[GRLUG] Amerisure ditches its PCs, goes all virtual

[Ben DeMott]

I know at Alticor they use / are testing a combination of
Thin-Clients, Vmware Application Emulation, and Citrix... basically
allowing them to use a thin-client and swap-in/out any version of any
program, while keeping the users profile 'roaming' and valid.
In concept this sounds like a great idea - but the complexity involved
to manage and track down bugs... Plus the limitations it imposes on
the use of software is incredible.

On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 10:27 AM, Ben Rousch <brousch at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 10:06 AM, Casey DuBois <casey at grlug.org> wrote:
>> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 7:06 AM, Adam Tauno Williams
>> <awilliam at whitemice.org> wrote:
>>> On Tue, 2010-04-06 at 15:45 -0400, Casey DuBois wrote:
>>>> One of our customers is doing this sort of thing but not purchasing
>>>> thin clients, they are just re-purposing OLD computers.
>>>> Are there any Open Source options to do this sort of thing?
>>>> Thinking Schools could benefit.
>>>
>>> So he eliminated ~800 (maybe ~$0.5M in hardware) desktops and installed
>>> 60 servers (with ESX) [probably about $250,000 up front] and spend ~$2
>>> million on Citrix licenses.  Nope, we don't do that.  Because the ROI is
>>> somewhere in the sub-basement or maybe the sewer pipes;   I wish it
>>> wasn't since managing PCs sucks - but thin-clients are expensive and
>>> limited.  Thin clients require the *same* software license as thick
>>> clients [you still gotta buy the same M$-Office license] + the several
>>> layers of licensing on the server side + the cooling and rack capacity
>>> for *60* servers.  The power point he used to sell this project to his
>>> board must have been awesome.
>
> You may not save money on the actual hardware, but it sounds like he
> saved a lot of money on IT support staff. I can see this especially in
> a small extension office which previously had a small business server
> and a dozen workstations to keep up. Now they just have an Internet
> pipe to keep track of and a couple of spare thin clients that any
> idgit can plug in.
>
> It essentially eliminates all end-user hardware issues. Not having a
> local C: for each user also eliminates a ton of virus, crapware, and
> miscellaneous OS issues, which allowed them to reduce help desk staff.
>
> You will also save money in energy efficiency since each thin client
> uses less power than the real PC it replaced, and you can better
> optimize energy and resource usage in a centralized data center as
> compared to scattered small servers.
>
>>>
>>> I've been pro-thin-client since the first time I used an IBM X-station.
>>> But they don't make sense.
>>
>> What are your thoughts on someone offering a managed version of the
>> Back end hardware with Licensing and hosting?
>> Would someone with the hardware and volume discounts for Citrix and
>> such be able to make it work?
>> Also thinking this person would be able to get some sort of discount
>> on the Thin Clients.
>
> This might open up thin clients to smaller businesses that can't get
> the big volume discounts. It makes sense to me to outsource the
> desktops to this extent assuming you can get a big, reliable Internet
> pipe to the location.
>
>>
>> Casey DuBois
>> 616-808-6942
>> casey at grlug.org
>> _______________________________________________
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>
> --
>  Ben Rousch
>  brousch at gmail.com
>  http://ishmilok.blogspot.com/
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