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Companies get rid off computers and replace them with virtual ones

Local companies are striving for maximal IT cost reduction. They cease to buy classic desktops and replace them with virtual machines. The computer is no longer a box on the desk, but a virtual working environment connected via a mobile terminal, keyboard and monitor to a server in a remote data center. "From one such server up to 30 virtual machines can be operated. Companies thus considerably save costs for hardware purchase and administration. The savings are roughly 35 percent, "says David Kucera, S&T consultant for virtualization.

Gartner estimated in 2010 that over the next four years, about 70 percent of small and medium-sized enterprises will go for 100% virtualization. According to S&T analysis, in the next year some form of virtualization - i.e. virtual desktops, thin clients or virtual applications - will be used by 10 percent of companies and that this market segment in the Czech Republic will grow by 20 percent annually. "Previously, companies mainly used server virtualization and now ‘clone' personal computers as well," explains David Kucera. However, from the user perspective, these diskless workstations, compared to desktop computers do not change much, people still have access to all their applications and data that are now stored only on the server.

Twenty percent virtualization grow is expected In the Czech Republic

S&T CZ internal analysis says that the virtualization pace in the Czech Republic is not so amazing as for example in Germany where according to Gartner in 2012 up to 20 percent of companies will have no own IT equipment and will rely on outsourcing with software and computing services. "The market in the CR is in tow of large telecom and financial companies having over one thousand employees and representing a typical customer," says David Kucera.

Virtualization is still more attractive thanks to the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), which according to David Kucera has matured enough to allow wide use in companies. "The cost analysis shows that investments made in desktop virtualization come back after 18 to 22 months, while at the same time the hardware renewal cycle becomes significantly longer - five or six years," says Kucera. Convincing solutions for desktop virtualization have been already developed by VMware, Citrix or Microsoft.

S&T has got good experience with the use of these solutions and customers are still more interested about them.
They allow companies to move part of their employees to thin clients or their own computers and let them work from home. "Employees appreciate the opportunity for home working as it saves them time linked with travelling to work. Companies appreciate that employees have full and secure access to the corporate environment even being mobile. The company also saves on office space and energies, "adds David Kucera arguments of mutual benefit.

Budgetary organizations virtualize because of savings

Classic desktops now end especially in larger companies with many branches, such as financial institutions and telecom operators, but the same happens also in many budgetary educational organizations. For example, South Bohemian University decided to virtualize at the time when their original IT infrastructure served out. They started at first with server virtualization, and later replaced also their workstations. " In total we now have 90 virtual machines for students. Gradually we would like to extend the virtualization up to some 500 computers used by university employees. Administrators now spend much less time with computer administration and may address other activities," says Milan Tržil, IT Manager of South Bohemian University.

After changing the hardware the University did not register any problems except of typical wear and tear of keyboards due to their above-average using. "We intend to use this new hardware ‘till one drops’, as nothing there can become morally obsolete and only servers and software will need to be upgraded," says Milan Tržil.

Great pressure on human resources savings was behind a similar solution in the largest medical faculty in Czech Republic, the First Medical Faculty of Charles University. The faculty needed to implement an access to 150 computers in student classrooms as soon as possible and with lowest cost of administration. A reload of standard configuration with specific requirements for education of future doctors was a necessary option there. The faculty chose a remote desktop distribution, which is a less ambitious solution than a desktop virtualization, but still allows you to stream basic desktop images and also have prepared alternate images with different operating system versions or in different languages. "Deploying remote desktop distribution means for us big time savings and thanks to the options that such solution offers, we can now much more flexibly respond to user requests," says Ivan Pesek from the IT department in the First Medical Faculty. According to Ivan Pesek, based on good experience with the operation, another 150 computers will be added in near time.

Conclusions

Pros:

• Flexibility - Virtual desktops can be set up quickly and as needed. They can be cancelled just as easily.
• Mobility – you can work with them anywhere and anytime, e.g. from home and from any device.
• Savings – companies can reduce the cost of IT management and administration, mainly due to centrally managed software updates - the result is a smaller number of IT professionals, and their allocation to a new and interesting work.
• Power consumption – just the virtual desktop server works in case of virtual desktops - among other things, it has the impact on energy savings, generating interesting amounts: with each thin client replacing a desktop the company saves annually 1000 CZK for electricity.
• Dramatic TCO/ROI decrease – break point comes usually in 18-22 months time, when your virtual desktops will earn for themselves.
• Interesting solutions in times of crisis – desktop virtualization saves IT investments and also extends the hardware replacement cycle from recommended three years period to five or six years.
• Lower security risk – thin client is just a monitor and all company data remains secure in the datacenter.
• Monitoring of employees – virtualized desktops give a perfect overview of the employee work and of files types which he works with. Any possible wrong-doing can be easily documented.
• End of over-licensing – thanks to the central administration it is easier to audit the software.
• IT status within the enterprise – IT as a separate business unit, exact calculation of all internal costs is easy.

Cons:

• Problematic licensing from Microsoft side – licensing of terminals accessing the virtual desktop is needed.
• Data center and its infrastructure – high demands on the infrastructure of the virtual data center.
• Selecting the most appropriate type of virtual desktop – need for proper user categorization depending of their work and the most appropriate type of virtual desktop.
• Application Compatibility – applications need to be compatible with modern environment of Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2 server (especially 64bit support).