client SEPTEMBER | 2011 computing Centralizing computing resources can improve security, speed application availability and reduce support costs.

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CWRD •G EFERENCE GUIDE

A guide to the latest technology for people who get IT CLIENT COMPUTING REFERENCE GUIDE

IN THIS ISSUE:

Chapter 1: Client Computing Comes of Age...... 3 • The Evolutionary Path • Real-world Benefits • Innovation Continues

Chapter 2: Client Computing Architectures...... 6 • Architecture Options • Client Computing and Virtualization • Client Computing Meets the Cloud

Chapter 3: Client Computing Devices...... 11 • Thin Clients and Zero Clients • The Benefits of Thin Client Hardware • Client Caveats

Chapter 4: Client Computing and COOP...... 25 • Continuity of Operations: Being Prepared • Clear and Present Dangers Ws hat i a CDW•G • COOP Components Reference Guide? • How Client Computing Can Improve COOP

Chapter 5: Client Rollout and Management...... 29 • • How to Select the Right Architecture At CDW G, we’re committed to • Infrastructure Considerations getting you everything you need • Thin Client Support to make the right purchasing • Management Best Practices decisions — from products and services to information about the Glossary...... 33 latest technology.

Index...... 35 Our Reference Guides are designed to provide you with an in-depth look at topics that relate directly to the IT challenges you face. Consider them an extension of your account manager’s knowledge and expertise. We hope you find this guide to be a useful resource. chapter 1

The Evolutionary Path Real-world Benefits Innovation Continues

Client Computing Comes of Age Many benefits accrue by managing applications from a central location.

Client computing is a robust large, highly efficient data centers or 90 percent of medium- and large- technology that helps IT managers private and public clouds that offer size organizations are considering manage their desktop fleets more scalable computing power and storage or implementing at least one form efficiently and supports greater resources that can be provisioned on of client virtualization, with the vast productivity for their organizations. the fly. The second piece is a high- majority of that group planning to In short, this technology replaces speed wired or wireless network install a client virtualization solution expensive desktop PCs with more optimized to keep data throughput within the next 12 to 24 months. modest end-user devices that latencies low and service quality high. That’s the big picture. But, as with any draw strength from centralized The final piece is the clients, which large-scale IT endeavor, the success of processing power, applications run the gamut of hardware available client computing depends on a number and data that’s available for end today, from desktop PCs to a wide of factors. They include designing the users anytime and anywhere. variety of modern thin clients, including right architecture; making wise choices It’s a battle-tested approach to those without onboard CPUs or hard about devices, operating systems computing that dates back to the disks. Increasingly, the list of devices and applications; and managing the mainframe era, but with important also includes the latest tablet PCs and rollout and ongoing operation of the updates that take advantage of today’s smartphones. Client computing lets infrastructure. Setting up and running leading technology innovations, each organization’s requirements and a client computing environment is including virtualization, cloud the personal preferences of individual getting easier all the time thanks to computing, smartphones and tablets. end users guide what hardware maturing technologies and a host of Like many game-changing works best in each situation. well-documented best practices. technologies, the strength of client IT managers are gravitating toward computing lies in its simplicity. This this strategy. Market research firm IDC The Evolutionary Path technology’s building blocks consist of predicts that shipments of hardware for Each generation of client computing three main essentials. The first piece client virtualization could rise from about has been marked by a shift in which is centralized computing resources. 13 million in 2011 to 34 million by 2014. organizations concentrate processing In the past, this meant mainframes. Similarly, CDW’s 2010 Client power. In the mainframe era, processing Today, client computing consists of Virtualization Straw Poll found that occurred in data centers that housed

3 chapter 1 these ”big iron” machines. patches, software updates, service access to networks and applications. Later, when desktop PCs proliferated, tickets and refresh strategies. In contrast, a client-computing end users crunched data locally using Client computing seeks to offer strategy concentrates security efforts their own CPUs and information stored the best of old-school centralized on a smaller and more manageable on internal hard drives. Today, the computing and new-school number of data center servers. pendulum is swinging back to centralized innovation, with the ultimate This centralized approach eases processing resources, either in central goal of balancing affordability, the auditing burdens associated data centers or public and private clouds. manageability and better computing with regulatory compliance. Finally, For many CIOs, the concept of client environments. Some far-reaching client computing extends an computing may seem suspiciously and complementary technology organization’s security practices to familiar. However, what is new is how trends are making this a reality. mobile users, no matter where or client computing mixes the best of Server virtualization is a natural fit when they tap into IT resources. this technology’s past offerings with for client computing because it lets IT Centralized management: By today’s innovations in ways that give managers extend their goal of shared centralizing computing power, data organizations more choice, economy and IT services, allowing clients of all and applications in core data centers, efficiency for delivering IT resources. types to tap into back-end servers for organizations reduce the burdens In the past, dumb terminals served processing power, data and applications. of maintaining and supporting a a specific purpose, giving multiple End users get the resources they need diverse PC environment. For example, users within an organization individual for their individual requirements, while when a new edition of a software on-ramps to expensive mainframe IT managers centralize management application arrives, the IT staff updates computing power. Access to mainframe control, allocate resources as needs only a few data center servers, not data was a precious resource, and change and limit the hardware footprint every PC in the organization. terminals made it possible for both for greater security and cost savings. It’s the same with data backups. IT administrative and technical staff Virtualization is now extending administrators only need to worry about to share time on the system. these principles further out to end a manageable number of file servers IT management problems weren’t users. Client virtualization, primarily and networked storage systems, unheard of, but they were well virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), is not scores of local hard drives. contained because IT did not yet becoming a foundation for many new Application availability: Centralized have the challenges of securing and client computing implementations. management is also an important maintaining the scores of PCs that factor in keeping users connected eventually arrived on users’ desks. The Real-world Benefits to important applications. If an end aptly named dumb terminals, rather Fat clients, thin clients, zero clients — user’s desktop PC crashes, work than housing any local processing the specific devices deployed aren’t comes to a halt until someone fixes or storage, drew their computing of overriding importance unless the problem or installs a replacement power from their mainframe hosts. organizations see clear-cut benefits unit. Not so with client computing. Organizations eventually came from rethinking how they deliver Clients typically have fewer to see the limits of this setup, but IT services to end users. For client moving parts, so there are fewer many IT departments noted the computing, there’s a lot to like for opportunities for failure. But if a benefits of a closely controlled both IT administrators and end users, device does go down, the user merely environment of centralized computing including the following five benefits. needs to log in using alternative resources, and this approach to Security: Fat clients may have hardware to immediately access all computing would resurface. ushered in a new world of computing the data, applications and power as Fast-forward to today: Computing flexibility, but it came with many before. Downtime may be reduced environments are anything but drawbacks. Security management to minutes rather than the hours or controlled. Even the days of proliferating became a full-time job at many days of traditional environments. PCs seem like a simpler time as CIOs organizations, requiring staff to The IT staff saves time by maintaining now find themselves managing desktop physically travel to each PC and install all desktops from a single location. systems and increasing numbers of the right software. Security policies for This also helps IT keep better track rogue mobile devices and tablets. desktops also rely on extensive training of regulatory compliance and There’s a lot of choice and diversity for end users and a constantly evolving licensing. Rather than managing to manage, not to mention security security infrastructure to manage endpoints individually, the IT staff

