ThinkVirt

The most recently and widely publicized world health concern, is known as A/H1N1, or “swine flu” to the masses. A/H1N1 was given the, “swine flu” moniker because it resembles a strain found in pigs. The latest strain has affected ~13,000 people globally thus far, according to the Center for Disease Control.

A recent study led by Dr. Rebecca Garten (CDC) has unearthed some troubling news; A/H1N1 has been evolving in the swine community and the proper safeguards that should have alerted the human race to the evolving illness were not triggered.

Another serious concern is that scientists in Canada have concluded that the strain has jumped from pigs to humans and now back to pigs. This could lend itself to a more powerful mutation of A/H1N1 that could then be transmitted back to humans.

The CDC has also reported that roughly 66% of infections in America have been in people between 5 and 24 years of age. Since most families have at least 1 child per household, the possibility of cross-exposure to an adult is high. These are the same adults that make up the majority of the world’s workforce.

How are agencies, organizations, corporatations, school systems and non-profits dealing with the potential of business closure due to the pandemic outbreak of A/H1N1, “swine flu?”

More importantly, how is YOUR organization prepared to deal with a potential facilities closure?

Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) can allow employees to access their same on-site work environment, securely and from anywhere with an internet connection. More importantly, by leveraging advantages of virtualization, virtual desktops can be provisioned in minutes to supply on-demand computing needs.

VMware and Citrix both have popular and viable VDI solutions using server virtualization in the backend.

Performance is relatively equal between the two in terms of consolidation ratios, compute power, et cetera. Citrix does have an advantage today with their HDX technology, while VMware pushes to complete its incorporation of Teradici goodness known of PCoIP into a software based solution.

The other potential key factor to the solution includes the selection of the best thin terminal (should thin terminals be used at all as they certainly aren't a mandatory component). Wyse, ChipPC, HP, Dell, et cetera, all have solid thin terminals on the market. It's also worth looking at where the industry is going, and as the adoption of the Teradici solution moves forward at a rapid pace (thanks to the partnering with VMware), it is advisable to use a Teradici-friendly thin terminal, like one from Clear Cube.

A VDI implementation, if implemented properly, can be an amazingly effective solution not only in times of emergency, but also in day-to-day operation.

To help get started on the path to VDI success, please contact us today.

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