic virtual desktop infrastructure technology. Scotts- ness to user requirements,” he says. “That’s where
3% Not sure
dale uses Citrix XenDesktop for applications demanding desktop virtualization really helps.” 35% No
high performance, including a CAD application, Google Customers also need to consider that, as Scottsdale
The public sector (28%) is significantly more likely than
SketchUp and Adobe Create Suite 4. Whereas once stu- has found, it’s beneficial to use different types of desktop the private sector (12%) to say that the complexity
dents had to be on campus in a lab to access such appli- virtualization to fulfill differing user requirements. It is with of maintaining and managing IT infrastructure is
cations, now they simply log on via a Web interface, using just that issue in mind that Citrix, for example, recently significantly hindering innovation.
whatever computer they like, wherever they may be. announced its FlexCast™ delivery technology, which
SOURCE: IDG Research
makes it easy for IT to deliver any type of virtual desktop
Improved IT Efficiency to any user, on any device (see sidebar on page 4).
IT likewise realizes benefits from desktop virtualization,
beginning with reduced costs. “For us it decreases total Conclusion Why is desktop virtualization
cost of ownership,” says Fennell. Instead of spending As the IDG research shows, the complexity that has
$25,000 upgrading a lab with new hardware, for exam- crept into their environments is thwarting IT groups’ abil- glowing white-hot today?
ple, he can spend half that on a new server for the Citrix ity to dedicate resources to strategic projects that can Experts John Gallant of IDG and Gordon
farm and licenses. And whereas the lab upgrade would deliver business benefits to organizations. Desktop vir-
Payne of Citrix get right to the heart of this new
benefit only students using the lab, the server supports tualization technology can reduce that complexity while
IT phenomenon in this insightful, targeted video
applications that can be utilized anytime by any student lowering costs and improving productivity for end users
on the brave new world of client virtualization.
or faculty or staff member. and IT, meaning a more agile organization.
Scottsdale is also preparing to deploy a new CAD appli- Enterprises are getting the message, Bowker says.
cation that employs desktop streaming technology, where An ESG survey of some 400 North American and
the application is streamed to a user’s desktop on demand European companies found that 21 percent were
but actually runs on the local machine. That will enable the already using desktop virtualization in production envi-
school to take advantage of high-end hardware it already ronments. “It’s not necessarily across the entire compa-
has in place while reducing the burden on its servers. ny, but the fact that upwards of 20 percent are already
Additionally, the virtual environment has proven so using it makes me believe that more and more compa-
much easier to manage than individual desktops that nies are willing to look at desktop virtualization and to
Fennel has been able to reallocate IT resources. When consider deploying it,” he says. •
< 5 > > Watch video now
VIrTualIzaTION 2.0: ThE DESkTOp rEVOluTION
7. V
VIRTUALIZATION ISION
Building the Future of IT Game Changer:
Bechtel Corporation’s bold IT makeover offers a graphic illustration Desktop Virtualization
of the efficiencies made possible by virtualization. By rich Freeman Desktop virtualization is
poised to revolutionize the user
h
ave you ever fantasized about rebuilding your instant access to applications, customers, colleagues and
IT infrastructure from scratch? suppliers. Satisfying those needs would have been difficult experience as well as the way
Of course you have. Most companies, in even if the company’s data centers had been running at peak IT manages and secures PC
fact, look at the superefficient data centers efficiency. But three years ago, Bechtel’s average server utili-
run by Internet giants such as Amazon.com zation rate was a mere 2.3 percent and allocating IT resourc-
resources. Just be aware that
and YouTube and wish they had one too. Few, however, pos- es to new projects could take as long as 30 days, an eternity not all client virtualization solu-
sess the courage to act on that wish. as far as Bechtel’s business managers were concerned. tions are created equal.
Count Bechtel Corporation among that brave few. Looking Bechtel Senior Vice President and CIO Geir Ramleth knew
to improve the efficiency and agility of its IT operations, the that simply updating the company’s existing systems and
San Francisco, Calif.-based construction, engineering and processes wouldn’t put much of a dent in those numbers. To > Learn more now
project management firm gave its infrastructure an extreme get the job done, Bechtel would have to reinvent its entire
makeover. Drawing heavily on server and desktop virtualiza- approach to IT. “We had to start from the infrastructure up,”
tion, along with operational best practices pioneered by cloud Ramleth says.
computing leaders such as Google Inc. and salesforce.com, Bechtel’s IT overhaul would eventually touch everything
the company erected a brand-new set of cutting-edge data from networking to applications. At the core of the project,
centers. The results include major power savings, a more however, was a total rebuild of the company’s server farm.
than 3,000 percent improvement in server utilization, and a Ramleth looked to Google for inspiration. Research indicated
sneak peek for the rest of us at what just may be the future of that the Mountain View, Calif.-based company was employing
corporate IT. one administrator for approximately every 20,000 servers in
its cavernous data centers. A single Bechtel administrator, in
XenServer for free!