4 C DWG.com/clientguide | 800.808.4239 can manage them all together from a centralized location. Dynamic provisioning: Because of lag times for provisioning new equipment, getting all the computing power and applications to end users can be a challenge Gaun gi g ROI in a traditional PC environment. And what if individuals On paper, client computing offers many need the additional computing power only at certain times opportunities for greater efficiency, higher of the year, at the end of the fiscal year, for example? productivity and cost savings. However, The only way to dial back power is to swap out the entire PC. performing a traditional return-on-investment Client computing offers a much more flexible alternative: The analysis and arriving at hard numbers isn’t IT department connects clients to pools of virtual servers and easy. Part of the challenge is that client regulates the amount of processing power available to each computing offers a mix of tangible and end user with a few clicks in a resource-management program. intangible benefits that are hard to quantify, yet Lower costs: Client computing offers organizations lower nevertheless deliver value to organizations. support costs, more efficient allocation of IT expertise, and increased productivity from highly available applications and One point is clear: IT managers understand why infrastructures. Organizations also save when they don’t have client computing is an important investment. to replace client hardware as often to take advantage of the For example, 60 percent of the respondents in latest innovations. Some organizations enjoy an additional CDW’s recent Client Virtualization Straw Poll say cost benefit: Thin clients draw less power than traditional they have invested in or are considering client PCs, which can be a hedge against higher energy prices. virtualization to reduce their hardware footprint and cut support and management costs. The Innovation Continues IT professionals in the survey who researched Client computing has come a long way from the days of ROI estimate that client virtualization can save dumb terminals, and that innovation isn’t showing any signs more than 20 percent of their IT budgets. of slowing down as new thin clients, virtualized servers and To measure their actual savings, organizations desktops, and cloud services continue to enter the market. should key in on several important areas, Some of the biggest changes may come from the growth compiling numbers that compare the costs in mobile computing. In the short run, client computing offers of client computing versus traditional a way for organizations to address the “consumerization” desktop strategies regarding the following: of IT, a trend in which individuals use smartphones and power consumption, help desk and tech tablets as both personal and professional devices. support costs, IT administration, security Without close management by IT staff, these devices management and application uptime. represent a threat to security practices already in place. The centralized management and administration that are the Comparisons such as these can reveal some impressive numbers. For example, one large hallmarks of client computing may be the best way to balance organization recently reported a $2.4 million end-user preferences and the organization’s IT policies. reduction in desktop maintenance costs and Longer term, client computing may promote what some an $800,000 cut in energy expenses, all from analysts are calling “user virtualization,” where the type swapping thin clients for traditional PCs. of end-user device in use doesn’t matter. Instead, work environments will have all the tools necessary to handle One caveat: Some upfront restructuring any mix of hardware, operating systems and applications. and new investments in server, network and Individuals will be able to move easily throughout the storage infrastructure may be necessary to day from a desktop PC to a thin client or smartphone, accommodate a large-scale client computing depending on which tool works best at any particular time. implementation. Before an organization makes This potential illustrates what may be the most important the move, it needs to carefully assess its characteristic of client computing: It frees organizations existing environment and factor in any ancillary from inflexible infrastructures and IT strategies. Depending investments as part of its ROI calculations. on the needs of the organization as a whole, or of each individual user, client computing delivers the right IT resources at the right time to everyone who needs them. 

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Architecture Options Client Computing and Virtualization Client Computing Meets the Cloud

Client Computing Architectures

Understand the available options before moving forward.

Client computing is all about right- and cons of each and how to make sizing: matching streamlined yet the best choice. A one-size-fits- powerful hardware with lightweight, all solution really doesn’t exist. remote application software that gives In fact, some organizations may users the specific resources they find they need an architectural mix to need to do their work. However, there assure the right fit for each department, are trade-offs to this approach. For workgroup or individual. Understanding example, not every user can run every the architectural landscape is conceivable application at any given important for another reason: It gives time with thin clients or zero clients. IT managers a clearer picture of how An organization that depends on client computing can coexist with traditional desktop PCs runs the risk other important IT strategies, such as that it will overprovision computing virtualization and cloud computing. resources (which also explains why industry analysts say most hardware Architecture Options runs at only a fraction of its rated Much of what determines the success capacity). The client computing or failure of client computing hinges on alternative avoids these unnecessary what happens behind the scenes in the costs by reducing management infrastructure responsible for delivering overhead, bolstering security IT resources to users. That’s where an and creating dynamic computing organization’s applications and data infrastructures that can easily adapt reside and where the network pipelines to quickly changing requirements. keep applications and data flowing For organizations to succeed with among desktop clients and servers. client computing, IT managers must Client computing architectures understand the various architectural fall into five main categories options available to them, the pros and are broadly characterized

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by where the actual processing takes place: on the servers or on the clients themselves. Solutions may also be characterized as having persistent or nonpersistent desktops. Persistent desktops are custom environments that are created and stored for each user. Whenever an individual signs in to the server, he or she sees a familiar home screen and assortment of applications. Nonpersistent desktops don’t maintain any individual settings, just a menu of applications made available by IT administrators. The five architectural categories are presented here in order of sophistication and chronology, in terms of when they appeared on the market.

Presentation Virtualization Presentation virtualization relies on data center servers to centrally store and run applications and operating systems. All the program execution and data creation performed by users takes place on the servers. So rather than using a full version of a software application on a local system, users download what’s known as the presentation layer of a program, which consists of the screen images and menus needed for the task at hand. Using a keyboard and a mouse, users enter commands that flow back to the host servers, where the real processing action takes place. This means Application Virtualization that end users need only a bare minimum of hardware Much like presentation virtualization, application on their desktops — essentially a display, keyboard virtualization displays only the screen images of applications and mouse — and can forego more expensive on local client hardware. The programs themselves reside on devices with CPUs, memory and hard disks. central servers and wait for end users to relay instructions Presentation virtualization offers a number of via inputs and mouse clicks transferred over the network. benefits for both IT managers and end users. First, Application virtualization differs in that it can separate it’s a highly secure approach that benefits from applications from operating systems, delivering entire centrally managed access controls and patching programs to client devices. This is an important advantage policies administered by data center personnel. that overcomes the productivity problems that occur with It’s also more efficient because applications are network breakdowns. If a connection is severed, end users managed and updated centrally to assure that end can continue to work locally and then send updates to the users are working with the latest versions. And central servers when communication links are re-established. when combined with secure WAN and Internet Another benefit is that end users aren’t tied to connections, presentation virtualization frameworks specific operating environments. Because application let users work on the road or from home offices virtualization isolates programs from operating systems, and still access the same applications and data a client device set up for Microsoft Windows, for example, that are available in their office environment. can also run an application written for the Mac OS. However, not every presentation virtualization In the past, application virtualization solutions option can tolerate network disruptions. If the displayed entire virtual desktops on client machines. network connection goes down, client devices Today, some of the newest versions separate desktops and servers may no longer exchange information, and applications so end users only need to download which could bring end-user work to a standstill. the programs they require at any particular time.

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Depending on the specific they need, while the organization This is an important distinction manufacturer and product, the is spared having to purchase and from presentation virtualization performance and resolution capabilities maintain redundant copies. because it means data manipulation of an application virtualization and processing takes place on the solution could be guided by a variety Virtual Application Streaming local client computer. This gives end of standards, including Independent Virtual application streaming is the users the ability to work even if they’re Computing Architecture (ICA) or flip side to presentation virtualization. disconnected from the network. Any Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). With this alternative, data center changes made during this offline mode Application virtualization is a servers still host full versions of are then sent back automatically to productive option for workgroups applications. But instead of sending the central hosts when the network or departments where staff all run mere screen images to local clients, the connection is re-established. the same applications. Everyone has servers send actual data and portions Although portions of the application access to the software and capabilities of the program to the desktop. reside on the client devices, this is

Client Computing Architectures

Presentation Application Virtualization Virtualization

Client: Application Server: Application Client: Separated OS and Server: Application presentation layer interaction hosting and processing application interaction, hosting and processing access to entire program

Virtual Application Profile Streaming Virtualization

Client: Stateless Server: Application Client: Application Server: Processing, profile application processing hosting interaction and access to and document hosting stored profile and documents

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

Client: Stateless Server: Processing VM interaction and VM hosting

8 CDWG.com/clientguide | 800.808.4239 only temporary, unlike traditional or and local memory to go along with centrally. This can be important for “stateful” environments in which each the display and input components. quickly getting back to work when PC maintains full copies of programs. moving to new client hardware. This so-called “stateless” characteristic Profile Virtualization of virtual application streaming means Profile virtualization uses the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure that all the programs and data are overarching client computing principle of VDI (also known as desktop saved to data center servers, and the centralizing IT resources and delivering virtualization) takes a page from server client hardware is wiped clean when them as needed to client devices via a virtualization by separating operating users shut down at the end of the day. network connection. This technology systems and applications from hardware From a hardware perspective, offers the ability to distinguish each to create virtual machines, or VMs. virtual application streaming requires user’s personal profile data from IT administrators can create a more powerful clients than host client the documents they’ve created and custom-tailored VM for each user virtualization solutions, with fast CPUs then store that profile information that includes the right combination

