Running head: COMPUTER DESKTOPS AS A MANAGED SERVICE

The Advantages of Delivering Desktops as a Managed Service By Joseph Pasquarello Capella University

COMPUTER DESKTOPS AS A MANAGED SERVICE Abstract This paper will show that todays businesses have a lot of time and money invested in their computer environments. These environments encompass numerous traditional personal computers, all of which have to be configured, updated, and backed-up on a continuous basis. Traditionally, this work is done on a machine-by-machine basis. This paper will show that having computer desktops managed and delivered by virtualization from the data center is more secure, has simplified management, is easier to backup, provides a way for software licenses to be centrally-managed, allows applications with conflicting components to run together and allows applications and operating systems to be updated/upgraded easier.

COMPUTER DESKTOPS AS A MANAGED SERVICE Table of Contents Background Virtualization Desktop Infrastructure
Security Software updates/upgrades License management Hardware support Backup/disaster recovery Incompatibility between application components

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Conclusion References Appendix A: Proposal Appendix B: Progress Report

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COMPUTER DESKTOPS AS A MANAGED SERVICE The advantages of delivering desktops as a managed service Background

Todays companies have to support multiple users, using dissimilar hardware. They spend much time, money, and effort to maintain their personal computer infrastructure. Information technology (IT) departments have to address software updates, application installations, malware, viruses, and general troubleshooting (Coombe, 2008). IT departments constantly have to push security updates to user machines. Backups of entire machines almost never exist and if they do, they are usually out of date (Wolf & Halter, 2005). When hardware issues occur, users lose productivity and many man-hours of work. License administration and software tracking becomes extremely hard as end-users arbitrarily install software not issued nor supported by the company. Updates to operating systems usually require entirely new machines, as vendor support for old machines does not usually exist. Virtualization Desktop Infrastructure Virtualization desktop infrastructure moves the computers operating system (OS) and applications running on that OS from individual personal computers to the data center of a company. This allows the IT department to manage the total package from one central location. As shown in Figure 1, virtual desktops are hosted at the data center and streamed to the individual users thick or thin client over the network. Virtual machines are based on the owner/guest paradigm; each guest runs on a virtual hardware layer (Barnoschi, 2008). This allows IT administrators to create guests that contain different operating systems as well as different applications depending on user needs.

COMPUTER DESKTOPS AS A MANAGED SERVICE

Figure 1. Desktop Streaming (Coombe, 2008) Security Traditional personal computers face many challenges when it comes to security. Some companies go through a testing cycle to ensure that any security update does not break their critical business applications; this can lead to long update cycles leaving a company open to possible threats. Personal computers store sensitive data locally. This storage of information might be because of application use or intentional data misuse. With security policies being set at the data center, enforcement of encryption can be set on all virtual data stored on disk when the desktop is active. End-users can access their data, desktop, and applications from any location, at any time while complying with their corporate security policies (Vmware, ). The company can uniformly apply security policies across the virtualized desktop. Lockdowns, network controls, monitoring, and hardware controls are part of all controlled virtual machines (Garfinkel & Warfield, 2007).

COMPUTER DESKTOPS AS A MANAGED SERVICE Controlling access to applications is very hard with traditional computers, as once an

application is installed on a machine, anyone with access to that machine can run the application. Virtualization allows individual applications to be applied only to those who have a need to access them. When a virtual machine is not active, the applications residing on it are only maintained at the data center. Virtualized desktops have centralized data; virtualization permits only images of the data required by applications to be streamed, preserving sensitive and proprietary information (Coombe, 2008). Software updates/upgrades In a typical business environment, computers require software installations to be done on each machine. While this is doable, todays technologies require machines to either get their updates from a central repository or be manually patched, either by a member of the IT department or the individual end-user. Virtualized desktops solve this problem by eliminating the need to install or manage patches on individual desktops. All patches and upgrades are applied to the master image(s) at the data center, and then these master images become the updated virtual desktops. This greatly simplifies deployment and reduces costs to the company. License management Tracking of software installed on each machine in an office can be a full-time position in a traditional company. Often companies deploy agents on user machines to track software and usage. License tracking becomes impossible as end-users arbitrarily install software not issued or supported by the company. (Olzak, 2007).

