End-point virtualization works: Dalal

BANGALORE, INDIA: In an era, when work environment is turning more and more mobile in nature, traditional computing modes are giving ways to the virtual ones. Though virtualization took a pretty long time to venture into the mainstream, owing to several reasons, today enterprises are more than ever cashing in on this technology.

Virtualization, with all its variables - server, desktop or end-point - has been around for quite sometime. Today, when the recession is making its negative presence felt strongly, more and more companies are looking out for means to leverage and maintain IT infrastructure without incurring additional costs, thus spurring virtualization's acceptance in a faster pace.

Let's hear it from Sanjiv Dalal, CTO, FirstSource Solutions. The BPO company became the pioneers in 2007, when they took up end-to-end virtualization, i.e. from desktop to server, with Dalal at its helm.

Why End-Point Virtualization

"What do employees seek today?, asks Sanjiv Dalal. An environment in order to augment productivity; desktop accessibility on the go, with all its applications intact and within an assured secured environment, which is free from the headaches of patches, updations, back-up, space etc.

Whereas, on the other hand, a company has to meet these requirements and simultaneously ensure that the information asset is also secure. At the same time, it also looks at the areas, where it can optimize cost, so as to leverage and maintain IT infrastructure without incurring additional expenditure.

We found that about 10-15 per cent of the total desktops were lying either unutilized or under-utilized, on any given day. This was eating into our operating costs. Virtualizing helped us to consolidate such desktops, host them and maintain them from a central location.

Being the pioneers, we had several issues and challenges to address. We began by virtualizing 400 computers. When you decide to virtualize, how to meet the security parameters of every department becomes a major issue. Since all of them share the same pool of virtual machines, we didn't want them to compromise on data and computing. This issue had to be address by the expertise within the company.

What came off End-Point Virtualization

Our business required us to move to Tier-II cities. This required an entirely different strategy to deliver application functionality to the end users. We were the first organized BPO to venture into Siliguri, Pune, Tiruchy, Hubli, Jalandhar, Indore, Coimbatore etc. In a BPO, system breakdown means loss of several hours of manpower. In such a circumstance, managing cost of support, operation and security were on priority. Moreover, delivering functionalities, assuring 24/7 support and talent in the Tier-II cities, were the major challenges then.

Once we moved towards desktop virtualization, with the help of VMware, we were able to remove these complexities. Virtualizing desktops allowed us to do this in a secured and efficient manner. Now experts sit in one centralized location, the virtual desktops sit in Mumbai and employees work from different locations. In such an environment, instances of data theft is also very less. Moreover, any issue can be addressed from a single location.

In end-point virtualization, all forms of computing and data storage happen at one centralized location. Essentially, desktop virtualization enables encapsulation of an entire desktop - operating system, applications, tools and data - into a virtual machine that can operate as an isolated workspace on any computing platform.

We have also developed an intermediate software, acting like a connection broker, which can monitor usage of PCs and can dynamically assign desktops from a pool.

In an environment, where a logical machine is not in use, (since the respective person is not in the workspace), it can be assigned to someone else for utilization. This can in turn cater to simultaneous usage. Today I don't need 1,000 PCs, when only 850 are working. I can get the job done with 850 virtual desktops and also get an additional control over it. It also gives us the flexibility to cater to time-zone differences. Thanks to end-point virtualization, we have today achieved 40 per cent cost optimization in application delivery.

Hurdles ahead for End-Point Virtualization

Adoption of desktop virtualization is a recent phenomena, though it has been around for over a decade now. Some of the reasons for slow adoption rates could range from lack of expertise to inability to create a financial justification. Some may even think, 'why go for virtualization, when everything is fine'. However, of late, there is a significant level of interest in virtualizing desktops.

One can't assure a fool-proof work environment, however, one can come close to it and at the same time also bring down operational costs significantly We have seen the benefits it provides.

A recent spurt in demands for netbooks will make virtualizing the desktop very compelling, since the data can be accessed form anywhere, at any time in a very efficient and secured manner. It's only a matter of time, when we will see applications delivered to the end users, differently," Dalal signs off.