Five Drivers for VDI

Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is more than just the PC environment. According to the tech research firm latest and greatest technology to hit the data center. It’s Forrester, one rule of thumb is to allocate one technician gaining momentum because it gives organizations a number for every 60 PCs. The reason? It takes a lot of time to move of cost, manageability and reliability benefits. Even better, from desktop to desktop to address hardware problems, organizations can achieve these goals without compromising install new applications and load the latest security patch. end-user performance and productivity. VDI can help organizations achieve several goals including the following: Not so with VDI clients, which benefit from centralized IT resources. By freeing the IT staff from making frequent Keep a lid on costs. VDI can reduce capital expenses visits, support costs may be cut in half. That means IT by offering an alternative to PC hardware refreshes technicians can oversee many more devices — as many that typically occur every three to four years. Fully as 175 thin clients per support technician, according equipped PCs will always be important for end users who to Forrester. One organization analyzed by Forrester need access to local processors and applications. estimated that VDI reduced help desk calls by 40 percent.

However, a growing number of users may be better served by Secure applications and data more efficiently. Running low-cost clients with modest or no CPUs or hard drives. The applications from the data center with the help of VDI main role of these clients is to pull data and applications from can bolster security strategies and mitigate many of the server hosts — a process that requires much less computing risks associated with having PCs on every desktop. In power. Thin clients also don’t have to be replaced as frequently; addition to implementing security policies centrally from in some cases refresh cycle are six to eight years. And if one the data center, IT managers can establish clear audit breaks down, they are easy and inexpensive to replace. trails tracking who’s accessing files and when they’re Rethink hardware acquisitions. Some organizations see the being edited (which also eases regulatory reporting). potential for additional hardware savings by letting staffers Reduce downtime. IT managers can use tools in the data bring their own notebooks, tablets and netbooks to work. center to deliver additional processing power, memory or Organizations can use this strategy safely because all the storage capacity to end users as requirements change, work necessary for securing and managing applications without disrupting the workflow. It’s a major step forward happens within the protection of the data center or cloud. compared with traditional PC environments, where Manage IT complexity. It takes several dozen IT support hardware must be shut down while technicians upgrade technicians for a large enterprise to manage a traditional processing power, memory or storage resources.

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of operating system and standard Client Computing and Virtualization budget for services at predetermined productivity software, such as The various architectural options rates rather than hard-to-predict Microsoft Office. In addition, the VM IT organizations can choose from for capital expenditures and provide better also includes any personal settings, client computing mesh well with other security through centralized controls. ranging from contact lists in e-mail efficiency and consolidation initiatives Once clouds are implemented, IT programs down to the style and taking place in many data centers. administrators can tap them with color of the on-screen wallpaper. One example is server virtualization, client computing hardware to access Client hardware is stateless. Once which consolidates hardware, better important applications via a software end users are done for the day, the VM utilizes processing capabilities and as a service (SaaS) model. Similarly, and any work performed returns to reduces overall energy costs. modestly outfitted thin clients can the safety of the data center servers The improvements necessary get a power boost from infrastructure and networked storage systems. to support a wide-scale server as a service (IaaS) IT resources. Industry-standard encryption virtualization project, such as upgraded With these options, end users never and compression technologies keep network bandwidth and migrating data have to worry that their thin clients communications between desktops from disk drives attached to desktop will compromise productivity, even and data centers flowing securely and PCs and file servers to storage area if a new project brings with it the efficiently. VDI keeps VMs walled off networks (SANs) and network-attached requirement for new capabilities. At the from one another. So infections won’t storage (NAS) systems, would play an same time, end users won’t be plagued spread from one environment to the important role in implementing VDI, by downtime from system crashes, next, and unauthorized individuals which relies on efficient communications viruses or the installation of component can’t access privileged information. between end-user client hardware and upgrades to their desktop hardware. From an end user’s perspective, the central servers. Networked storage Recognizing the natural compatibility computing environment doesn’t look or is also essential for thin clients that of cloud computing and client computing behave much differently than it does on lack their own onboard disk drives. hardware, a number of manufacturers a full-featured and personally dedicated In turn, many of the same drivers are now designing Cloud PCs. These PC. But there are some differences. that encourage server virtualization devices are designed and built VMs can run on a wide variety of apply to client virtualization. For under the assumption that the main client computing hardware, including example, IT managers can pack software components — operating full-size desktop PCs. However, this high-performance servers with systems, applications and data — will amount of processing power is overkill scores of individual VMs created for reside in a cloud. Cloud PCs deliver for most implementations. Thin clients client computing environments. onboard processing power, graphics are a better option; with their smaller This drives up the utilization rates capabilities and network connections appetite for power and fewer moving of physical servers and reduces to access software delivered from parts, thin clients are less prone to the amount of time their high- the cloud, but they typically don’t failure and require fewer upgrades. end processors sit idle. The VMs include hard disks for local storage. Users don’t have to be tied to their created for client virtualization also The combination of clouds and desks to access important resources. let the IT staff quickly provision virtualized desktops are the latest They can tap into their personal VM new bundles of applications and option that organizations have for wherever there’s a secure network operating systems; so new hires achieving the overarching goal connection to the central data center. get the resources they need and of client computing. They are an And because the VM is server-based, IT workgroups can be created on the fly. effective way to right-size all the managers can maintain and secure the resources end users need to work software and data from a central location. Client Computing Meets the Cloud efficiently and economically.  VDI may grow in importance as Client computing is also a natural tablet PCs and smartphones become complement to an organization’s cloud more prevalent. It’s now possible for initiatives, whether that’s a private mobile users to run their VMs on these implementation inside the firewall or a devices and take advantage of a full public service provided by a third-party operating system experience, limited source. Some of the leading drivers only by the physical constraints of for cloud computing include the ability portable keypads and displays. to dynamically provision IT resources,

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Thin Clients and Zero Clients The Benefits of Thin Client Hardware Client Caveats

Client Computing Devices Understanding which device works best for each application yields valuable benefits.

Client computing hardware offers are all stored, managed and maintained a rich mixture of component options in a central location, such as a data that combine the latest designs, CPU center or private or public cloud. choices and multimedia capabilities to deliver the IT resources that users need. Thin Clients With the right enterprise architectures Traditional thin clients remain and operating systems supporting the standard for client computing. them, client computing hardware In their typical form factor, they can help organizations become more consist of a compact box the size of productive and reduce overall IT costs. a hardcover book or smaller. The unit As promising as client computing is, contains a CPU, varying amounts of there’s still a place for traditional fat standard and flash memory, and an clients with fast processors and a local assortment of connectors that let operating system and hard drive. The users plug in a monitor and keyboard key is to understand the individual and connect to LANs and WANs. strengths of thin, zero and fat clients Users can attach additional and then balance the various options capabilities via USB, serial, parallel to find the right fit for each user. or PS/2 ports. What’s missing, by design, is a hard-disk drive, which Thin Clients and Zero Clients is not needed thanks to the client The two main choices for client computing architecture that stores computing hardware, thin clients and data and applications in a central zero clients, offer subtle differences location on back-end servers. With that can help IT administrators meet this architecture, thin clients can be specific needs. Both options share stateless, meaning that when users one trait: They are designed for shut down for the day the devices don’t environments in which IT resources retain applications, data or user profiles.

