The Virtues of Desktop Virtualization - Lenovo | US

Virtualization
The Virtues of
Desktop Virtualization
Take a closer look at money-saving PC options more
companies are considering.
Today’s organizaTions are Taking advanTage of
deskTop virTualizaTion, also know as alternative client
computing. Desktop virtualization centralizes PC software and
storage in one location, usually a server or sophisticated storage
device. The end user can then use a thin client — a PC that’s
streamlined down to a monitor, processor, and keyboard.
No hard drive necessary.
The right desktop virtualization solution can reduce the
total cost of pC ownership (TCO), reducing the need for IT
management and cutting power use by as much as 40%.* Your IT
staff manages maintenance, security, and software updates at one
location, not hundreds or thousands. And because each user PC
does not require a hard drive, the total cost per client is reduced as
well. It’s easy to see how the savings can add up fast, even for an
educational institution.
How to CHoose
a Virtualization
solution
Match your PC environment
(local or distributed) with the
type of user you manage.
Distributed
PC ENVIRONMENT
Local
remote
Desktop services
(rDs)
Applications Limited
Customization
Limited
Multimedia
Limited
Despite the claims of some solution providers, there isn’t a
one-size-fits-all option for your needs. Different alternative client
solutions will make sense depending on several key factors:
the size and distribution of your workforce; the type of activity
your workers do every day; and the server, network, and storage
infrastructure you currently maintain.
The critical question: which is the right-sized and correctly
configured solution for your organization?
Lenovo is here to help. Let’s take a look at three types of
virtualization that suit different kinds of workers, workspaces,
and work locations. Even if you’ve already invested in a server
virtualization infrastructure, there are still options worth exploring.
The goal is making sure the solution you choose now becomes
a real asset over time, and not a missed opportunity.
Virtual Desktop infrastructure
(VDi)
secure Managed Client
(sMC)
Standard
Advanced
Standard Advanced
Task Workers Knowledge Workers
TYPE OF USER
* “Businesses Take Another Look at Virtual Desktops,
” Wall Street Journal, September 30, 2009.
CliCk www.lenovo.com/edusolutions

“Organizations want an alternative desktop
computing solution that is simple to
use, easy to deploy, and will deliver
a tangible return on investment.
The answer is Lenovo SMC 2.0.”
— Peter Schrady, Vice President and General Manager
Lenovo Software and Peripherals
reMote Desktop
serViCes (rDs)
A server-based solution
for task-oriented workers
and computing.
Let’s say you run a call center or an other organization with
task-oriented workforce in a local environment. You already have
servers in place to host your data and lots of excess capacity.
Your users only need a few software applications to do their jobs,
and those applications aren’t particularly demanding on graphics
or processing power.
ThE VIrTuES Of DESkTOP VIrTuALIzATION
Sound familiar? If so, remote desktop services (rDS) can work
wonders for your organization. Based on the use of thin clients
by each user, rDS are a simple, easy, and secure way to deliver
basic computing capabilities to task workers.
With some rDS applications, the client is merely a display and
input device. With nothing executed or saved on the client, your
data is safe and software easy to manage in a central location.
Many organizations use rDS for at least some applications
on regular PCs, especially where data security is essential
and users are in a fixed location with constant network
access. Bank tellers accessing the transaction system or
healthcare professionals working with patient records are
common examples.
advanTages
accessible: users can work from any PC client
Customized: some personalization of PC environment
secure: data safe in a remote location (not on PCs)
Manageable: simplified IT support from central location
portable: easy to move clients to other sites
disadvanTages
Mobility: PCs need physical network connection
performance: need more bandwidth as users increase
dependence: all clients depend on server to function
Compatibility: not designed for media-intensive application
CliCk www.lenovo.com/edusolutions

