Microsoft with it’s Gold Certified Partners Kalsoft and Jaffer Business Systems deployed virtual desktop infrastructure based on Windows Server 2008 R2 and Hyper-V at Warid Telecom International based in Lahore with regional centers in Islamabad and Karachi. Warid Telecom increased uptime to 99.9 percent, cut support time by 40 percent, and expects to reduce power consumption by 80 percent and capital costs by 20 percent.
Warid Telecom also deployed virtual desktops by using Remote Desktop Services formerly known as Terminal Services and the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure delivery model in Windows Server 2008 R2. The virtual desktops deliver the Windows XP Professional operating system, line-of-business applications, and Microsoft Office programs to 130 HP t5145 thin-client devices. Warid Telecom expects to replace 500 workstations with virtual desktops and thin-client devices by January 2010. The virtual desktops will run on server farms in the Lahore data center. “Purchasing the HP servers to use with Windows Server 2008 R2 meant easier management, fewer pieces of hardware to worry about, and less money spent,” says Akram Saleemi, Senior Manager IT eServices at Warid Telecom.
Warid Telecom is using tools such as Microsoft System Center perations Manager 2007 and System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 to manage its virtual desktop infrastructure. It also uses the Live Migration feature to migrate virtual desktops between physical servers when it needs to perform maintenance. Next, the company plans to virtualize and consolidate its entire Windows Server–based infrastructure on Windows Server 2008 R2 by 2010. It will also upgrade its client operating systems to Windows 7. By deploying virtual desktops with Windows Server 2008 R2, Warid Telecom is realizing benefits such as improved availability, easier management, and reduced energy consumption and costs.
Improves uptime. Warid Telecom reports near-continuous uptime with its new solution. The company attributes the improvement to its high-availability failover cluster and to better desktop management. “We have had no downtime since deploying Windows Server 2008 R2,” says Saad Moten, Manager IT e-Services (Infrastructure) at Warid Telecom. “We have 99.9 percent uptime and optimal application performance as well. ”
Cuts support time by 40 percent. In the past, Warid Telecom help-desk staff invested many hours maintaining workstations to ensure availability. But that has changed now that client desktops run on Hyper-V. “By centrally managing our Windows Server 2008 R2 virtual desktop infrastructure, we have reduced our support time by 40 percent,” Mushtaq says. Saquib Ahmed, Administrator of VDI at Warid Telecom, adds, “As an administrator, I can do twice as many maintenance tasks from a single console without touching a client system or interrupting users.”
Reduces power consumption by 80 percent. In addition to improving administration, the company is using Windows Server 2008 R2 with HP thin-client devices to succeed with its green initiative. “We will improve energy efficiency significantly by running virtual desktops on Hyper-V,” says Moten. “We expect our virtual desktop infrastructure to use about 20 percent of the power consumed by workstations.”
Reduces yearly operating expenses by 62 percent. Warid Telecom expects to recoup its investment within 18 months. “We will save $75,000 by eliminating workstations, and we anticipate other costs to decrease, too,” says Mushtaq. “We expect a 20 percent drop in our annual capital expenditure and a 62 percent drop in operating expenses by cutting power, support, and hardware costs with our Hyper-V solution.”
Source : Microsoft Feed
