Desktop Cloud Computing: providing flexible, reliable insurance

As the scale of business expands and the volume of trans-regional transactions increases, some employees of Zhejiang Merchant Bank Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Zhejiang Bank) often travel or need to move their offices. The employees of Zhejiang Merchants Bank used to access the Office system mainly by means of VPN dialing. Due to the large amount of interactive data, limited network bandwidth and unstable network access, sometimes the Web page is slow to open, and the efficiency of mobile office is affected. In addition, the Zhejiang Merchant Bank has higher requirements for the safety control of IT system. Therefore, the Zhejiang merchant Bank urgently needs a set of high efficiency and safety desktop application system.





Zhejiang Business Bank chose desktop virtualization, on the one hand because desktop virtualization can improve the efficiency of mobile office, on the other hand, the use of desktop virtualization, business data are all concentrated in the background, so as to ensure that IT systems and applications have a higher security.





both immediate interests and long-term strategy





August 2011, Zhejiang Merchants Bank began to contact VMware Company to explore the possibility of implementing desktop virtualization system. At the outset, Zhejiang Merchant Bank tested the mainstream desktop virtualization products in several markets, including VMware view. Zhejiang Commercial Bank's desktop virtualization system will mainly assume office, mail and other business, does not involve video and other relatively complex applications, so participate in the Test Desktop virtualization products in performance and basic functions can meet its requirements.





in fact, another industry-leading desktop virtualization vendor was also involved in the test. However, after comprehensive consideration, Zhejiang Merchant Bank finally chose VMware's desktop virtualization products.





Zhejiang Business Bank to choose VMware Main reasons are two: first, although the other manufacturer's products are rich in functionality, but configuration and management is relatively complex, and VMware view product features not only can fully meet the needs of Zhejiang Business Bank, and management is simpler; second, VMware has a strong presence in server virtualization, and Zhejiang Merchants Bank, considering the future deployment of server virtualization technologies, desktop virtualization and server virtualization will be better for compatibility, integration, and manageability if the same vendor's products are used.





Zhejiang Merchant Bank has deployed 500 virtual desktops, using VMware View desktop virtualization software to cover mobile devices such as traditional PCs and laptops. In order to ensure the smooth application of desktop virtualization, Zhejiang Merchant Bank has deliberately procured a number of new servers and storage devices, including some PC servers and a unified storage system with SAN and NAS capabilities.





Prior to the formal launch of the desktop virtualization system, the Zhejiang Merchant Bank conducted a three-month test. The testing work of the bank of Zhejiang is very meticulous, and many of the risks that may arise from the replacement of the new system are evaluated. Due to the full preparation, the Zhejiang Commercial Bank's desktop virtualization system on the line is more relaxed than the test, no problem occurred. In fact, the most worry for Zhejiang Merchants Bank, they are in the server, storage and other hardware equipment on the high, and these devices can fully meet the needs of its desktop virtualization applications, Zhejiang Business Bank is not full grasp. After all, in the system before the line, Zhejiang Merchants Bank only in a small range of tests. The practice proves that the server and storage system of Zhejiang Merchant Bank has withstood the test of 500 concurrent virtual desktops.





if the cost of one-time hardware and software is considered simply, the desktop virtualization scheme does not have the advantage over the traditional PC. The Zhejiang Merchant Bank has carried on the accurate calculation, a virtual desktop price is higher than a PC. If from the current mobile Office application of Zhejiang Merchant Bank, the cost advantage of Desktop virtualization system is not obvious. However, because of the limited number of mobile Office system used by Zhejiang Commercial Bank, the total cost is controllable, and it is within the affordable range of Zhejiang Merchant Bank.





from another point of view, the future with the popularity of thin clients, virtual desktop usage will be greatly increased, desktop virtualization in the overall cost of ownership, manageability and other advantages will be fully utilized. In the long run, it is wise for the bank of Zhejiang to implement desktop virtualization now.





Efficiency and safety





Zhejiang Business Bank Desktop Virtualization system has been running for more than half a year, the system runs smoothly, no problems have occurred. The desktop virtualization system has brought new changes to the mobile Office application of Zhejiang Merchant Bank.





from the point of view of improving office efficiency, in the original VPN access mode, all data must be transferred to terminal equipment. Now, with the VMware View Desktop virtualization system, as long as the transmission terminal data changes. The amount of data transferred on the network is reduced, and the performance of terminal access is naturally increased. VMware View built-in PCOIP protocol, which allows users to access and manipulate the desktop more smoothly.





