PROFILE

Daniel Buchanan

Trilby Misso Lawyers since Dec 2007

• Prince2 Practitioner

• MSP Practitioner

• Extensive experience in:

• Microsoft desktop and server infrastructure• Citrix XenDesktop• Cisco Unified Communications and Networking• VMWare virtualisation platform

TRILBY MISSO LAWYERS

• Queensland based plaintiff law firm established in 1957

• Started in Redcliffe and expanded to numerous locations across South East Queensland.

• In 2006, under CEO Graeme McFadyen, locations rationalised to a single location and dropped all areas of law other than Motor Vehicle and Workplace Injury.

• In the years leading up to 2007 the firm invested significant resources into workflow development to facilitate the process driven nature of claims.

• Workflow enabled the implementation of unique legal team structures to better leverage internal resources.

• Acquired by Slater & Gordon in August 2010

• Track record of exceptional performance

PROJECTS OVER TIME2009 Infrastructure 

UpgradeDisaster RecoveryCanon solution

2010 Cisco Unified CommsSlater & Gordon Integration

2011 Practice 

Management SystemVirtual Desktops

Infrastructure Upgrade• Datacentre• New clustered Hyper‐V R2• Upgrade of all core MS environment

Disaster Recovery• Seated site• Local redundancy

Canon workflow and document management solution• MFD refresh• Scanning solution• Swipe cards, management server, single driver

Practice Management System• Matter Center and Aderant Expert• Recreation and adaptation of all workflows• Precedent redevelopment

Virtual Desktops• ……

Cisco Unified Communications• Cisco Call Manager• Presence• SRST for remote sites• Call Centre system for 

Client Care

S&G Acquisition• Integration plans• Practice Management 

System• Service Alignment

Top 2 technologies deployed in 2012 are Mobile Business 

Applications and Cloud Computing

Virtual Desktops 3rd on the list of technology 

deployments in 2012

42% surveyed plan to deploy virtual desktops in 12‐24 

monthsSource: IDC

Statistics

BUSINESS CASE

• Most common driver of desktop virtualisation is an expectation of cost reduction

• Possible to get an ROI over 2-3 years but not guaranteed (Source: IDC)

• While cost is the short term driver, longer term the focus will be enabling access to apps and data whilst providing a secure environment that is centrally managed.

BUSINESS CASE @ TML

• Over 50% of workstation hardware did not meet processor or memory requirements

• Changing practice management systems was inevitable

• The platform could be used as a training ground for the new practice management system prior to go live

• Under our new EA with S&G we could move to Windows 7

• Workstation hardware and OS management required significant ongoing resources

• Facilitate a growing number of remote sites and mobile users

OPTIONS

• Do nothing – maintain the existing strategy.

• Replace 100 PCs at a cost of $120k + time and resources

• Implement a Application Virtualisation solution.

• Implement a Virtual Desktop (VDI) solution.

VDI BENEFITS

• Rapid deployment of local and remote workstations

• Simplified patch and release management

• Reduced hardware requirements results in lower cost for replacement workstations

• Workstation hardware can be used until failure

• Greater transparency and performance for remote access and enable mobility

• Uniformity of the desktop environment across all business units

• Ability to deliver desktop services to partner organisations

• Centralise data in the Datacentre ensuring manageability and security

• Align desktop services with Disaster Recovery model and Business Continuity Plans

• Enable Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) capability within the organisation

COST JUSTIFICATION – RACK SPACE & POWER

• Do you have existing storage with performance and space capacity?

• Will you need to add an entire additional SAN or just new shelves?

• What servers will you be using to host the environment? Blades take space in a chassis, rack mount server take specific rack units.

• Each rack unit costs dollars per month in rental

• Whatever disk you are using, the power consumption costs are an operating expense and need to be factored into justification.

