I was speaking with a buddy at a Fortune 10 and they are going through the usual hand wringing about virtualizing desktops and asked me to help on coming up with defensible models for their finance team. Here were some of the things we looked at and I wanted to share them...
Agents - there are 12 agents on every desktop which means 12 additional pieces of technology and associated infrastructure components to purchase, deploy, and manage. Average savings was $580 per desktop on agents alone year one/per new build.
Patching - with our process the patching occurs on boot in as close to real time as possible. An average of 15 minutes per desktop/laptop * (enter device count here)/4 = hours per device per month.
Backup - Increasing storage is spend, but it is more than offset by forensic investigations ($5,000 per request/investigation, plus retainer) and calls to support. Google or Microsoft search is free so when the device is reset on boot up the search is available and the cost is then borne by the user, reducing calls to support 30%
Hardware - Life expectancy for a thin client linux on a non-beefy machine doubles its useful life and allows for further depreciation and flexibility when accounting for costs of assets. Ace up the sleeve for finance.
All in average savings was $1100 per desktop with better support, easier and more efficient management, and more control.
Showing posts with label desktop virtualization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label desktop virtualization. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Desktop vs. Server - Where is the Best Bang for the Buck?
A friend of mine at State Street in Boston sent me a link to an article talking about Merrill Lynch starting to virtualize the desktop en masse.
It got me thinking about where the best bang for the buck is - at the desktop or the server. Purely by numbers it's the desktop. There are more desktops than servers out there in most companies. I think the biggest issue is that you have to deal with users and their inherent free will to put P2P stuff, different chat software, games, etc. on their desktops, and with servers it tends to be a little easier since most people who know how to run a server don't call support and say 'My Internet is Broken'.
I also paid attention because it validates a solution I have been incubating for 7-8 months that has the capability to turn the desktop world on its head and cut the costs of a desktop to $100 or less per year. You pick how much you want to save based on how many desktops you want to manage.
What the solutions that are out there offer (Desktone is one I checked out) is essentially snapshot to storage of the image. Hardly new and hardly virtual. The partners include Citrix, Microsoft, and VMware. Huh?
If there is to be real, measurable, and true cost savings you need some other goodies (features) built in - and yes I have them - as well as the knowledge of what it takes from the support engineer point of view, the network engineer point of view, the IT staff in house, right up to the CFO who makes sure the company gets the best bang for its buck and manages revenue and expenses well.
In other words it's not all about the desktop. It's about all the other stuff that run (or shouldn't run) on it, and the infrastructure behind it that matter as much if not more. If you want a little juice, press an apple. If you want a lot of juice, press the orchard.
Have a great long weekend out there, and remember our soldiers - present and past - who are responsible for keeping me and my generations of family safe.
A personal Thank You to the men and women in uniform and their families who are able to call themselves soldiers this Memorial Day. Your family keeps mine free and we know it. You should too. Thank You.
It got me thinking about where the best bang for the buck is - at the desktop or the server. Purely by numbers it's the desktop. There are more desktops than servers out there in most companies. I think the biggest issue is that you have to deal with users and their inherent free will to put P2P stuff, different chat software, games, etc. on their desktops, and with servers it tends to be a little easier since most people who know how to run a server don't call support and say 'My Internet is Broken'.
I also paid attention because it validates a solution I have been incubating for 7-8 months that has the capability to turn the desktop world on its head and cut the costs of a desktop to $100 or less per year. You pick how much you want to save based on how many desktops you want to manage.
What the solutions that are out there offer (Desktone is one I checked out) is essentially snapshot to storage of the image. Hardly new and hardly virtual. The partners include Citrix, Microsoft, and VMware. Huh?
If there is to be real, measurable, and true cost savings you need some other goodies (features) built in - and yes I have them - as well as the knowledge of what it takes from the support engineer point of view, the network engineer point of view, the IT staff in house, right up to the CFO who makes sure the company gets the best bang for its buck and manages revenue and expenses well.
In other words it's not all about the desktop. It's about all the other stuff that run (or shouldn't run) on it, and the infrastructure behind it that matter as much if not more. If you want a little juice, press an apple. If you want a lot of juice, press the orchard.
Have a great long weekend out there, and remember our soldiers - present and past - who are responsible for keeping me and my generations of family safe.
A personal Thank You to the men and women in uniform and their families who are able to call themselves soldiers this Memorial Day. Your family keeps mine free and we know it. You should too. Thank You.
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