VMworld 2012 is almost upon us, and the Dell desktop virtualization solutions group (DVS) is leading Dell’s presence at the event in San Francisco. On Aug. 20 we took the wrapper off a BUNCH of enhancements and expanded our cloud client computing offerings including announcing an array of enhanced Dell Wyse cloud clients, storage solutions and DVS reference architectures jointly validated with VMware. You can get the full story in the Dell corporate announcement here and in this great overview in Dell’s Inside Enterprise IT Blog.
Click the following link to see all VMworld 2012-related posts from Dell.
In this post I am going to focus on two new reference architectures announced this week that the Dell DVS engineering squad has developed in close collaboration with our friends at VMware. Dell and VMware have teamed up to create the Dell DVS Enterprise – Mobile Secure Desktop and the Dell MCC – VMware AlwaysOn Point of Care solutions. These are both validated designs that integrate technologies from Dell, VMware, and the Dell technology partner ecosystem to address specific needs and use cases. Dell is unique in our ability to simplify the complex, and VDI certainly qualifies as complex, identify best of breed components and technologies and package up these components into end-to-end solution designs.
By the way – did I mention that the new reference architectures and solution enhancements announced this week will be demo’d on the Dell and Dell Wyse exhibits at VMworld 2012 USA. (Booths #1412 and #1523) If you are attending VMworld make sure to stop by and check them out!
These validated designs are instantiated as end to end solution reference architectures that map and document the individual components and the integration points and considerations. Like any good design, flexibility is also an important criterion that guides our work in crafting these architectures. Ultimately we seek to balance being prescriptive with providing enough wiggle room so the solution can be refined for a customer’s specific environment – this is where the collaboration with VMware really helps. So here is more detail on each of these new designs, and we encourage you to consult the published reference architectures (see the links below) for all the specs.
The Dell Mobile Clinical Computing (MCC) – VMware AlwaysOn Point of Care virtualizes desktops with VMware View and hosts them on a VMware vSphere powered infrastructure. The foundational infrastructure is Dell’s MCC solution– an optimized VDI compute, storage and networking stack for healthcare and life sciences environments. MCC combines Dell server, storage and network hardware and virtual desktop technology (View 5 and vSphere 5) with single sign on and management tools to enhance clinical staff productivity and mobility.
It should be no surprise that many MCC implementations also include Dell Wyse cloud clients to provide secure, economical, high-performance computing. See the Dell announcement for details on the NEW Dell Wyse P class family of PCoIP zero clients. The dual-display capable Dell Wyse P25 and quad-display capable Dell Wyse P45 are designed specifically for VMware View implementations.
Dell MCC integrates applications into one simple interface that can be accessed anywhere from virtually any device. The MCC – AlwaysOn design layers in an active-active desktop environment running identical desktop images, even if there is a failure at the primary site, end users can promptly access their desktops and applications from the secondary site. Our goal with the MCC – AlwaysOn Point of Care offering is to provide clinicians and medical staff with the rapid secure access and continuous level of availability they need so they can focus on delivering the highest levels of patient care. You can access and read the reference architecture here.
The Dell DVS Enterprise – Mobile Secure Desktop architecture integrates Dell’s existing DVS Enterprise infrastructure solution with multiple VMware technologies and additional Dell technology partner components to meet the need for flexible, mobile and secure end user computing in today’s dynamic businesses. The design focusses on three cores are as follows:
Mobility: With persona management, persistence and support for user-installed applications, the Mobile Secure Desktop solution provides a personalized user experience across devices and sessions. This design can enable BYOD use cases—so users can access a familiar desktop from different devices, and IT retains precise control over IT resources.
Security: By integrating support for two-factor authentication (RSA SecurID, RADIUS), the DVS Enterprise – Mobile Secure Desktop solution emphasizes data and application security. This solution also integrates VMware vShield to provide superior security for the environment.
Management: The management domain gets serious attention in the design and includes both mobile device management and multiple management and compliance tools including Dell’s Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter, VMware vCenter Operations Management for View, and vCenter Configuration Manager just to name a few. See the reference architecture for all the details.
The Mobile Secure Desktop architecture also includes a number of capabilities to provide a superior user experience across devices and locations. If you are thinking about, researching or exploring any form of “bring your own device” initiative, check out this reference architecture to get Dell and VMware’s perspective.
Both offerings leverage Dell’s enterprise server, storage and networking infrastructure, wireless and wired networks, VMware View and vSphere, security services, management and monitoring components to protect data, monitor the infrastructure and secure access from virtual any end point device. These purposely designed end-to-end solutions are tailored for organizations looking to drive higher levels of productivity by improving end-user access across devices and locations, reduce costs by streamlining desktop and application management, and enhancing security and compliance.
Both the Mobile Secure Desktop and MCC-AlwaysON will be on display at VMworld USA 2012! Make sure to stop by the Dell and Dell Wyse booths!
Want to learn more about what Dell is doing in the Desktop Virtualization arena? Visit www.dell.com/desktopvirtualization
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