Virtualization
Virtual Desktop
infrastruCture (VDi)
A server-based solution for
knowledge workers in a
distributed environment.
If your organization requires a myriad of applications used
by knowledge workers based in multiple locations (such as
regional offices or campuses) with a common data center, you
should consider virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). A recent
development that’s gaining in popularity, VDI is designed to offer
a customizable user experience with the management and
security advantages of server-based models.
As with rDS, computation and storage are centralized, with user
applications and interfaces pushed over a network connection
via remote desktop protocol. VDI also delivers the TCO savings
that result. The major difference is that VDI can offer users their
own complete virtual machines.
As with other server-based models, performance may vary
with applications, distance, and number of users. It is possible
to run multimedia or graphics-rich applications on VDI clients,
but you may need to add media acceleration for those machines
(see the Wyse article on next page).
advanTages
accessible: users can work from any PC client
Customized: fully personalized PC environment
secure: data safe in a remote location (not on PCs)
Manageable: centralized software and image support
portable: easy to move clients to other sites with
adequate bandwidth.
disadvanTages
Mobility: PCs need physical network connection
performance: need more bandwidth as users increase
and to support advanced applications
Cost: deployment requires transition investment
dependence: all clients depend on server to function
Complexity: IT must manage multiple images
seCure ManageD
Client (sMC)
A storage-based solution
for knowledge workers in
a localized environment.
Lenovo’s exclusive secure Managed Client (SMC), and unlike
rDS or VDI, it doesn’t require additional servers or server
infrastructure investment. A storage-based solution, SMC
offers some unique advantages that are perfect for growing
organizations — or anyone looking for an alternative to their
existing virtualization program.
An SMC solution consists of standard PCs connected to a remote
storage appliance. The storage device hosts data and applications,
but the full PCs can utilize their own processors and peripherals to
run video VOIP and graphic applications. Since user data is stored
centrally, it can be easily managed to deliver the low TCO offered
by other virtualization solutions.
unlike server-based solutions, a SMC storage appliance doesn’t
require special power, cooling, or housing: a network closet will do.
And if you need redundancy, simply purchase another storage
appliance — not additional servers, storage, and software.
SMC doesn’t require drastic changes to IT processes, so users
will think they’re using standard PCs. And SMC clients are as much
as 33% more efficient than PCs using internal hard drives. With
Lenovo SMC 2.0 you can keep all your PC power while saying
goodbye to unnecessary energy use and management costs.
advanTages
powerful: run rich apps on full PCs with peripherals
Customized: fully personalized PC environment
secure: data safe in a remote location (not on PCs)
Manageable: centralized software and image support
Convertible: easy to revert client to normal PC
Cost-effective: no server infrastructure investment required
disadvanTages
Mobility: best utilized in a single location
CliCk www.lenovo.com/edusolutions

wHy lenoVo?
Lenovo has robust client solutions for each virtualization strategy:
rDS, VDI, and SMC. You know us for our legendary service, IT
management tools, and reliable equipment. So when it’s time to
virtualize, we’ll not only have the solution you need, we’ll be there
to help you fine-tune its performance.
Lenovo also offers some
pioneering virtualization
technologies. As of press
time, we offer the PC
industry’s only storagebased
fleet management
solution, SMC 2.0,
which consists of
SMC-supported Lenovo
ThinkCentre desktop PCs,
in a recent Wall Street Journal
article, iBM reported that
virtualization can mean a
40% drop in
electricity use
— “Businesses Take Another Look at
Virtual Desktops,” September 30, 2009.
a Lenovo codeveloped software stack, and a centralized Lenovo
Storage Array Network (SAN) appliance. Our SAN hosts the “hard
drives” of up to 150 users — and can fit in a spare room or closet.
Wyse Thin ThinkPad Solutions
A great part of any virtualization scenario.
in iTs siMplesT definiTion, a thin client is a small,
light, easy-to-use device used in a server-based environment.
Without a local storage device, thin clients can be virtually
impervious to viruses. Because applications and data are not
stored locally, proprietary information cannot be corrupted,
lost, or stolen. Your data always stays safe and secure on
your server, continually backed up, and compliant with
privacy regulations.
In partnership with Wyse, the global leader
in thin computing and client virtualization,
Lenovo offers series of the newly released
Thin Thinkpad offerings.
Wyse Thin Client eXtension software (TCX) provides new
levels of performance (including uSB connectivity, VoIP, and
rich multimedia), and Wyse Desktop Accelerator minimizes
latency issues. And with Wyse Device Manager and our other
management tools, IT can easily manage a thin client
fleet en masse, reducing deskside visits and the overall
costs of support.
ThE VIrTuES Of DESkTOP VIrTuALIzATION
Partnering with Wyse, we now offer six ranges of thin clients for
every type of worker and budget, plus a host of software and IT
support solutions to serve them (see below for details.)
“Our customers are asking for an alternative desktop solution
that is simple to use, easy to deploy, and will deliver a return on
the investment,” says Peter Schrady, Lenovo’s vice president and
general manager of Software and Peripherals. And that’s exactly
what we’re here to deliver.
Contact Lenovo to learn which solution is right for your organization.
And start enjoying the very real benefits of desktop virtualization.
see real advantages of virtualization.
discover the flexibility and control of lenovo’s many
virtualization solutions. find one that’s right for your
organization by contacting your lenovo account
executive or call 877-852-7445 to request a fast and
effective on-site demonstration.
advanTages of Thin ClienTs
less costly to purchase and manage.
Thin client end user systems have a dramatically lower
TCO than the PCs they replace. Where the average annual
maintenance costs for a PC can be four to seven times the
acquisition costs, thin clients have delivered savings of more
than $1,000 per user in total maintenance costs.
rapid deployment is simple.
They’re small, plug-and-play devices that are easy to
install, even in crowded areas. A well-designed solution
can support up to 40,000 thin clients, allowing for quick
and cost-effective growth.
Wyse solutions support a wide range of os options.
And all Wyse devices provide access to Microsoft remote
Desktop Services, Citrix XenApp and/or XenDesktop,
as well as VMware View.
Much of the content of this feature story is repurposed from the whitepaper, “understanding Alternate Compute Models,” Copyright © 2009 Intel Corporation.
CliCk www.lenovo.com/edusolutions