[GRLUG] Amerisure ditches its PCs, goes all virtual

[Adam Tauno Williams]

On Wed, 2010-04-07 at 10:06 -0400, Casey DuBois 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.
> > 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?

Awesome;  but can't see how anyone would make it cost-effective.

> Would someone with the hardware and volume discounts for Citrix and
> such be able to make it work?

I doubt it;  they'd have to have the staff and facilities to support it
and Windows licensing costs are rather linear.

> Also thinking this person would be able to get some sort of discount
> on the Thin Clients.

I think the client devices are irrelevant.  You can use anything,
including repurposed PCs (which makes sense both economically and
environmentally).

We have a Windows 2000 TSE,  2000 because that version had concurrent
licensing [which makes economic sense] with 2003 and later you have
non-concurrent licensing [all devices must be licensed, vs. licensing
the server for X connections].  Non-concurrent licensing is nuts.  So
you need ESX + 2003/2008 w/CALS + Citrix [if you want the advantages of
Citrix].

I suppose it could be done, but the start-up costs to reach scale would
be tough.