Phoenix Central School District implemented a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solution over several stages from 2009 to present. Initial tests with thin clients and terminal services presented developmental challenges. Stage 3 saw a transition to VMware View which provided improvements but also issues. Stage 4 included scaling the solution with additional hardware and allowing remote access from outside the network. The VDI implementation reduced costs, improved management and support, and provided a better experience for users. Common challenges included initial performance and stability while benefits included centralized management, flexibility, and cost savings.

2. Ted Love
Director of Technology
Phoenix Central School District
www.phoenixcsd.org
Twitter: @ted_love
tlove@phoenixcsd.org

3. What is VDI?
What is the value?
OBJECTIVES
The Phoenix CSD story
Developmental Effects
The Business Case for VDI

4. What is VDI?
 Server hosted virtual machines with a
desktop operating system
 Has a management console that allows
the provisioning of desktop VMs
 vs Client Hypervisor or MS Multipoint
 vs Server Virtualization

5. User Profile
Applications
Operating System
Hardware

6. 1400
+
“THE CLOUD”
PCs
=

7. Phoenix CSD 2009-present
 Reduced IT staff
 Reduced equipment and supplies
budgets
 Increased IT department responsibilities
 Increased # of teacher and student
workstations
 Reduced power consumption

8. Goals for Phoenix Desktop Virtualization
 Centralize management of desktops
 Reduce footprint by having a lightweight
end device
 Consolidate and share compute
resources
 Benefit: flexibility of user device
agnosticism

9. Begin With the End in Mind

11. Stage 1
Deployed 400 Thin Clients
Tested VDI – not quite mature and $$$
Solution = Terminal Server (MS RDS)
DEVELOPMENTAL EFFECTS:
Users perceived the Thin Clients as “less than” desktops
Teachers couldn’t live without the DVD drive
RDS offered challenges that eroded user confidence
- Software issues (legacy apps)
- Printing issues
- 64-bit Internet Explorer (plug-ins)
- User profiles would easily get corrupted
- Support for USB peripherals

12. Stage 1
Application Virtualization
 Over 200 programs per school building
 De-couple the application from the OS
 Portability of apps
 Apps assigned by user/group instead of
by physical machine
 Microsoft App-V, InstallFree, Vmware
ThinApp, (Citrix XenApp)
 Licensing woes

13. Stage 2
Proof of Concepts / Testing
VDI
 Leostream
 Hyper-V / Quest vWorkspace
 Citrix XenDesktop
 VMware View
DEVELOPMENTAL EFFECTS
IT staff enjoyed the testing of various platforms
However, it was time-consuming
Vendor headaches (aren’t you ready to move forward?)
Afforded the opportunity to time a major purchase
We learned that the “holy grail” of VDI is the
Non-persistent linked clone (vs. dedicated desktop VMs)

14. Stage 3
January 2011 – one lab, then three
labs at the Middle School
April 2011 – all 300 thin clients at the
High School converted from RDP to
View DEVELOPMENT EFFECTS
Didn’t solve all problems immediately
Had it’s own set of problems
SAN Storage!
“LOG ON STORMS” Hypervisor RAM
User settings – portability, printing

16. Stage 4
Summer 2011 – SSD SAN, Profile Unity
January 2012 – RAM upgrade (4 GB to 16
GB ~ min 192 GB / blade server)
Summer 2012 – deployed an additional 400
thin clients for a total of:
800 thin clients Ability to invest in needed
compute resource
12 ESX hosts
Solution Scaling DEVELOPMENT EFFECTS
IT team is both highly skilled and more agile

17. Stage 4
Announced to staff accessibility of VDI
system from outside the firewall
So many times these ideas come after school when I’m thinking about
what I’m going to do the next day. Now with the virtual desktop, there’s no
need to carry my files around in a hard drive.
-Luisa
VMWare works well on the iPad. Holy ----!!! I downloaded this on
Takes some getting used to the my iPAD. Can’t believe how
touch controls” – Rick great it looks. Amazing. Love
it. Thank you!” – Barb
Thanks, Ted, this is a WONDERFUL
development! I will be making use of it…Pat

18. Effects of Desktop Virtualization
 Desktop technicians become desktop
architects
 Better desktop management benefits all
desktops (physical and virtual)
 Percentage of logged technician time
spent on troubleshooting went from
29.7% to 7.4% over five years

19. The Business Case for VDI
 For IT:
 Single OS for IT to support
 Service oriented
 More efficient management
 For Users:
 Provide a better end-user experience
 Cash Value:
 Reduce Software Licensing
 Save Energy
 Save $$ on expensive desktop replacement cycle

20. VDI savings $$ ??

21. IT Efficiency

22. Total Cost of Ownership

23. Questions for Discussion
1. Who is doing it?
 Why?
 To what extent?
2. Who/what/where is best suited to use virtual
desktops?
3. What are the common challenges
implementing VDI? Supporting VDI?
4. What can we do with VDI that we couldn’t do
previously with physical desktops?