Application Readiness

For VDI to be viable, you need a plan based on facts

By Randy Littleson

I read an interesting article entitled “Is VDI Still Viable?” today.  It does a really nice job of broadly looking at the topic of virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) from every angle.  It looks at the cost implications and ROI, security, performance, management, user experience, etc.  And, it includes insights from both vendors and end customers – some of which have struggled to make it work and others who have successes they can point to.

The article also cites leading industry analyst firm Gartner and includes their perspective on where the acceptance of VDI is, including the fact that Gartner indicates that the VDI penetration rate is currently at about 2 percent of the enterprise desktop space, a number Gartner expects to reach 10 percent by 2014.  So, despite the challenges, Gartner definitely sees material growth and acceptance on the horizon.

This mirrors what we’ve been seeing as well.  Getting VDI right the first time is a tricky proposition.  There are a lot of variables involved and, unlike some initiatives, this isn’t just about IT.  A move to VDI can have a significant impact on the users.  All of this points to a critical need to have a fact-based plan developed before embarking on a VDI project.  Such a plan would be built upon real data on how your users, app and computers interact with each other.  Solutions such as Flexera Software’s AdminStudio Virtual Desktop Assessment  monitor the behavior of computers, users and applications and provide full visibility into your desktop environment to help you plan more effectively, minimize risk and reduce user-centric computing and desktop virtualization costs.

Any VDI project should start with a pilot first, but in order to ensure a successful pilot, you need to have a fact-based plan that helps you understand behaviors, select the right technologies and determine who is and is not a good candidate for VDI in the first place.  As the article accurately lays out, there are a lot of factors to consider, so having as many facts at your disposal to base your planning on is a must.

Observations from the Microsoft Management Summit (MMS)

by Toby Martin

It was a great week with some excellent sessions; here are some of my observations:

• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is creating more security related work for the IT workforce
  • Good idea on the difference between governed and managed devices, quadrant resonates with everyone because you cannot manage mobile devices in the traditional manner
  • New roles, scopes and permissions are becoming more granular as the mobile workforce and IT collide over securing data
• Still major worry about licensing for mobile and cloud delivery
  • Microsoft will be simplifying their license models, per several sessions and discussions, which is good news for complex user environments
  • Licensing in the cloud is a big gap, and it’s yet to be figured out
• System Center Orchestrator has made leaps and bounds forward
  • Run book automation (RBA) discussions were overheard several times, as was the idea of workflow templates
  • In addition to the app model, System Center 2012 Orchestrator was featured prominently in several sessions and many discussions on the floor and in the hallways
  • The need to plug into workflow models will drive new innovations in connectivity with platforms
• Start thinking of Microsoft as a platform and your survival will depend on your innovations
  • Take more control of your own destiny by using the tools they provide to leverage the System Center platform
• Flexible worker and lifestyles have huge requirements in new infrastructure and management
  • System Center 2012 Configuration Manager (CM) deploying to iOS is a pretty amazing recognition of reality – Microsoft is now less anti-iOS than previously thought (despite having their own competing platform)
  • Bold move by Microsoft to remove BYOD issue
• Cloud reality sinking in – the hybrid will be here for a long, long time
  • Progress in Azure, Intune, and other cloud platforms all make it clear that Microsoft is  investing massively there – and correctly
• Structure of cloud not nearly as important as the delivery of services

• System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) will become a big continue to erode the leadership position of other virtualization vendors
  • They’re advancing the server management capabilities at a rapid pace

• Win8 was not as much a focal point – Microsoft spent more time talking about business objectives to be solved rather than the O/S

• This is going to be a busy year for keeping up with all of the releases coming up from Microsoft

Next year – New Orleans, Laissez les bons temps rouler in June!

Getting user-centric computing and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) right the first time

by Randy Littleson

It seems everywhere you turn, IT people are talking about the move towards user-centric computing and desktop virtualization.  These are the latest trends impacting IT and the potential benefits and implications are significant.  They promise highly efficient desktop management, improved resource utilization, stronger security, greater protection of user data and substantially lower desktop costs. 

Unfortunately, many desktop virtualization projects to date have either stalled or flat out failed.  Why is that?  It’s most commonly because IT lacks visibility into how users and desktop applications consume resources such as network bandwidth, storage, CPU and memory.  Getting user-centric computing and desktop virtualization projects right requires a detailed understanding of how these factors interact with each other so that the appropriate planning, design and implementation can be completed to ensure the project is successful.  Without this insight, the migration to virtual desktops is time consuming, disruptive and risky. 

Flexera Software has long been a leader in powering an enterprises’ Application Readiness process – a process that ensures that applications are successfully deployed and delivering the business value they were intended to provide.  Today, Flexera Software has introduced the latest capability in our Application Readiness solution set – a Virtual Desktop Assessment solution to help IT deliver successful user-centric computing and desktop virtualization projects. 

AdminStudio Virtual Desktop Assessment monitors key system behaviors of computers, users and applications, capturing and summarizing detailed data that helps gauge virtualization suitability.  It’s a vendor-agnostic solution that helps you make informed decisions and enhance your virtualization strategy, whether that strategy includes Microsoft App-V™, VMware® ThinApp™ or Citrix® XenApp™. 

To learn more, you can read the press release: Flexera Software Announces New AdminStudio Virtual Desktop Assessment Tool for Planning Migrations to User-Centric Computing and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)