COMPUTER DESKTOPS AS A MANAGED SERVICE In a virtualized environment, master images contain known software. The number of licenses is easily determined and software usage can be monitored to regulate the number of licenses purchased, sometimes saving companies money. End-users have no ability to install software, as the IT department controls software installation to maintain license counts. When

users require specialized applications, custom virtual desktops can be created and pushed to their systems. Hardware support Virtualization enables legacy, low performance, and thin clients to be deployed to endusers. Thin clients provide the best security in a virtualized environment, as there is no local data. Virtualization allows users to move from any computer to another, even offsite, if allowed, and still have access to their applications and data. Since the operating system, applications, and data are residing in the data center, hardware failures cause no loss of data, and with a refreshed machine, users can be back up and working immediately. Because of virtual desktop streaming, end-users hardware has to be refreshed less often, thus saving the company money (Coombe, 2008). Backup/disaster recovery Traditional businesses rarely backup end-users machines. They rely on data being stored on central servers. These central servers are what most companies backup. Redundancy is kept for critical servers but with virtualization, redundancy happens at the end-user desktop level. Desktop virtualization solves the backup problem as end-user data, applications, and operating systems are stored at the data center. Client machines that fail can be refreshed

COMPUTER DESKTOPS AS A MANAGED SERVICE immediately, or a user can be moved to another client even one with different hardware

(Coombe, 2008). In the past, it was expensive to get machines to replicate to other machines, as they had to have identical hardware. Virtualization solves this problem by creating a hardware layer that can be deployed on dissimilar hardware as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2 Make-up of a virtual desktop (Vmware, ) Incompatibility between application components When traditional machines have issues between individual components of applications a decision has to be made as to which product takes a higher need within the company. Multiple Java Version, Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs) updates and changes to ActiveX controls can cause applications to fail. This can happen when applications are installed or upgraded and can lead to potential conflicts when difference version of these components reside on the same computer. Virtualization can solve this in two ways. Individual desktops per application can be maintained by the data center relieving the conflicting components. Running one of the multiple

COMPUTER DESKTOPS AS A MANAGED SERVICE desktops available, the end-user can then access the different applications. The other way, as shown in Figure 3, is that virtualization products have the ability to separate applications from their operating system. This can lead to increased compatibility, as each application becomes a bundled unit. Isolating and virtualization of applications can allow multiple applications, or multiple versions of the same applications, to be run on the virtual desktops without conflict of application components (Vmware, ).

Figure 3:Virtualized Application (Olzak, 2007)

COMPUTER DESKTOPS AS A MANAGED SERVICE Conclusion

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Virtual desktops solve many problems for todays businesses. IT departments and security teams have a much easier job managing virtualized machines where patches, upgrades, backups and software licenses are centrally-managed at the data center. Decentralized computing focused on user productivity gives the end-users more freedom, while still maintaining all the control in the IT and security departments. Virtualization makes efficient use of resources, including thin clients and older legacy computers, thus helping companies reduce their capital expenditures. The added benefit of a virtualized desktop is the ability to jump from machine to machine and location to location with no loss of productivity. Users can work from home, office, and even mobile all while accessing their standard desktop, applications, and data.

COMPUTER DESKTOPS AS A MANAGED SERVICE References Barnoschi, A. (2008). Backup and disaster recovery for modern enterprise. 5th Internation Scientific Conference Bussiness and Management 2008, 630-635.

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Coombe, B. (2008). Desktop virtualization and thin client options. , (December), . Retrieved July 22, 2010, from http://www.bechtel.com/assets/files/TechJournal/Comms%2003%20Desktop%20Virtuali zation%20Final.pdf Garfinkel, T., & Warfield, A. (2007, December). What virtualization can do for security. Login, 32(6), 28-34. Gruman, G. (2006, September). Desktop virtualization making PCs manageable. Infoworld, 28, 33-39. Olzak, T. (2007, August). Desktop application virtualization and application streaming: Function and security benefits. Retrieved August 18, 2010, from http://adventuresinsecurity.com/Papers/Desktop_Virtualization_Aug_2007.pdf Vmware (n.d.). VMware view. Retrieved August 29, 2010, from http://www.vmware.com/products/view/ Wolf, C., & Halter, E. M. (2005). Virtualization: from the desktop to the enterprise (1st ed.). New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.

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Appendix A: Proposal Date: August 17, 2010 To: Rebecca Snarski, Ph D.

