Virtualisation

Virtualisation is typically defined as hiding or masking the physical characteristics of computing resources to simplify and optimise the way in which other systems, applications, or end users interact with those resources.  Virtualisation enables a single physical resource (Application, Operating System, Server, or Storage Device) appear as multiple logical resources; or making multiple physical resources (Servers or Storage Devices) appear as a single logical resource. Consolidation is one of the major driving forces for Virtualisation; a company with many physical devices can greatly reduce their IT budget by either replacing or re-provisioning a few larger physical devices to increase the utilization of costly hardware resources such as CPU and Memory.

Application Virtualisation

Application Virtualisation is the decoupling of applications and operating systems from the underlying hardware.  The virtual sandbox of application and OS can be deilivered to the end user along with other sandboxed applications and co-exist without conflicting.  

Microsoft App-V, formerly Softgrid, is the leading Application Virtualisation technology and is included in the Windows Server 2008 Remote Desktop Services CAL (RDS CAL) for Terminal Services/Citrix XenApp environments or as part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimisation Pack (MDOP) for desktops.

Citrix Streaming technology is included with Citrix XenApp or XenDesktop.

Using Application Virtualisation allows for a very dynamic enviroment able to deploy and adapt applications quickly and efficiently.

Desktop Virtualisation

For a long time now and for the majority of organisations a Windows XP desktop has been a very effective and reliable operating system, with a large range of very stable and compatible applications it became the standard for many, but for users working in remote offices, from home, or road warriors who spend little time in office all together, many organisations implemented small tactical deployments of the Citrix technology stack or purchased laptops or a mixture of both.

Because of the costs of managing and maintaining applications within multiple environments, a lot of organisations have considered moving to a single, centrally delivered desktop but due to concerns over performance, reliability and personalisation aswell as the belief that they already have a perfectly good desktop infrastructure in place and the constant on-going debate of TCO analysis in the industry right now this has stopped many organiations from moving forward.

But this is rapidly changing due to some key motivators for change happening in the market:

• Support for Windows XP will become end of life
• The new generation of users expecting access to applications on demand
• Organisations workforce becoming more dispersed and mobile
• Users expect to be able to use new devices such as IPads and Smart phones to get access.
• The adoption of cloud services, IAAS, PAAS, SAAS etc
• User Experience

When considering how to meet these demands and deploy the next generation of desktops and applications, many organisations are looking at desktop virtualisation to help IT become an enabler not a disrupter within their business.

• Consolidation of support
• Central deployment of applications and desktop upgrades
• Ability to Provide a Windows 7 look and feel to all users
• Helps dramatically with the adoption of thin-client devices or increasing the life span of existing fat client PC’s.

Desktop virtualisation provides users with access to a host of different types of centrally delivered desktops depending on the profile and demands of that user.  The types of desktop varies from a degree of personalisation ranging from a very controlled environment up to users having full control and administration rights to their own virtual PC.  It is also possible to deliver a virtualised windows 7 desktop to users with smart devices such as IPads and tablets.

The main benefits of desktop virtualisation are:

Assist are specialists in the design, build, deployment and support of end to end desktop virtualisation solutions, delivering applications and desktops with the highest levels of performance and security.

Server Virtualisation

Server Virtualisation is now a mainstream initiative utilised by thousands of organisations around the world.  The sweating of corporate assets is popular in current economic conditions and Server Virtualisation ensures server utilisation is maximised and server investment is minimised.

The concept of Server Virtualisation is simple; the seperation of the Server Operating System from the Hardware and converted into a virtual machine which resides on a Hypervisor.

The market leader for Server Virtualisation has long been VMware however Citrix XenServer and Microsoft Hyper-V are gaining market share with comparable solutions for a fraction of the cost.

Assist are accomplished in all Server Virtualisation Technologies from the main players so can advise from an impartial point of view as to the most appropriate solution based upon your requirements.  The Hypervisor chosen is becoming less important and more and more organisations have a footprint of 2 or 3 hypervisors using tools capable of managing them all from one seperate management console.

Storage Virtualisation

Storage Virtualisation is the pooling of physical storage (disks) from multiple network storage devices into a "virtual" single storage device that is centrally managed. Storage virtualization helps the storage Administrator perform the tasks of LUN provisioning, backup, snapshots, archiving, and recovery more easily, and in less time, by disguising the actual complexity of the SAN. Assist Limited are proficient in designing, implementing and supporting Small-to-Enterprise scale solutions leveraging similar and mixed technology hardware and software vendors.