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Thin clients may run slimmed down graphics engine and HD decoder. Other high-end versions of Linux, Windows or a proprietary features include integrated Windows Media operating system embedded in the firmware. Player and Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Manufacturers of thin client hardware typically support for embedded Windows applications. include device management tools to help Mobile thin clients are a variation on the organizations configure and load balance clients thin client theme. They come in a netbook-like and make any updates to the firmware. The package with an LCD screen and keyboard, but tools may also provide Hypertext Transfer without a hard disk or other moving parts. Protocol Secure (HTTPS) encryption to secure The devices also include high-performance, low- communication passing from clients to servers. energy processors and Gigabit Ethernet network Beyond the basics, thin clients differ connectivity for full access to data center resources by the types and mix of components that and improved security. Mobile clients give remote manufacturers pack into the box. For example, users one more advantage: they’re lightweight, for many types of knowledge-based staff with some models weighing about 3 pounds. applications, such as automation software or specialized call center applications, thin Zero Clients clients come with lightweight and efficient Zero clients share many of the design processors in the 1 gigahertz to 2GHz range. characteristics of conventional thin clients. The For more specialized applications, main difference is that they lack an embedded especially those with significant high- operating system. Instead, zero clients pull the definition video requirements, thin clients entire operating system from their server hosts, can pack even more impressive power. along with centrally delivered applications and data. Newer models now come with dual- This strategy offers some subtle yet important core processors and an onboard vector- advantages over a traditional thin client.

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First, zero clients dispense with even the modest with all the necessary technical capabilities packed setup and configuration requirements of other thin into a USB thumb drive that lets a notebook or clients. The IT staff merely plugs the zero client into a netbook connect to servers as a zero client device. network and users can begin accessing data center Another common component for zero client resources. And because there’s no operating system, systems is PC-over-IP (PCoIP) technology. This the devices don’t require any ongoing updates, maturing compression protocol is designed to eliminating the need for traditional IT maintenance. improve graphics performance, particularly over Zero clients come in different formats, including WAN connections. It also helps organizations bolster the typical thin client book format, with inputs for security by natively encrypting data that travels a monitor and keyboard. Other models pack the between central data centers and client computers. computing power into a display unit for even fewer An important design innovation of PCoIP is its individual components. Either way, zero client ability to recognize different types of content and hardware includes connectors for LANs and WANs. then apply the best form of compression for each USB ports are available for attaching additional type. Some tests have found that zero clients peripherals and graphics accelerators, with some with PCoIP reduce display latency by 50 percent models able to handle high-resolution 3D and HD or more in some common user activities, such as output. Mobile users have their own zero client option, scrolling through the pages of a lengthy document.

Client Computing Hardware Options Choosing among client computing hardware options doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Many organizations require a mix of different client device forms, depending on the end users’ computing focus. Each device has unique qualities.

• Operating system/applications/data delivered by centralized server • Network connection plug-and-play • PC-over-IP (PCoIP) compression available • Minimal IT maintenance needed Zero Client

• No hard-disk drive/stateless • Some standard/flash memory • Embedded operating system/management tools

Thin Client • Receives applications and data from centralized server

• Heavy processing power • Mobile computing friendly • Reduced infrastructure expenses

Fat Client

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The Benefits of Thin Client Hardware Organizations and end users see a wide range of benefits when IT administrators use sleekly engineered Energy Savers thin client and zero client hardware in a client computing architecture. One of the prime advantages of using thin The most powerful CPUs and latest design innovations clients instead of full-service desktop PCs is the aren’t needed to keep users working efficiently reduced amount of energy that’s required to run because the processing demands are handled in the the devices. The differences can be dramatic: data center, not the desktop. That means organizations Thin clients can lower energy consumption can safely choose to use some of the less expensive by 90 percent for desktop hardware in some client devices available and extend their associated cases, according to some industry experts. refresh cycles to perhaps six years or more. A number of rating systems evaluate individual Thin and zero clients also require less power. Because models for energy efficiency and offer a these units don’t have hard drives to fuel or cool, guide when selecting products. The following electricity demand is a fraction of what it is for desktop are two valuable rating labels to look for. PCs. The lack of internal moving parts also means there are fewer components to break down, which translates EPEAT: This acronym stands for the Electronic into fewer service calls to end-user desktops. Product Environmental Assessment Tool, But shaving costs isn’t the only reason to consider an online utility designed to help buyers thin clients. Simpler hardware designs make for easier compare the environmental characteristics and faster deployment. After technicians plug the clients of computing equipment. EPEAT is managed into the network, there are no applications to install, by the Green Electronics Council and is based programs to configure or incompatibilities to resolve. on standards developed by the Institute of Hardware simplicity continues to pay dividends long Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). after the hardware is deployed because the need for Organizations can search the EPEAT patching is rare, and ongoing provisioning of resources database of registered products (www. happens in the data center rather than at the desktop. epeat.net) by manufacturer and product Another advantage is security: It takes far less category. Of the seven categories effort to secure a thin client than a traditional listed, thin clients represent the largest desktop because important data doesn’t reside sample, with more than 1,500 entries. permanently on these stateless devices. The data is safely returned to central storehouses once the EPEAT tests rate products on 51 criteria and client devices shut down. This means that security require each model to meet 23 core benchmarks experts in the data center have complete control for baseline certification. Products then receive over who accesses applications and information, a Gold, Silver or Bronze rating depending on reducing the risk that data will be stolen or lost. how many of the additional 28 criteria a product For similar reasons, organizations can run backups meets. The Green Electronics Council estimates more efficiently when resources are centralized on a that more than 300 million products now have smaller number of systems compared with hundreds EPEAT ratings, which the group says equals the or thousands of individual desktop and notebook environmental impact of removing almost 9 units. The same applies to recovery operations million passenger cars from the road for a year. if natural or human-caused disasters occur. Energy Star: This term refers to the older, more familiar efficiency rating issued by the Client Caveats U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. EPEAT With a long list of potential benefits from client makes compliance with Energy Star one of its computing, some organizations might conclude that 23 core criteria. A list of Energy Star–rated thin the days of full-size desktop PCs and notebooks are clients is available at: downloads.energystar. over. After all, why spend the money, dedicate the gov/bi/qplist/thin_clients_prod_list.pdf. maintenance resources and grapple with the higher security risks inherent with traditional PCs and portables?

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Actually, there are a number of reasons why users License reviews: Organizations also need to still need these devices. The best IT strategy is one carefully review their operating system licenses that finds the right mix of hardware rather than to determine whether existing contracts comply adopting one technology over another. Thin clients with a client computing rollout or whether have much to offer, but they present some serious additional investments are necessary. implications to the computing environment that IT Device diversity: With so many new hardware managers need to consider, including the following. options available today, the choice isn’t just among End-user performance: Some work just thin, zero and fat clients. A growing number of needs a traditional PC or notebook. Graphics- hybrid devices are finding niches in enterprise intensive applications, including those used for environments, including economical all-in- financial analysis, require the low latencies and one PCs that offer much of the implementation high-end number-crunching abilities available and maintenance advantages of thin clients, from desktop workstations. Similarly, mobile but without the potential additional strains on users may need their own self-contained data center and network infrastructures. computing environment on the road, especially Smartphones and tablet PCs are becoming when meeting with clients or working in the field sophisticated enough for enterprise environments. where network connections aren’t reliable. And with the right security policies in place, these Thanks to more powerful processors and devices maintain communication and access to increasing amounts of memory, the latest tablet information in easy-to-carry form factors. PCs and smartphones are creating their own niches So how do organizations determine where within many organizations. Tablets, especially, thin clients fit best and avoid organizationwide are replacing traditional notebooks among users upheaval? For many, a slow and gradual build out who value the connection reliability of having of the client computing environment is best. Then both Wi-Fi and cellular networks, yet aren’t expand the strategy as the benefits materialize constrained by smaller displays and keyboards. and it becomes easier to gauge the ROI. Data center upgrades: Although thin clients Good starting points are application areas where are less expensive than traditional desktop thin client hardware has traditionally found success, devices, some of the total cost shifts to back-end including internal help desks and public-facing operations. Data center servers are called upon call centers.  to do the processing, device management and other day-to-day activities that would otherwise take place on the desktop. Depending on each organization’s existing resources, that can mean additional investments in server hardware. Network makeovers: The network infrastructure is another area that requires close scrutiny when evaluating a client computing strategy. Network pipelines are under constant pressure to deliver keyboard and mouse clicks, data and applications between the data center and every active desktop. All of this requires an infrastructure that’s been engineered for normal traffic levels as well as huge spikes, including the 9 a.m. crush when everyone in the organization tries to log in to their virtual desktops. Data management: Centralized data processing doesn’t work effectively without centralized storage management. That could entail upfront expenses for new or expanded storage area network (SAN) and network-attached storage (NAS) systems.