From a security perspective, the advantages of the VMware View Desktop virtualization system are obvious. When the Office system is open to Internet terminals, it is convenient for the employees, and it also provides the attackers with a new way of network attack, and increases the risk of information leakage inside the bank. Most of the existing business systems of Zhejiang Merchants Bank are based on B/s architecture. Many of the office staff of Zhejiang Merchant Bank need to visit the business system in the way of traveling or at home, if directly through VPN access, will bring the security risk such as the leakage of business data. After using VMware View Desktop Virtualization system, because the data is stored in the background storage device, the terminal equipment does not have the business data, even if the terminal device infects the virus, it will not affect the intranet of the enterprise, so it improves the security of the whole system.





to prevent the leakage of business data is a very difficult task for banks. Using VMware View, as long as the Zhejiang Merchants Bank can strictly control the use of USB devices, the risk of data leakage can be completely avoided. Because the desktop virtualization system is based on Windows domain, Zhejiang Merchant Bank can further improve the security of the whole system by setting some security policies in the Windows domain.





by adopting the VMware Desktop Virtualization solution, Zhejiang Merchant Bank can better protect transaction data and system security, achieve simplification, centralized IT management and secure, flexible desktop access, IT administrators can solve most desktop system technical problems on their own workstation. Based on the VMware Desktop Virtualization scheme, employees at Zhejiang Merchants Bank can access their desktops through multiple on-screen assembly methods, thereby increasing productivity. In addition, the Zhejiang Merchant Bank has developed its own login tool on the basis of VMware Desktop virtualization program. The login tool can automatically record the username and password and implement one-click login. With the increase of application time, the employees of Zhejiang Merchants Bank have become more and more receptive to desktop virtualization.





the current 500 virtual desktops can not meet the application requirements of Zhejiang Commercial Bank. Next, the Zhejiang Merchant Bank will expand the desktop virtualization system and upgrade VMware view to the latest version.




Unlike many users who first do server virtualization and then desktop virtualization, Zhejiang Merchants Bank first implemented desktop virtualization and then implemented Server virtualization (
). At present, the Zhejiang Merchant Bank only uses the server virtualization technology in the development and the test environment, but does not apply the server virtualization technology in the key business system. In order to ensure the stability and reliability of the business, Zhejiang Commercial Bank in the adoption of new technologies relatively conservative, will certainly adopt a mature and reliable technology.





The Bank of Zhejiang Business believes that virtualization is the general trend. However, in the application of virtualization technology, Zhejiang Commercial Bank will be more cautious, depending on the virtualization technology testing and trial progress, in the appropriate time to apply virtualization technology in its key business systems.





Good products must be equipped with good service





Zhejiang Merchants Bank has some successful experiences in the application of desktop virtualization.





First, choose a good service provider. One important reason why the bank of Zhejiang was determined to choose VMware is that VMware provides timely and thoughtful local service support. In Hangzhou, the headquarters of the Zhejiang Merchant Bank, VMware can provide the original support service and the agent service double protection, the service response speed is very fast, this let the fault processing speed very valued Zhejiang merchant Bank to be very satisfied.





second, cost is a key issue that an enterprise must consider when choosing a virtualized product when the product features and performance are basically the same.





third, enterprises should look at the application of virtualization technology in the perspective of long-term strategy. At present, the Zhejiang merchant bank mainly uses the VMware Desktop virtualization product, but in the future will timing in the key business System Deployment server virtualization technology. VMware's strength in server virtualization is obvious. In view of the system compatibility and unified management issues, Zhejiang Merchants Bank is inclined to adopt a single vendor to provide the overall solution.





pave the road for cloud computing





Zhejiang merchant Bank Desktop Virtualization application system built on the industry-leading VMware Cloud platform, measured in terms of scalability and flexibility of provisioning, is very much in line with current cloud computing requirements and standards.





Desktop Cloud is just the first stage of the cloud computing strategy of Zhejiang Merchant Bank. In the future, Zhejiang Merchant Bank also plans to integrate desktop virtualization, server virtualization, cloud Platform management, process automation and intelligent monitoring into a unified, centrally managed cloud computing platform. This is also the reason why the Zhejiang merchant Bank chose VMware Desktop Virtualization Technology without choosing the traditional Terminal Services SBC computing mode.