Easy management of workplaces in seven islands with UDS VDI

• Name: Diputación del Común de Canarias

• Sector: Public

• Number of employees: 38

• Number of offices: 8

• Location: Official headquarters in La Palma and administrative offices in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, El Hierro, La Gomera, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and La Graciosa (Canary Islands, Spain)

Diputación del Común de Canarias trusts UDS Enterprise as a work tool for their employees. With this desktop virtualization solution, they can use all the programs and applications they need in their day-to-day with no schedule limitations, from anywhere and on any device, and without compromising data security.

This public body, known as the Ombudsman, safeguards citizens’ fundamental rights and freedoms and public administrations’ compliance with the law. One of its distinctive signs is its closeness to citizens. To facilitate dialogue with residents, it has offices on each of the archipelago islands. This geographical dispersion made it challenging to manage and maintain workplaces, as well as to fix issues. Technicians had to travel to configure, update, install patches… on computers one by one. In the event of an incident, response times were extended, affecting the entity’s operation.

Aware of the benefits to be obtained with the implementation of cutting-edge technologies, the IT team promoted a digital transformation project to migrate its environment from a physical to a virtual one.

“We found that desktop virtualization with UDS Enterprise was going to dramatically simplify the management of workplaces and strengthen the security of our systems,” explains José Celso Pérez, IT Advisot at Diputación del Común.

This organization handles especially sensitive data and must comply with the highest standards of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). With UDS Enterprise, the management of machine security measures is much more optimal and straightforward. It allows the devices to be controlled, monitored, and with all the security patches up to date. Also, the data do not travel through the network. Users view them on their desktops but do not leave the CPD of the organization at any time.

The specialists of Velorcios Group, UDS Enterprise Gold Partner, were in charge of advising and recommended the solution. “We considered that it would be much easier, more comfortable, and safer for them to work with a VDI environment with UDS Enterprise,” comments Territory Manager Agustín de las Casas.

Commissioning was carried out in record time. “The virtual infrastructure was ready in just three days. We were surprised by how easy it is to deploy virtual machines with UDS Enterprise. Its administration is very versatile; it can be managed from any device,” says Pérez.

Thanks to this solution, now all IT procedures are carried out without traveling, from a web environment. Technicians’ work has been simplified, and department times have been optimized. The fixing of issues is instantaneous, and applications can be added and updated in all the workplaces in the seven islands in a centralized and immediate way, ensuring that they are standardized.

SAFE AND HASSLE-FREE REMOTE WORKING

The moment when Diputación del Común de Canarias was considering adopting virtualization coincided with the arrival of Covid-19. In order not to interrupt their activity, they had to enable remote working for all staff. UDS Enterprise was their perfect ally to resolve this situation as quickly as possible and with full guarantee.

“At that time, we found that this software is not only ideal for providing more security to computer systems and simplify administration. It is excellent for implementing remote working and providing access to all the company’s resources from outside,” states the Diputación del Común’s IT Advisor.

UDS Enterprise helped them react efficiently to the urgent need to relocate their workplaces, guaranteeing data integrity and shielding connections made from employees’ own devices.

User feedback was not late in coming and coincided with that of the technical team. “We have verified that the system works smoothly. The employees are delighted. They have told us that they like it and that it makes their work much easier.”

Users have experienced a significant qualitative leap. Their computers lacked resources, and their desktops with UDS Enterprise have the specific performance they need.

Besides, computers’ useful life has been extended, since they now serve as connection clients to virtual desktops. They will replace their current PCs with thin clients in the medium term, achieving substantial energy and cost savings. It will also help them speed up replacing any terminal in the smaller islands without the technicians having to travel.

The modernization of the workplace with UDS Enterprise VDI technology has been a turning point for this organization. Now they can ensure the continuity of services to citizens in any circumstance that prevents them from accessing their facilities. To this are added all the advantages at management level, cost savings, efficiency improvements of the entire staff and, especially, of the IT team of the organization.

VDI INFRASTRUCTURE

• Broker: UDS Enterprise

• Hypervisor: VMware vSphere

• Connection protocol: RDP

• Authenticator: Active Directory

• VDI OS: Windows

• VDI access OS: Any

• Integrated server, network and storage solution: DELL PowerEdge VRTX with three M640 servers