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This is the second in a three part article focusing on the entire process of Virtualizing in an industrial environment. \u00a0While there is a lot of talk about Virtualizing and VDI, we wanted to focus on the viability and deployment of Virtualization in an industrial and manufacturing environment which would speak to the concerns and difficulties specific to this industry.<\/p>\n
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Part 2: How Much Virtualization is Needed?<\/strong><\/p>\n In Part 1 of this series, we discussed the need to centralize computer resources before considering whether or not to virtualize them.\u00a0 The vast majority of ThinManager<\/a> customers use Remote Desktop Services (formerly Terminal Services) as their Centralization solution.\u00a0 One reason for this is that RDS is included with every Windows Server installation, so there are fewer initial costs incurred when centralizing.<\/p>\n In Part 2 we continue to explore whether or not Virtualization is necessary once you\u2019ve centralized, and, if it is, how far do you go.\u00a0 For many customers the buck stops with RDS.\u00a0 Being able to install OS\u2019s and applications once and having them deploy to multiple clients can provide enough time savings and reduced administrative headaches that Virtualization could very well just be an added cost to a system that already does everything the end user requires.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say you are already using a centralized system in your processing or manufacturing facility and all is well.\u00a0 Your numbers are steady and consistent, your employees are Apparently, Virtualization is the answer\u2026but the answer to what?\u00a0 Your company and individual facilities are churning along just fine while the voice inside your head keeps repeating, \u201cIf it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it!\u201d\u00a0 But that is an old axiom that doesn\u2019t take into consideration the rapid expansion of technological improvements.\u00a0 After all, at some point the creators of many fine products such as the cassette player and the rotary phone said the same thing.<\/p>\n Once you decide to virtualize, the real question becomes WHAT do I virtualize?\u00a0 Your current system should dictate which path to take between these two common options:<\/p>\n Remote Desktop Server:<\/strong> As we discussed, running RDS as your Centralization Solution offers many users enough benefit to stop there.\u00a0 However, if you\u2019re going to implement Virtualization, why not start with virtualizing the RDS server itself?\u00a0 There are two key benefits you can realize by applying Virtualization to your Remote Desktop Server:<\/p>\n 1)\u00a0\u00a0 Apply upgrades and patches directly to a virtual instance of your server to test whether or not the updates will work as expected when applied to the live environment, which dramatically reduces the chances of system downtime that could affect daily production volume.<\/p>\n 2) \u00a0 Create snapshots of your \u201cworking\u201d server configuration that will allow you to easily restore the server if a problem is encountered.<\/p>\n The vast majority of ThinManager customers using a Terminal Server have come to realize a greater ROI through effective deployment and management in a \u201c1:1 OS to Box \u201carchitecture.\u00a0 If your environment is dynamic enough that this will increase your productivity and reduce maintenance, then taking the next step to virtualize will produce benefits and cost savings.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.thinmanager.com\/thinclients\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/arista_boxpc_140a_acp_v5a-300x233.jpg\")
\n<\/a>familiar with the system, and you are able to effectively manage hardware support and maintenance.\u00a0 But you still can\u2019t shake the feeling that you should move forward and virtualize.\u00a0 After all, every single industry publication you read insists that Virtualization is necessary to stay competitive.\u00a0 Other people in your company have even asked why the competition has virtualized while you have not (they must be reading those same publications).<\/p>\n
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