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Continuity of Operations: Being Prepared Clear and Present Dangers COOP Components How Client Computing Can Improve COOP

Client Computing and COOP Centralized management, easier provisioning and efficient failover support continuity plans.

The latest IT innovations deliver their COOP plan into action, especially productivity improvements that help during periods of tight budgets. organizations run more effectively, cut unnecessary costs and deliver benefits Continuity of Operations: to end users and constituents. Of course, Being Prepared the flip side to relying so heavily on IT There are two main reasons why infrastructures is that organizations many of these efforts fall short. First, it’s become vulnerable to breakdowns with easy for budget hawks to view COOP as potentially catastrophic consequences an expensive insurance policy — a good if critical technology systems fail. idea in a perfect world, but one that’s The problems may range from the hard to justify and fully fund when there minor inconvenience of users who are are so many other organizational needs. temporarily unable to perform their Second, some of the principles duties to something as severe as the of COOP, specifically the need for inability to process service requests redundant IT systems, equipment or serve partners and constituents. and data centers, go against efforts In some cases, organizations that to do more with less and squeeze suffer extended downtime find optimum utilization rates out of today’s the consequences so devastating technologies. Backup hardware they are unable to fully recover to earmarked for emergencies may sit their predisruption capacities. idle or barely used day in and day out, Such threats make it clear to IT making it easy for some skeptics managers that a solid continuity of to consider these resources the operations (COOP) plan is a must for problem and not the solution when it modern organizations. But ironically, comes to better IT management. while the plans are important, many Fortunately, client computing offers organizations struggle with putting a way to implement the protections

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of a reliable COOP strategy while still mean for an organization. Fifty-seven percent of the achieving the budget and efficiency executives polled identified productivity losses as the goals of the organization. Client top negative effect of their disruptions, which cut staff computing helps attain this balance members off from applications, data and communication because it can deliver the resources systems. In fact, 46 percent said staff could not access necessary to power daily operations, the necessary resources to perform their duties. while also enabling the dynamic Other industry studies bolster these findings. The 2011 provisioning and failover capabilities AT&T Business Continuity Study surveyed large public sector required for disaster recovery. and commercial organizations. Its findings show that the And because client computing most common reasons for invoking COOP plans in the last maximizes the benefits of desktop and year were extreme weather and power outages at facilities. server virtualization, organizations Survey participants also identified a host of new continuity don’t have to spend excessively for concerns. Seventy-eight percent said that the use of mobile extra hardware. Instead, IT managers devices by staff is bringing about changes in their COOP create multiple desktops via VMs strategies. And 79 percent of the IT managers said they were that offer the safety of redundancy concerned about the growing adoption of social networking without many of the upfront costs. applications — primarily because of security vulnerabilities. If one thin client breaks down or To guard against these threats, a COOP plan lays loses its network connection, an out a strategy for maintaining the uptime of essential end user can re-establish access services as well as procedures for gradually bringing to data center resources simply important but less critical systems back online. The by moving to another thin client, best strategies are comprehensive enough to span or even a smartphone or tablet. every contingency, from hardware and software Client computing can also free failures to blackouts, hacker attacks, human error and organizations from taking unnecessary natural disasters, such as earthquakes or floods. risks when deciding which systems need A COOP plan should designate which procedures will be to be fully protected against disaster launched for each contingency, as well as who’s responsible and which systems, though important, for what action. The plan should also provide an estimate of are not worth the investment. The how long it will take for each system to return to normal. combination of centralized management, resources that can be provisioned on COOP Components the fly and efficient failover options give A successful COOP plan consists of two main elements every system the insurance it needs. that are closely related but represent important niches. The first, continuity of operations, focuses on avoiding Clear and Present Dangers shutdowns; for example, detailing how a power generator Severe IT service disruptions aren’t will automatically kick in if the main electrical supply falters. hypothetical fears. In CDW’s 2010 In the best situations, users continue working without Business Continuity Straw Poll of IT even a temporary delay. But best case scenarios don’t decision-makers, a full 97 percent of the always materialize, which is why COOP also needs executives acknowledged that network to incorporate a second element of preparedness disruptions had a detrimental effect on around disaster recovery (DR) strategies. their organizations in the past year. DR consists of the policies, procedures and systems that A quarter of respondents said they an organization will call upon to restore operations in the had experienced a network disruption event of a full shutdown. In modern IT organizations, one of lasting four hours or more within the the prime responsibilities of disaster recovery is to protect past year. And hardware breakdowns, core data from loss or damage and then quickly make it responsible for 29 percent of the available again for normal administrative operations. outages, ranked near the top of the To successfully adopt COOP and DR strategies, list of most common failure points. organizations need to make their plan an integral part of IT Other responses revealed and administrative operations, rather than layering it on top what a major breakdown can of these activities. That way, the technology implemented

26 C DWG.com/clientguide | 800.808.4239 for the plan can be both an insurance policy when disaster strikes, as well as an ongoing resource to assure efficient operations. COOP Best Practices

How Client Computing Can Improve COOP In addition to using client computing architectures to Client computing can help organizations execute bolster COOP plans, IT organizations need to implement a COOP plan because many of client computing’s a number of fundamental best practices to protect their main characteristics have direct ties to COOP best organizations. Here are four useful best practices. practices. The following are five common scenarios identified by industry analysts and manufacturers 1. Document everything. At the top of the list is the as highlighting client computing’s role in COOP. meticulous documentation of all aspects of a COOP COOP Challenge No. 1: A single point of failure strategy. Having a clear and updated record of continuity brings down larger systems. In traditional IT and recovery procedures will help eliminate confusion environments, processing power is concentrated if a disruption occurs and puts the organization in a within desktop PCs. If a unit fails, work stops until it position to respond quickly, when timing is everything. is repaired or replaced. Depending on the problem, 2. Take inventory. Conduct an inventory and assess downtime might last a few hours or, if a new device the state of all production systems, including how must be requisitioned, delivered and installed workflows within and among these systems have (especially a new server), it could last a few weeks. evolved over time. This process should also gauge Client computing solution: Client the importance of each system so organizations computing architectures are designed from can prioritize which resources should be protected the start to support multiple access points. from ever shutting down, which can survive So rather than depending on the health of temporary disruptions and which require attention individual devices, client computing lets end only after more critical systems return to normal. users access data and applications from any authorized hardware component. In addition to evaluating the operational importance This makes thin clients interchangeable. If of each resource, the assessments should one crashes, a user merely logs in to a virtual consider related factors, such as contractual desktop using an alternate device. That’s because requirements and regulatory mandates. the real computing power, data and applications 3. Go slow. Implement COOP in manageable are protected in back-end data centers. phases. The assessments the organization To attain this same level of protection in a makes while taking inventory will identify traditional environment, each end user would areas that require immediate attention. need a redundant PC and real-time data mirroring, which is unfeasible for most IT budgets. Once COOP is successful in these critical systems, Similarly, IT managers can move virtual organizations can use the lessons learned to desktops, data and applications from one physical gradually roll out continuity plans to other areas server to another if one machine shows the based on their relative importance. This piecemeal approach will minimize disruptions to staff, better early signs of failure. These failover efforts can target spending where it’s needed most and offer also scale to jump geographical boundaries. a showcase for demonstrating COOP success. With replication enabled by virtualization, organizations can move their systems to 4. Budget for ongoing training. In the crush of daily work, alternative physical locations if a natural or human- it’s easy to gloss over COOP training or schedule caused disaster brings down a primary site. only intermittent review sessions. Without a clear COOP Challenge No. 2: An important system understanding of policies and procedures, staff isn’t fully protected with adequate backup and members risk delaying important actions when a recovery resources. COOP often depends on crisis unfolds. COOP training should be part of the having a ready supply of redundant systems orientation process for new hires and at least an able to come online in an emergency. annual exercise for existing staff members. Redundancy is expensive, so organizations often find themselves trying to gauge the relative

