Entisys Solutions: Don't Create VDI Risk

Microsoft’s work with Citrix has brought it deeper into the virtual desktop infrastructure space. It’s latest report, VDI TCO Whitepaper for Office Workers, explores the perception that desktop virtualization accessed from thin clients will lower costs and optimize service desk operations – and that it comes at the expense of engineering costs (at least to a some extent).

Below, you’ll find the analysis that Michael Strohl, President and CEO of Entisys Solutions (one of M7 Global Partners’ members) contributed.

From my perspective many organizations create risk when selecting a VDI Solution. Instead of focusing on strategic goals, organizations focus on tactical needs for an individual or department. This prevents them from taking advantage of scale, the “sweet spot” for any virtualized solution. VDI should be a platform decision. Organizations should take a broad view of their computing environment and determine what use cases would benefit from VDI. If there is sufficient demand, one infrastructure should be developed for the entire organization. By doing this, organizations will prevent the creation of multiple tactical systems that are not able to leverage the full value of a virtualized environment.

This report has made the case that VDI is not a good fit for the Office worker. While the benchmarking studies uncovered issues with user satisfaction, this may not have been the fault of the technology. Better planning up front could have mitigated this risk. Many organizations make the mistake of treating desktops like servers by evaluating workloads. Organizations should instead evaluate user behavior and minimal performance thresholds. A VDI software vendor should be chosen by its ability to provide the business requirements based on user behavior. Different VDI software vendors have different competencies in this area. Vendors that have their roots in server workloads may struggle to provide the same quality user experience as a firm that has been delivering user desktops.

VDI is new and risky. The key to success is to develop a strategic plan, have a deep understanding of the user community and then choose the software vendor that is best aligned to business requirements.

About Entisys Solutions, Inc.

Founded in 1988, Entisys Solutions is leading the way in virtualization and modernization – from the data center to the desktop – through the delivery of state of the art methodologies and broad solution offerings around Citrix Application Delivery Virtualization, VMware Virtualization, NetApp Storage Virtualization, Microsoft infrastructure and HP converged infrastructure of products. Entisys also offers comprehensive Professional Support Services, complementary managed services and consulting and engineering services to mid-tier and enterprise organizations as well as government agencies. The company has become a trusted advisor to some of the most prominent companies in California.

Entisys Solutions and Agile360, the Southern California Division of Entisys Solutions, hold the distinction of being a Citrix Platinum Partner, VMware Premier Partner, and Microsoft Managed Partner.

Among the many awards that the firm has won over the years are VMware Market Maker – Americas Region – for 2005 and 2006; runner-up for Citrix Solution Provider of the Year in North America in 2006; Top North American Reseller Partner for the Citrix Application Networking Group (ANG) in 2007; 2007 Citrix Partner of the Year; Top Performing Citrix Solution Advisor Partner for North American sales and revenue influence for Citrix XenServer™ and Citrix Desktop™ virtualization software solutions; 2008 and 2009 State & Local Partner of the Year for North America by Citrix Systems; the 2009 Healthcare Partner of the Year for North American by Citrix Systems; the 2009 Western Region Partner of the Year by Citrix Systems; and, 2009 Highest Year-over-Year Growth – West for NetApp sales from Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions. In 2010, the company was awarded the U.S. Western Region Winning on Value award from Microsoft Corp. In 2010, the company was also ranked among North America’s Top 500 Technology Integrators by Everything Channel.

Entisys Solutions' corporate headquarters are located in Concord, Calif., with offices in Irvine, Calif. and Pasadena, Calif. For more information, visit www.entisys.com or call 1-877-ENTISYS (877-368-4797).

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