New from the Ground Up contrast, was supporting just 100 servers. An enterprise-class,
Much of the impetus behind Bechtel’s IT transformation Ramleth soon recognized that the key to Google’s remark- cloud-ready virtualization
stems from the challenges of supporting a highly mobile able efficiency was its ruthless commitment to standardiza-
workforce. At any given time, Bechtel has employees at tion and virtualization. In 2007 he made the daring choice
solution, free of charge.
dozens of project sites around the globe, all of whom require to follow suit by scrapping Bechtel’s seven data centers and Download the XenServer
trial at no cost or obligation.
< 7 > > Try it now
VIrTualIzaTION 2.0: ThE DESkTOp rEVOluTION
8. V
VIRTUALIZATION ISION
replacing them with three state-of-the-art facilities in Europe, For its part, Citrix views Bechtel as a model customer.
Asia and the United States. Each one uses identical server “It’s expanding the way the capabilities of virtualization can be
hardware and makes extensive use of XenServer virtual- realized,” says Sumit Dhawan, vice president of product mar-
ization software from Citrix Systems, Inc. keting for XenDesktop at Citrix. In the data center, Bechtel’s
The results have been undeniably impressive. Today story shows how organizations can use server virtualization
server utilization stands at 70 percent and Bechtel has not just to reduce their server inventory but also to save seri-
increased processing capacity tenfold without raising ous money on power and administration. “And the company’s
total operating costs. Meanwhile, virtualization has helped vision hasn’t just stopped at the data center,” Dhawan notes.
the company slash its power spending and shrink what On the desktop side, Bechtel’s efforts underscore the
was once 30,000 square feet of floor space down to employee satisfaction gains that virtual clients make pos-
approximately 1,000 square feet. And because virtualiza- sible. Today’s tech-savvy knowledge workers increasingly
tion makes recovering from service outages dramatically expect corporate applications to offer the same anytime,
easier, availability has never been better. “We are more anywhere access that Web sites such as LinkedIn and Face-
resilient than we ever were, and we have better capabili- book deliver. With desktop virtualization, that’s just what they
ties for business continuity,” Ramleth says. get. “If you can provide the same corporate workspace for
users wherever they are, you’ve met their expectations and,
Moving to the Desktop as a result, increased their satisfaction,” Dhawan observes.
Building on its success with server virtualization,
Bechtel has more recently begun virtualizing the
employee workspace as well. “We have a very at any given time,
nomadic workforce,” Ramleth explains. “What Bechtel has employees at dozens of project sites
you want in the end is that, regardless of where around the globe, all of whom require instant access
they are, everything looks and works the same.”
to applications, customers, colleagues and suppliers.
In pursuit of that goal, Bechtel is using Citrix
XenDesktop to deliver global access to virtual
desktops. In the future, the company will supplement that Boldly Forward
foundation with application virtualization and advanced user Not surprisingly, Bechtel has even-more-ambitious plans
profile functionality, so that an employee’s software, data for the future. Ramleth’s long-term goal is to connect
and personalized settings can follow that person seam- Bechtel’s suppliers directly to the company’s employees
lessly around the world as well. In the interim, to enable its and customers, so that everyone can exchange informa-
goal of a more “consumerized” user experience, Bechtel tion in real time. It’s a grand undertaking, but, thanks in part
has integrated multiple access methods into a customizable to Bechtel’s new data centers, the company has exactly
portal interface, providing users a personalized experience the kind of flexible infrastructure it needs in order to bring
for securely accessing their applications and services. its vision to life. “We could have done it before, but it would
According to Ramleth, it’s no accident that Bechtel uses have been very cumbersome and costly,” Ramleth says.
Citrix software for both server and desktop virtualization. “Now we can do it very efficiently.”
He appreciates the functionality that Citrix products offer Such are the rewards available to companies bold enough
and the commitment Citrix employees have consistently to wipe the IT slate clean and start over. “There’s too much
shown to helping Bechtel succeed. “They’ve just been very change in the world on all fronts to accept that things should
good partners,” he says. always be the same,” Ramleth concludes. •
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VIrTualIzaTION 2.0: ThE DESkTOp rEVOluTION