It is unlikely that you will install a virtual desktop environment system unless you are extremely technical competent. This is not an installation for the faint hearted!
The information below outlines some of the areas that need to be considered when installing a virtual system:
- You will need to understand which, if not all servers can be replaced by virtual server(s).
- Are your current servers powerful enough to support your requirements?
- You will need to have analysis carried out to determine which servers are used the most, and which are under utilised.
- It is important to know of your applications require the most processing power.
- You will require virtualisation software and the appropriate number of licences.
- Administration training – plan for one day. It most unlikely that your users will notice any difference and it is highly unlikely that they will require any training. You will need someone reasonably technically competent to deal with any potential minor issues or act as a first point of call for your support organisation.
- You may consider a hosted solution but consider how the hosting company may support you.
What can I exect to gain by Implementing Desktop Virtualisation
It is difficult to give a typical figure that you should expect as a Return on Investment (ROI) because there are a number of factors that influence this calculation:
- Generally speaking, if your organisation has powerful servers and they are underused, then you may expect a better return. Likewise, if your organisation have not such powerful servers and are being heavily used, then you will not get such a better return. Depending on circumstances, this may be a ratios of 3:1 i.e. you may be to reduce the hardware requirements by a third.
- You should also expect less to use less electricity and the impact of that will be lower utility bills.
- Management. It becomes easier to manage a number of environments from one place.