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importance of each application. They then invest A COOP strategy is at risk of breaking down during accordingly for backup and recovery, depending a crisis if it’s not tested regularly and thoroughly. on whether a program is deemed mission- Testing identifies any gaps in the planning critical, operationally critical or nonessential. processes and warns IT managers if changes in the Client computing solution: Virtualized environment require updates to the original plan. architectures in data centers require far fewer Most organizations don’t have excess hardware servers to keep applications up and running. This resources standing ready for testing activities, and means only a small number of physical machines are it’s too risky to subject production resources to needed to run productivity applications and provide procedures that could lead to unplanned downtime. redundancy, which lowers investment costs. Client computing solution: Client computing COOP Challenge No. 3: IT complexity delays facilitates dynamic provisioning. This lets or impedes replication plans. The one-to-one organizations create pools of processing power that replication required for a smooth transition may be idle throughout the organization to use as from a crippled primary machine to a backup virtual test beds. Virtualization’s ability to wall off unit is best accomplished when the hardware and protect resources running on the same physical is essentially identical. However, variations in machine keeps any problems in the test environment physical hardware and the individual configurations from spilling over into production systems. of components and software complicate COOP Challenge No. 5: Organizations implement replication efforts in traditional environments. inadequate contingencies for working offsite. Client computing solution: Virtualization Natural disasters (such as fires and floods) and separates software dependencies from the other threats could close main offices and make it underlying hardware, which means physical devices impossible for staff members to access IT systems. don’t have to be exact duplicates of one another. IT Client computing solution: With client computing, managers can easily move virtual machines among applications and enterprise data reside in central various hardware platforms without encountering data centers, failover sites or clouds. This means incompatibilities and configuration conflicts. offsite workers can access their full computing COOP Challenge No. 4: Inadequate testing environment over secure network connections fails to identify gaps in COOP strategies. from home or from a temporary office location. 

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How to Select the Right Architecture Infrastructure Considerations Thin Client Support Management Best Practices

Client Rollout and Management Putting a client computing project into action requires planning.

Once all of the research is done to and users? And finally, what are the virtualization can accommodate a gauge the potential benefits and risks of latest management best practices wide variety of hardware clients and client computing, it’s time for the hands- to assure that anticipated long- operating system combinations. on work: rolling out the strategy within term benefits aren’t short-circuited And applications present a standard the organization. During this phase, IT by policy or technology gaps? look and feel, which means users administrators make definitive choices The first step is to resolve typically won’t have to undergo about the best architecture and device the architecture, device and extensive or individualized training. combinations for their organization, infrastructure questions. Presentation virtualization also enables as well as a careful assessment of dynamic resource provisioning and the existing IT infrastructure to How to Select the Right Architecture heightened security by keeping data address any stress points that could Each of the three primary and applications centrally managed hinder the project’s success. architecture choices detailed in Chapter and secured in data centers. Part of the challenge in this phase 2 (virtual application streaming and Presentation virtualization is is managing the diversity of choices profile virtualization being forms of particularly appropriate for departments that IT managers face. What’s the application virtualization) has its pros and organizations in which large right architecture? What mix of thin, and cons. Exploring each of these groups of staff perform similar roles zero or mobile clients fits best into this choices is important, because even using the same application, such framework? Will the existing server and within the same enterprise different as help desks and call centers. network infrastructure fully support architectures may be right for Application virtualization: This the increased demands of centralized different workgroups and divisions. client computing approach, in which IT resources? Or, is there a need for Presentation virtualization: This users run server-based applications significant new investments? option is the most mature of the available temporarily on their desktops, opens the Once those questions are answered, architectures. It delivers images of door for a wide range of device types, IT managers can turn to some ongoing server-based applications that end users including traditional thin clients, zero maintenance and management issues: interact with by sending keyboard and clients, smartphones and tablets. Some What tools and policies are necessary mouse clicks over network connections. organizations take a hybrid approach by to adequately support client devices Simplicity has its value: Presentation segmenting application virtualization

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sessions on a fat client that also runs traditional access their own custom VDI desktops stored in the data center. implementations of productivity applications locally. VDI may also be appropriate for fieldworkers, teleworkers, Segmentation also protects organizations that allow department managers and administrative staff. Similarly, smartphones and tablets for work and personal use. This VDI offers an efficient way to provide new hires with access means IT managers can wall off the organization’s data and to applications from nearly any available hardware. applications so they’re protected by security policies when accessed from outside the office. And because a portion Device Decisions of the streamed application runs locally, mobile users can Matching client computing architectures with the right work offline and then sync their data with data center end-user hardware is a balancing act between technical servers when they re-establish a network connection. requirements and each user’s needs. As the “Client Application virtualization (and its variations) is a more Computing Scorecard” sidebar shows, the hardware flexible platform than presentation virtualization because choices are pretty clear-cut for presentation virtualization. it gives IT managers more alternatives for tailoring Because there is no data processing in the client devices, computing environments to specific applications. For the hardware can be basic, with only the bare minimum example, there are a greater number of devices to choose in terms of processors and onboard memory. from, so end users aren’t limited to one-size-fits-all This makes the least expensive thin clients and zero terminals to do their work. Typical users of application clients a safe choice. However, presentation virtualization virtualization include inspectors, administrative staff, relies heavily on the network infrastructure for sending and procurement and contracting professionals. information between servers and clients. So organizations Virtual desktop infrastructure: The VDI architecture, which may need to plow portions of their savings from the creates customized virtual desktops with a personal look and low-cost thin clients back into network upgrades. feel for each user, offers a way for workers to run complete Application virtualization offers more hardware options, versions of applications, including Microsoft Office, while still but along with that comes higher minimum requirements. Thin benefiting from the management and security advantages clients need to be equipped with midrange processors and of housing IT resources centrally in a data center. VDI also adequate memory to run applications locally. Nevertheless, accommodates the range of fat client and thin client hardware. organizations can still take advantage of units that cost And once an organization selects the hardware, staff with less, draw less power and last longer than pricier PCs. similar responsibilities can share devices. For example, after VDI can also accommodate a wide range of client hardware call center personnel on the day shift log out of their thin clients alternatives, as long as the gear has enough onboard processing, at 5 p.m., staff on the night shift can sign in on the devices and memory and storage space to run virtual desktops. Both VDI and

Client Computing Scorecard The right combination of architectures and devices can deliver efficiency and security benefits for a wide range of applications.

Architecture Client Hardware Pros Cons Best Use Presentation Thin clients, zero clients Easy to manage, with Requires network Call centers, help desks Virtualization modest client hardware connectivity and is requirements sensitive to network performance issues Application Desktop PCs, thin clients, Works with a wide Requires high- Teleworkers, Virtualization zero clients, mobile variety of client performance, more inspectors, call centers, (and application clients, notebooks, hardware and doesn’t costly devices administrative staff, streaming, tablets, smartphones need network procurement profile connectivity virtualization) Virtual Desktop Desktop PCs, thin clients, Creates highly Requires high- Call centers, Infrastructure zero clients, mobile customized work performance clients and fieldworkers, clients, notebooks, environments server virtualization teleworkers, tablets, smartphones for each user in the data center department managers, administrative staff