RU Cost Per Month Per Annum Per 3 Years

Cost per RU $31.43 $377.14 $1,131.43Cost of 15k solution $251.43 $3,017.14 $9,051.43

Power 

Cost

kW (Volts x Amps) kW for Proposed Shelves Comparison Per 3 Years10k Shelf 456 912 $9,028.8015k Shelf 768 1536 $15,206.40

Note: Figures for demonstration purposes only

COST JUSTIFICATION – STORAGE

• Number of users will determine the IOPS required

• The number of IOPS required will determine the disk types used

• The disk types used will determine the cost

Total Spindles Disk Size Average IOPS Total Average IOPS Total Raw Capacity10k 48 450 120 5520 2160015k 48 450 180 8640 21600

COST JUSTIFICATION – SERVERS & SOFTWARE

• Driven by

• Number of users required

• Determines processor and memory requirements

• VDI environment design

• Existing infrastructure

• DR and BCP alignment

• Functionality required

• Chosen vendor platform

COST JUSTIFICATION – DESKTOP STRATEGY

• Fat clients

• Thin clients

• Re-purposed fat clients

• Over half the PC fleet at TML was purchased in 2006.

COST JUSTIFICATION – MAKING IT RELEVANT

• Once you know each cost aspect you can apply the model your organisation uses to determine value

• TML used the per user model

Over 3 yearsStorage Cost per User

Power Cost per User RU Cost per User

Software Cost per User

Hardware Cost per User VMWare Cost

Overall Cost per User

VDI $162.16 $41.10 $24.46 $296.00 $266.78 $240.00 $1,030.50PC $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $1,200.00 $0.00 $1,200.00

Over 4 yearsStorage Cost per User

Power Cost per User RU Cost per User

Software Cost per User

Hardware Cost per User VMWare Cost

Overall Cost per User

VDI $162.16 $54.80 $32.62 $334.00 $266.78 $240.00 $1,090.36PC $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $2,400.00 $0.00 $2,400.00

Over 5 yearsStorage Cost per User

Power Cost per User RU Cost per User

Software Cost per User

Hardware Cost per User VMWare Cost

Overall Cost per User

VDI $162.16 $68.50 $20.39 $372.00 $266.78 $240.00 $1,129.83PC $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $2,400.00 $0.00 $2,400.00

Note: Figures for demonstration purposes only

COST JUSTIFICATION – MAKING IT RELEVANT

• ‘Harder’ to measure metrics:

• Increased productivity as a result of reduced incidents

• Decrease Service Desk incidents

• Decreased incident resolution times

• Decreased SOE maintenance time and cost

• Application deployment time savings

TECHNICAL SCOPING - STORAGE

• Performed detailed simulation tests to confirm capacity requirements under ‘max’ load

Upper limit 800 IOPS

Steady state 8 IOPS

User profile IOPS variablebetween 15 and 30 IOPS

Results30 minute login window

200 users

6.66 logins per second

Login time < 20 seconds

Target

TECHNICAL SCOPING – EVERYTHING ELSE

• Number of users will determine

• What processors you need and how many

• The amount of memory required

• The number of server hosts required

• LAN and WAN network capacities

• Backbone network capacities

MOBILITY

DISASTER RECOVERY

• The risk of outage of the VDI environment is significant

• TML use a redundant published application environment

• Rights of use licences included in licence package

• Repurposed existing Microsoft remote access server

• The TML approach as it stands it not necessarily scalable

• 1:1 relationship in a larger environment is not feasible

• Role based application publishing

• Multiple VDI environments in different Datacentres

STORAGE INNOVATIONS

• Newer technologies are making large scale VDI deployments more cost effective

• Each of these are in the realm of 4000+ users hosted on a single shelf of storage

• Accelerates both read and write• 2000‐7000 IOPS per disk

NetAppFlashPool

• 175,000 write IO• 715,000 read IO

EMC VFCache

• Accela storage shelf• 250,000 write IO, 200,000 read IOWhiptail

CLIENT INNOVATIONS

• Advancements in client hardware deliver better user experience for less money

• For example, Ncomputing N-series for HDX

• Next generation Numo 3 System-on-Chip (SoC) simplifying design, increasing efficiency. HDX support embedded in the chip

• Changes the economics of VDI with client hardware under $100 per unit in a volume purchase

• 100% HDX experience at 1/3 the cost

SUMMARY

• From a project perspective you CAN justify VDI based on ROI

• But!... It’s a lot of work and you need appropriate tools in place to measure multiple aspects of the environment

• Technical innovation will make this easier over time

• It helps to have a catalyst within the business to drive the initiative

• ROI increases with scale and technology improvements

• Do you want to decrease cost or enable capability?

• Ask the tough questions from suppliers

• You need a vision

Thank You