VIRTUAL COMPUTING
Delivering Desktops:
It’s Time to Think Differently
MARCH 2010
WORLD
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AN ARTICLE FROM
It’S tImE tO thINk
DIFFERENtLy
by Phil Grove
Your workforce connects and works virtually
from anywhere.
Shouldn’t your desktops?
viRtuAL COMPutinG
Desktop management is still one of the most manual, time-consuming, costly and possibly unsecure areas of IT. Despite the continual decline in PC acquisition costs and the development of desktop operating images and remote diagnostics tools, desktop management accounts for a substantial chunk of today’s IT budgets. And that doesn’t include the looming migration to Windows 7 for most of those desktops. Large enterprises, in particular, need to find a simpler, more streamlined approach to desktop management, and many are looking toward virtualization. Desktop virtualization allows you to virtualize operating systems, applications and personal settings in the data center, and deliver them to users ubiquitously and efficiently. Users get the rich, customizable environment they want, IT gains more control and the entire enterprise benefits from improvements in:
Security: Cybercrime is a growing threat. But so are misplaced laptops and thumb drives. With desktop virtualization, desktop data stays in the data center, where it’s much easier to audit and secure. Employees and partners can access the applications they need from virtually anywhere — without compromising security. it Agility: Virtual desktops allow you to easily manage one Standard Operating Environment (SOE) for Windows XP or Windows 7 or even Windows next. When you patch the master copy, all virtual desktop users are served that new SOE the next time they log in. This reduces support requirements even for your applications. They can be packaged and maintained in one place for all users, dramatically reducing exposure to software bugs and keeping security patches current. It also reduces your support needs by fixing issues in one place, not on each desktop. Virtual-ization adds performance or capacity as needed, as well, by giving more system resources to specific users during crunch times.
CYbeRCRiMe iS A GROWinG
tHReAt. but SO ARe MiSPLACeD
LAPtOPS AnD tHuMb DRiveS.
unDeRStAnD YOuR WinDOWS 7
MiGRAtiOn StRAteGY AnD
inteGRAte WitH YOuR viRtuAL
DeSktOP PLAnS FOR A SeAMLeSS,
LOWeSt COSt ROLLOut.
Workforce Agility: Globalization, mergers and acquisitions, integrated supply chains, business process outsourcing, and the rise of contracting and project work mean you need to work with various parties and partners around the world securely. With desktop virtualization it is significantly faster, easier and more secure to roll out access to specific applica-tions and data — and closely manage that access. It is also significantly faster and easier to deploy hundreds of virtual desktops for a new or temporary office environment, since users can easily unpack a keyboard, mouse, thin-client appliance and flat screen display, hook up a few cables and log in. The rest reside in a data center where the desktops are all provisioned by an operator without onsite visits.
Costs: Studies indicate user support and hardware costs decrease while software costs increase, resulting in a possible 20 percent savings in the first year. By combining the money already budgeted for a Windows 7 migration with a simultaneous move to virtual desktops, you can manage complexity, use virtualization investments to improve managing traditional desktops, get better ROI from your IT spend and transform how you serve your end users — preparing for a more agile and secure business.
business Continuity: Many traditional desktop management models depend on being able to control every facet of the end user device. Employees are often prevented from accessing corporate resources from noncorporate assets (like their home PC), resulting in business continuity challenges. With desktop virtualization, such challenges would be diminished because your workers could securely access your company’s IT resources, even from devices over which you have no control — such as a home PC — without compromising security.
it Productivity: Desktop virtualization radically simplifies the management of desktop operating images by centralizing and virtualizing processing power, operating systems, applications and user settings. With some configurations, desktops are effec-tively created anew from the master image with each session, meaning performance doesn’t degrade over time and patches and upgrades can be rolled out or back more easily.
Workforce Productivity: Your employees want the user-friendly interface and enhanced features of Windows 7 and soon, of Office 2010. Migration to new operating systems is smoother and simpler all around by choosing a virtual desktop as your new platform. Users now have an IT team actively managing their core desktop, leaving them free to focus on business. The trend toward mobile- and IT-empowered people advances again with virtual desktops.
the right model for virtualization
Once you decide to move to virtual desktops, choosing the right model is critical. We recommend the server-hosted virtual desktop model for most situations: desktops delivered from the data center with the interface streamed to thin-client devices. This is the natural evolution of ‘thin-client computing.’ Processing is done on virtual machines in the data center, where it’s faster and more cost effective. User preferences and settings are extracted and automatically applied to a standard desktop image each time the user initiates a new session. You may also decide to mix in Presentation Desktop, Blade-PC Desktop or Local Virtual Desktop for specific use cases — arriving at a unified desktop approach.
Our solution integrates virtualization, thin-client and secure access technologies. We’ve optimized operating systems (Windows XP and 7) and applications, and created an easily scalable managed service that is as close as you can get to a total enterprise class plug-and-play desktop virtualization solution. There are two core service offerings in our Virtual Desktop Services portfolio:
CSC Dynamic Desktop — powered by Citrix — is based on advanced Citrix virtual desktop software, especially its high-definition communication protocol and connection broker technology. Users access their desktop from a thin client or
CSC Anywhere Desktop — powered by Sun — uses Sun servers, software and Sun Ray desktop appliances and their fast and efficient communication protocol. Users plug in a smart card to securely access their desktop from any Sun Ray station.