30 C DWG.com/clientguide | 800.808.4239 application virtualization are becoming reliable options the first couple of years that the system is in place. for mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets To maximize performance while managing costs, that have dual uses for work and personal applications. consider storage tiering. This technique classifies individual data sets by relative importance and age and Infrastructure Considerations then stores them using the most appropriate storage The next important area of concern is the technology, based on cost and performance capabilities. overall IT infrastructure that will support the client computing initiative. Organizations must Thin Client Support pay particular attention to servers, networks and Thin clients may not need as much attention from IT storage systems because these will determine technicians as traditional PCs, but that doesn’t make them set- the success of the client computing endeavor. it-and-forget-it technology. It’s true that thin clients typically All of the various client computing architectures enjoy a longer lifespan compared with traditional PCs because have one thing in common: They rely heavily on the they do less local processing and don’t need a regular refresh power and availability of data center servers for housing to capitalize on new CPUs and related performance boosters. and running applications, and managing interactions But organizations that keep their thin clients around among hundreds or thousands of individual clients. for five to seven years still need to stay current on IT managers need to review current server capacity upgrades to the client’s operating system and firmware. and determine how much, if any, excess processing Although client computing eases the burden of power can be devoted to client computing. software upgrades and security patches by centralizing In many cases, an investment in new servers applications and hardware, changes to device-level will be necessary to assure that strains in the data operating systems and firmware require a site visit. center don’t reduce the productivity of thin client On the plus side, device-level upgrades are infrequent users. If that were to happen, it could impair ROI and can be installed at a manageable pace that shouldn’t and create a backlash against the entire project. overburden the IT staff. However, if the device or operating In addition, an established or evolving server system manufacturer issues an alert about a newly discovered virtualization strategy is a must-have complement security problem, an immediate response is essential. to client computing. Server virtualization helps The IT staff must have a strategy for quickly installing push physical servers to their rated processing manufacturer-supplied fixes to every device — and capacity, resulting in less idle time, which in turn preferably not one that’s devised in the middle of an translates into smaller investments for hardware. emergency. Such contingencies should be addressed Server virtualization also allows for dynamic during the planning stages prior to deployment. provisioning of computing resources so IT managers IT managers should also look for software management can quickly provision available processing power suites that are tailored to the standard and proprietary from the server pool to address fluctuating operating systems common to thin clients. The suites demand in the desktop environment. should include a central console for managing upgrades, The network infrastructure must support significant controlling and provisioning resources for individual clients new demands as clients and servers exchange screen and connecting new hardware to the environment. The images, keyboard clicks, applications and data. IT tools should also accommodate exceptions so that IT managers should evaluate bandwidth limits by testing administrators can alter enterprisewide settings when throughput and latency, and pay particular attention to necessary to address the needs of individual departments. how well the infrastructure handles large graphics files. In addition to increasing network capacity Management Best Practices where needed, organizations should use data Once a client computing initiative is up and running, IT compression to reduce the size of packets crossing managers need a plan for maintaining the environment’s the network and optimize available bandwidth. health and welfare. A good strategy will focus on the A third piece of the infrastructure puzzle, storage, will following four important tasks. also have a direct impact on the overall performance 1. Pay close attention to endpoint security. IT can of the client computing rollout. Assess storage centralize many security policies and activities within requirements by gauging the read-and-write volumes data centers, which is an advantage for achieving tight expected from the thin client population when the control over access authorizations and security patching. implementation goes live and carefully monitor over However, that doesn’t address all potential vulnerabilities.

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The USB ports that most client devices use for may not embrace the strategy immediately. attaching peripheral devices are a weak point for It represents a significant shift from having security. Whether malicious or not, a user can easily dedicated, full-power PCs on each desktop plug a USB thumb drive into one of these ports to and may even lead some users to worry about download sensitive information or even introduce increased surveillance of their work activities. malware that can quickly spread through the network. Organizations can overcome these fears with careful The same best practices used to secure traditional change management. First, make sure everyone environments also apply to thin client settings. Establish understands the potential advantages, including and communicate clear data access policies so users less downtime and system crashes for users. Use a understand how to manage the information that they pilot demonstration to show how the environment are authorized to access. The policy should include works. And allay fears that graphics quality and guidelines for moving data out of the work environment. performance will be inferior to that of traditional PCs. To help with policy enforcement, install encryption Don’t take chances during the initial rollout. and data loss prevention (DLP) applications to scramble Schedule enough IT and help desk staff to triage any data before it’s downloaded from a thin client. Be sure to problems and address questions that come up about log when downloads take place on each machine. Close accessing the environment and running applications. monitoring of devices can provide an early warning Note that user skepticism is another reason why system to alert security managers to potential breaches. the infrastructure assessments and upgrades are Data encryption will also help protect information so important. Understand that it will be difficult to as it travels between servers and thin clients. overcome negative reactions about any breakdowns in 2. Review all software licenses. In their current form, the environment that occur in the first days of going live. contracts for operating systems and applications may not transfer to environments designed for client computing Beyond Cost Savings and virtualization. Note that this is a quickly evolving Each decision about underlying client computing area, and licensing requirements are subject to change. technology, upgrades to IT infrastructures For example, for a time Microsoft required and management practices contributes to the adopters of VDI to conform to its Virtual Enterprise eventual success of the initiative. This is one Centralized Desktop licensing model for Windows reason why it’s difficult to generalize on ROI and clients. Microsoft changed course in 2010 and dropped the potential cost savings of client computing. additional requirements for PCs already covered For example, organizations can easily reduce by Windows Client Software Assurance (SA). their spending for hardware by purchasing The company also introduced a new licensing model economical thin clients. How much of that savings specifically for thin clients, Windows Virtual Desktop is a net gain and how much will need to be used Access, or Windows VDA. The take away: Navigating to build up networks or buy additional servers the changes in software agreements relevant to a client differs from organization to organization. computing environment is challenging and may require Research shows that client computing savings are the help of an outside software licensing specialist to real. However, savings vary by department and accrue guard against unexpected compliance problems. over years rather than months, as longer refresh cycles 3. Beware of bricking. Bricking is slang for when a thin and fewer help desk calls add up to bottom-line benefits. client crashes because of internal software problems or Still, don’t get hung up on cost savings. Client damage to the client’s virtual desktop image. To restore computing offers other benefits as well, including a “bricked” device, IT managers must repair the image, reduced management overhead for the IT staff which usually requires a time-consuming service call. and improved customer and constituent services. Manufacturers of thin clients say that image These benefits may be even more important corruption often occurs when users make unauthorized to the organization’s success in the long run. changes to thin client software or install unsupported Client computing can be the answer for old and peripherals. Communicating and enforcing usage policies inefficient PCs that sap productivity and keep is important to avoid this type of client downtime. organizations from fully meeting their goals.  4. Prepare for culture shock. Although IT managers may quickly grasp the benefits of client computing and centralized IT resource management, users

32 This glossary serves as a quick reference to some of the essential terms touched on in this guide. Please note that acronyms are commonly used in the IT field and that variations exist.

Glossary

Application virtualization computing resources within individual Consumerization of IT This form of client computing desktop and portable computers. This term refers to a growing only presents screen images, not trend in which users have influence the full applications, to run on local Client computing in choosing the hardware they use in client hardware. Unlike presentation An IT infrastructure strategy, work environments. Consumerization virtualization, application virtualization client computing concentrates has resulted in larger numbers of lets users continue to work locally in processing power and applications smartphones and tablet PCs that double the absence of a network connection in central data centers or clouds as personal and professional devices. and then send updates to the central and delivers the resources over servers when links are re-established. networks to individual desktops. Continuity of operations plan A COOP plan is a formal written Bricking Client virtualization description of specific policies and This term is slang for when a thin client Client virtualization refers to a procedures that will help an organization ceases to operate, often because of variety of strategies for enabling maintain operations during a natural internal software problems or damage to applications and other aspects of a or human-caused disaster. COOP the client’s virtual desktop image caused user’s computing environment to be strategies also include disaster recovery by unauthorized changes to internal stored on central servers and delivered guidelines to help organizations software or unauthorized peripherals. to various types of client devices. quickly recover from outages.

Centralized management Cloud computing Dynamic provisioning Centralized management is a strategy Cloud technology groups computing Dynamic provisioning refers to the that concentrates an organization’s IT resources in logical and physical pools ability to quickly allocate IT resources resources within data centers or clouds so that may reside within an organization’s using pools of computing power, that hardware and software can be easily physical environment, or be managed applications and storage capacity. controlled by administrators. Centralized by an outside provider that makes management is an alternative to housing the resources available on demand.

