MCPc Blog

Desktop Virtualization Tips for Government Agencies

 Email Article  

Tweet  

  

According to the CDW-G 2010 Government Virtualization Report, 77% of more than 600 federal, state and local agencies surveyed use some kind of virtualization technology, and 89% of them say they benefit from it. However, there is still a long way to go, as 81% of those surveyed believe that their agency hasn’t taken full advantage of virtualization.  

Though server virtualization is easily the most popular type of virtualization deployed at government agencies, there is a growing interest in desktop virtualization in the market, largely driven by the promises of simplified management and lower total cost of ownership (source: Computerworld).  

What’s Driving Growth?  

In the GCN article, Leveraging Desktop Virtualization, Barbara DePompa shares the following key drivers of desktop virtualization in the public sector:  

• PC refresh projects needed at end-of-life or because of lease updates, which provide and ideal opportunity to consider adopting new technologies.

• Windows 7 migrations, which lends itself well to desktop virtualization.

• Mandates that encourage government organizations to move to the cloud, with virtualization as a logical first step on this path.

In my experience, these are common starting points in conversations about virtualization with our state and local government clients. In addition, a lot of discussions center on questions about desktop virtualization benefits, such as streamlined desktop management and deployment, business continuity improvements, and increased security and control.

How to Ensure a Successful Implementation  

In FedTech’s Agencies Plan for Desktop Virtualization, Karen D. Schwartz provides several tips for government agencies interested in desktop virtualization deployment, including:  

• Prepare end users for the change. Talk with them about how their system access will and will not be affected.

• Use a phased rollout. Test multiple applications along the way, and deploy one department or unit at a time.

• Include representatives from multiple departments together in the planning process to “create the most usable, user-accepted desktop.”

• Stop short of virtualizing every level of the organization, as top-level users aren’t always prime candidates for the technology. 

Overall, I largely agree with this advice. However, to expand upon Schwartz’ last two suggestions, with recent virtualization technology advancements in mind:  

• If your organization has multiple types of users with varying mobility and access needs, consider end-user segmentation. Then, deploy several different desktop images, based on each groups’ distinct needs.

• At the time the article was written (early 2010), desktop virtualization should stop before reaching the top levels of the organization. This may still be true today, but we are getting closer to virtualizing organizations across-the-board, particularly as mobility and multiple-device usage is on the rise. Advancements in cloud computing make this a stronger possibility in the future.

Your Thoughts?

Have you deployed virtualization technologies at your government agency? How far have you gone? How is it working out? Please share your experiences and questions in the comments below.

Bill L'Esperance is Regional Vice President - State and Local Government, and Education. Bill is an experienced enterprise-technology executive with demonstrated success in operations management, technology implementation and solution sales. Connect with Bill on LinkedIn.

Stay Connected with MCPc: Subscribe to the blog; follow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.

image credit: ensh