With each, we offer end-to-end support, from assessments to strategy development and solution design to implementation and ongoing management. Both solutions are engineered using the best capabilities of our strategic partners — providing superior performance and scalability.
CSC Virtual Desktop Services
tWO keY CRiteRiA FOR
SeLeCtinG tHe RiGHt
uSeRS ARe tHeiR
APPLiCAtiOn DeMAnDS
AnD tHeiR quALitY
OF COnneCtivitY.
With this model, you can automatically apply company-defined settings such as drive mappings and default printers, or special profiles based on an automatic analysis of the device from which the user is connecting. IT can manage operating systems and applications as standardized elements and control access and security more easily, while users get a familiar desktop experience, from anywhere and on any device.
Selecting the ideal users
Historically, thin-client computing only suited ‘task-based’ users working in fixed places, using a limited number of applications. Virtual desktop services suit a much wider section of users, and this segment is growing. Two key criteria for selecting the right users are their application demands and their quality of connectivity.
In most large organizations, the majority of staff use three classes of applications:
• Common business productivity applications — e-mail, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations and Web browsers • Enterprise line-of-business applications — SAP, Oracle and
their legacy equivalents
• Industry- and business process-specific applications These users are ideal candidates for desktop virtualization. However, staff who spend much of their time using graphics and video editing software, or use specialized I/O devices, for example, are usually not good candidates. Also, users who need to install applications themselves may not be a good fit. From a connectivity point of view, the majority of your employees will be suitable. Most can rely on a good connection always being available: the corporate LAN, a broadband connection at home, or guest access at a customer site or their hotel. Desktop virtual-ization is particularly well suited to those who work from multiple fixed locations: Whether they use a laptop, home computer or any other options, they can work without exposing your corporate network or data.
Avoiding the pitfalls
A desktop virtualization solution brings together a number of different elements that have to work together in a ‘technology stack’ (right). You’ll have to do several things differently for it to be successful.
Before you start:
• Ensure you have a thorough understanding of your existing desktop environment, any problems that will inhibit the new environment, and the needs of the users you’ll be providing virtual desktops. Consider an independent virtual desktop services assessment.
• Understand your Windows 7 migration strategy and integrate with your virtual desktop plans for a seamless, lowest cost rollout for each class of user. Plan for application testing, and study virtual desktop application packaging and delivery to add as a part of your strategy.
• List all licensing needs for the environment and work with Microsoft and your other software vendors to obtain licenses for both the applications and the operating systems you will need.
• Rationalize applications and desktop operating images, SOE, to eliminate unused or unnecessary items. Determine which applications to virtualize and which to build into the SOE, and test them using the new approach.
• Make sure your central infrastructure — Active Directory, storage, networking — is ready to cope. Network capacity planning is crucial.
• Decide how you’re going to provide access to printers and file servers.
• Plan your organizational change — communications, rollout waves, training, support and provisioning — and show users how to enjoy the new benefits of Windows 7 and virtual desktops.
During the design phase:
• Think big from the start: Even if only a few departments or applications are in the initial scope, chances are it will grow — often, very quickly.
• Build a scalable, modular, leveraged architecture. Then, when you need to expand, you can easily add another service block.
• Keep 15 to 20 percent capacity in hand to allow for unplanned expansion. • Prepare Windows XP or 7 SOE and packaged applications as planned. • Don’t confuse ‘big’ with ‘complex’: Avoid unnecessary complexity.
• For global organizations, determine the optimal location and capacity of service blocks for providing virtual desktop services at the desired scale.
Deployment and follow-up:
• You’ll find that software distribution and patching become easier and faster.
• Be prepared to start thinking differently about some routine tasks. For example, it will be vital to closely monitor servers serving the desktop environment.
• Review and be prepared to change organizational and access rights.
• And finally, troubleshooting can be complex in a virtualized environment that has many vendor components. Be sure to have a centralized set of tools to manage the environment and minimize support requirements.
YOuR WORkeRS COuLD
SeCuReLY ACCeSS YOuR
COMPAnY’S it ReSOuRCeS
FROM DeviCeS OveR
WHiCH YOu HAve nO
COntROL — SuCH AS A
HOMe PC — WitHOut
COMPROMiSinG SeCuRitY.
end user device
network
Access and security control
Connection broker
Provisioning/management
user data and profile management
Application delivery
Guest operating system
Hypervisor
Hardware
tEChNOLOgy StaCk
PHiL GROve is CSC global director of End User Services.
Worldwide CSC headquarters the americas
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The mission of CSC is to be a global leader in providing technology-enabled business solutions and services.
With the broadest range of capabilities, CSC offers clients the solutions they need to manage complexity, focus on core businesses, collaborate with partners and clients, and improve operations.
CSC makes a special point of understanding its clients and provides experts with real-world experience to work with them. CSC is vendor-independent, delivering solutions that best meet each client’s unique requirements. For more than 50 years, clients in industries and governments worldwide have trusted CSC with their business process and information systems outsourcing, systems integration and consulting needs.
The company trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “CSC.”
BUSINESS SOLUTIONS TECHNOLOGY