33 Electronic Product Environmental client hardware each time the person Thin client Assessment Tool successfully signs on to the network. Desktop hardware often about the size EPEAT is an online utility that is of a hardbound book, a thin client contains designed to help buyers compare Presentation virtualization a CPU, memory and an assortment of the environmental characteristics of Presentation virtualization is a client device connectors, but lacks a hard computing equipment. Managed by the computing architecture in which all of disk for storing applications and data. Green Electronics Council, EPEAT is based the program execution and data creation Thin clients rely on associated servers on standards developed by the Institute performed by users takes place on to provide additional IT resources. of Electrical and Electronics Engineers centralized servers. Rather than working (IEEE) and has been used to certify more with full versions of software on local Virtual application streaming than 1,500 models of thin clients. hardware, users download screen images This client computing architecture uses of an application and manipulate the central servers to host full versions of Fat client software by sending keyboard and mouse applications and send data and portions A fat client is a traditional desktop clicks over a network to host servers. of the programs to desktop clients. PC or notebook computer with Data manipulation and processing takes full-power processor, hard disk Profile virtualization place on the local client computer. and sufficient memory for running Profile virtualization distinguishes applications and storing data locally. each user’s personal profile data from Virtual desktop infrastructure the documents they have created and VDI is a client computing technology Mobile thin client stores the profile information centrally. that creates virtual machine bundles A mobile thin client is a type of of operating systems and applications thin client that consists of a small Server virtualization for each end user and then downloads portable-computer package with Server virtualization technology the VMs for use on desktop hardware. an LCD screen, keyboard, basic CPU makes it possible to create bundles of and minimal memory. Like other thin operating systems and applications and Virtual machine clients, mobile clients lack a hard drive run multiple bundles on the same server A VM bundles an operating system and and rely on connections to central hardware. It lets network administrators applications and may be easily moved servers for additional IT resources. easily move bundles, known as virtual among physical servers. VMs can also be machines (VMs), between physical used to encapsulate work environments Nonpersistent desktop machines connected on a network. for individual users in virtual desktop As opposed to a persistent desktop, infrastructure architectures. a nonpersistent desktop is a computer Stateless environment that doesn’t store unique computing- A stateless environment is a type of Windows Virtual Desktop Access environment preferences for each user. computing environment that runs on This licensing model, known as a client device only when the device is Windows VDA, was created by PC over IP being used and disappears when the Microsoft for thin clients operating PCoIP is a compression protocol for client is powered down. It’s opposite in Windows environments. zero client systems designed to improve to a stateful environment, in which a graphics performance, particularly over desktop PC saves the user’s profile to Zero client WAN connections. PCoIP also natively memory and restores it during boot up. A zero client differs from a thin client encrypts data that travels between in that it lacks an embedded operating central data centers and client computers. Storage area network (SAN) system. Instead, it pulls the entire A SAN is a subnetwork of storage operating system from its server Persistent desktop devices connected to a network and host, along with centrally delivered Different than a nonpersistent accessible to an authorized cross-section applications and data. This strategy desktop, a persistent desktop is a of clients. SAN storage is one way to minimizes setup, configuration and typical user’s computing environment, provide capacity for diskless thin clients. maintenance chores at the desktop. including a home screen and menu Zero clients come as a book-size device of applications, that is saved in data or may be integrated with a monitor. center servers and downloaded to

34 Disclaimer The terms and conditions of product sales are limited to those contained on CDW•G’s website at CDWG.com. Notice of objection to and rejection of any additional or different terms in any form delivered by customer is hereby given. For all products, services and offers, CDW•G® reserves the right to make adjustments due to changing market conditions, product/service discontinua- tion, manufacturer price changes, errors in adver- tisements and other extenuating circumstances. CDW®, CDW•G® and The Right Technology. Right Away.® are registered trademarks of CDW LLC. People Who Get It™ is a trademark of CDW LLC. All other trademarks and registered trademarks Index are the sole property of their respective owners. CDW and the Circle of Service logo are registered trademarks of CDW LLC. Intel Trademark Acknowledgement: Celeron, Celeron Inside, Centrino, Centrino Inside, Core Inside, Intel, Intel Logo, Intel Atom, Intel Atom Inside, Intel Core, Application virtualization...... 7-8, 29-31 PC-over-IP (PCoIP)...... 13 Intel Inside, Intel Inside Logo, Intel Viiv, Intel vPro, Itanium, Itanium Inside, Pentium, Pentium Inside, Bricking...... 32 Persistent desktops...... 7 Viiv Inside, vPro Inside, Xeon and Xeon Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and Business Continuity Straw Poll...... 26 Presentation virtualization...... 7-8, 29-30 other countries. Intel’s processor ratings are not a measure of system performance. For more information please see www.intel.com/go/rating. Client Virtualization Straw Poll...... 3, 5 Profile virtualization...... 8-9, 29-30 AMD Trademark Acknowledgement: AMD, the AMD Arrow, AMD Opteron, AMD Phenom, AMD Cloud computing...... 3-5, 6, 10, 11 Server virtualization...... 4, 9, 10, 26, 30, 31 Athlon, AMD Turion, AMD Sempron, AMD Geode, Cool ‘n’ Quiet and PowerNow! and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Cloud PCs...... 10 Smartphones...... 3, 5, 10, 15, 26, 29-31 Devices, Inc. HP Smart Buy savings reflected in advertised price. Savings may vary based on Consumerization of IT...... 5 Software as a Service (SaaS)...... 10 channel and/or direct standard pricing. Available as open market purchases only. Call your CDW•G account manager for details. This document may Continuity of operations (COOP)...... 25-28 Software licensing...... 31 not be reproduced or distributed for any reason. Federal law provides for severe and criminal penal- Data compression...... 31 Storage area networks (SANs)...... 10, 15 ties for the unauthorized reproduction and distri- bution of copyrighted materials. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the Federal Bureau Disaster recovery (DR)...... 26 Storage tiering...... 31 of Investigation (FBI) and may constitute a felony with a maximum penalty of up to five (5) years in Dynamic provisioning...... 5, 26, 28, 31 Tablets...... 3-5, 9, 15, 29-31 prison and/or a $250,000 fine. Title 17 U.S.C. Sections 501 and 506. This reference guide is designed to provide readers with information Electronic Product Environmental Thin clients...... 3-5, 6, 9-10, 11-15, regarding client computing. CDW•G makes no Assessment Tool (EPEAT)...... 14 26-27, 29-32 warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this reference guide Endpoint security...... 31-32 Thin clients, mobile...... 12 nor specific application by readers in making decisions regarding client computing. Furthermore, CDW•G assumes no liability for compensatory, Energy Star...... 14 Virtual application streaming...... 8-9, 29 consequential or other damages arising out of or related to the use of this publication. The content Fat clients...... 4, 11, 15 Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)...... 4, contained in this publication represents the views 8-10, 30-32 of the authors and not necessarily those of the publisher. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)...... 10

Virtual machines (VMs)...... 8-10, 26, 28 ©2011 CDW Government LLC All rights reserved. Network-attached storage (NAS)...... 10, 15 Zero clients...... 4, 6, 11-14, 29-30 Nonpersistent desktops...... 7

35 september | 2011

about the contributors

Al an Joch has been an independent business and technology writer for more than a decade. His expertise includes server and desktop virtualization, cloud computing, emerging mobile applications, cybersecurity and green IT. Joch’s feature articles appear regularly in various industry publications, including FedTech, BizTech, Hospitals & Health Networks and Engineering Inc. Previously, he spent seven years at McGraw-Hill, where he was a senior editor at Byte magazine.

P aul Schaapman is a Solutions Architect for CDW. With more than three decades of experience in IT infrastructure, he has a strong background in virtualization (server and client), server and storage engineering, IT architecture, and IT consulting. He was awarded VMware’s Virtual Vanguard Award in 2007 for his work on a large virtual infrastructure for the Virginia Farm Bureau.

Loisdo k n i e for more information on:

• Determining the right client architecture for your organization • Working client computing into a COOP plan • Infrastructure considerations for client computing • Managing and supporting a client fleet

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