From: Joseph Pasquarello Re: Summary This paper will start out by explaining what a virtual desktop is for those that are unfamiliar with one. It will go on to show the benefits of such an environment and how one can help a company in its day-to-day operation. This paper will show the reader that a managed virtual desktop is quicker to be deployed, more economical, and has better security for a business environment. Problem Todays companies have to support multiple users using dissimilar hardware. They constantly have to push security updates to users machines. Backups of entire machines almost never exist and if they do they usually out of date (Wolf & Halter, 2005, p. 481). When hardware issues occur users lose productivity and possible many man-hours of work. License tracking becomes impossible as end users arbitrarily install software not issued or supported by the company. (Olzak, 2007, p 2). Updates to Operating System usually require entirely new machines, as vendor support for old machines has already ended. Solution To solve the problems of todays companies I will develop a paper on how virtual desktops are able to meet company objectives while still meeting the needs of their employees. The paper will explain the following topics as they relate to virtual desktops: Security Simplified management and control Updates/upgrades easier to manage Software licenses centrally managed Multiple hardware support including thin client Backup/disaster recovery Timeline Table 1 provides a timeline for completing the major milestones of the overall project. Proposal to develop a research paper on delivering computer desktops as a managed service and how they can benefit a business environment.

COMPUTER DESKTOPS AS A MANAGED SERVICE Task Project Proposal Draft Paper Smarthink Submission 1 Progress Report Edits and Revisions Smarthing Submission 2 Feedback Peers Final Updates Submit Final Paper Conclusion Start Date 16 August 2010 24 August 2010 29 August 2010 30 August 2010 7 September 2010 7 September 2010 13 September 2010 15 September 2010 Table 1: Timeline End Date 24 August 2010 29 August 2010 31 August 2010 7 September 2010 12 September 2010 10 September 2010 15 September 2010 18 September 2010 19 September 2010

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Traditional PCs requires initial purchase, configuration, installation, and maintenance of applications. There is also the help desk and user downtime if something happens to their hardware. I request your approval to write a paper that will describe the advantages of using virtual desktops to solve traditional problems by managing the OS, applications, maintenance and backup in the datacenter. The helpdesk and support have more control of users machines. Something happens to users hardware, any hardware even at a different location will allow them to access all their data and software. References Olzak, T. (2007, August). Desktop Application Virtualization and Application Streaming: Function and Security Benefits. Retrieved August 18, 2010, from http://adventuresinsecurity.com/Papers/Desktop_Virtualization_Aug_2007.pdf Wolf, C., & Halter, E. M. (2005). Virtualization: from the desktop to the enterprise (1st ed.). New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.

COMPUTER DESKTOPS AS A MANAGED SERVICE Appendix B: Progress Report From: To: Date: Joseph Pasquarello Rebecca Snarski PhD August 31, 2010

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Subject: Progress report on delivering desktops as managed services for TS5004 course final project Introductory Summary The purpose of this report is to document my progress to develop a research paper on delivering computer desktops as a managed service and how they can benefit a business environment. Work Completed I have submitted my project proposal, and you approved it on August 30th. I have researched my topic using Capellas library and Googles Scholar. Currently I have nine potential reference books and reports. I have drafted approximately 80% of my paper and submitted it to Smarthinking.com to get an initial feedback report. At this point, I am rewriting my draft using the feedback from Smarthinking.com and finishing the remaining 20% to resubmit back to Smarthinking.com for more feedback. Problems Encountered Research and writing is going well. The only problem I have encountered is a lack of a printer while on travel. This has slowed my note taking, as all my notes are hand written references to either stored web pages or downloaded books. In the coming week my travel will stop, as my temporary 4 month position has completed. I am currently looking for coverage,but I do not believe this will affect the timeline I have set. Progress The Figure 1 below shows my progress thus far as well as all milestones for future work to be completed to meet the 19 September deadline.

COMPUTER DESKTOPS AS A MANAGED SERVICE Task Project Proposal Draft Paper Smarthinking Submission 1 Progress Report Edits and Revisions Smarthinking Submission 2 Feedback Peers Final Updates Submit Final Paper Conclusion Start Date 16 August 24 August 29 August 30 August 7 September 7 September 13 September 15 September End Date 24 August 29 August 31 August 7 September 12 September 10 September 15 September 18 September 19 September Figure 1: Report Progress Progress 100% Complete 100% Complete 100% Complete 100% Complete 100% Complete 100% Complete 100% Complete 100% Complete 100% Complete

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The research I have encountered so far seems more than enough to complete my paper. I have a good start on my final paper. Smarthinking was quick to come back with its initial feedback. My second draft is well underway. I will be returning home soon to have a better workspace to complete my project.