UPNA: Flexible and scalable VDI with UDS Enterprise and Nutanix

• Name: Public University of Navarra

• Sector: Education

• Alumni: 8.000

• Faculty: 885

• Professors: 83

• Doctors: 400

• PAS: 456

• Campus and location: Arrosadía and Ciencias de la Salud in Pamplona, and Tudela Campus in Tudela.

The management and maintenance of the software installed in the computer rooms of the Public University of Navarra (UPNA) was an arduous and expensive task. It directly influenced the productivity of the IT department of the center, which had to dedicate a large amount of time and human resources to carry out these works. “We thought that the best way to approach this problem was to implement a virtual desktop solution that would allow us to quickly, easily and centrally manage both the use of the software and its maintenance“, explains Jesús Fernández, Head of the User Support Section of the Computer Service of the UPNA.

When they decided which components would be the most suitable for building their VDI infrastructure, they decided to trust the UDS Enterprise connection broker, given its good reputation in the CRUE-TIC and RedIRIS forums.

“We already knew this software because they had been talking about its advantages at RedIRIS Technical Conferences for years, and when it was appointed the best On Premise VDI solution for the Desktop Virtualization Project promoted by CRUE-TIC and RedIRIS, we decided to trust the criteria of the experts”, says Fernández.

The rest of the pieces of the infrastructure were provided by our Certified Partner, Lanmedia Comunicaciones, who proposed using the solution composed of UDS Enterprise, Nutanix hardware and the Nutanix Acropolis hypervisor (AHV). “When we discovered the optimal performance and the great scalability of this hyperconverged VDI solution, we were clear that it was the option that best suited our needs“, says the User Support Manager. “The fast and impeccable installation by Lanmedia has undoubtedly been decisive for the success of the project, they have proven that they have a wide knowledge of the different tools that make up the platform”, he adds.

When they met the requirements of the UPNA, Lanmedia bet on this hardware + software solution to face the challenges of this project: to serve 850 concurrent VDI users. “The union of UDS Enterprise and Nutanix is perfect, its integration is proven and certified. Together they work in an unbeatable way, since they form an iron, secure and top performance solution, diluting common issues in this type of deployments, like boot storms or bottle necks”, adds the Sales Manager, Patxi Lorenzo.

Another reason why Lanmedia bets on this VDI solution is that it is technically and economically viable. According to Lorenzo, “the pairing of UDS Enterprise and Nutanix allows you to grow easily and unlimitedly. In addition, significant cost savings are achieved while increasing the number of users thanks to UDS Enterprise, that has an unlimited subscription model starting from 351 users, and the AHV hypervisor is included in the Nutanix nodes without added cost“.

At the time of launching a project with this joint solution, everything turns to be an advantage for Lanmedia. “The installation is really simple and we have a permanent support of the UDS Enterprise team, which offers a truly close deal. Before each deployment, we always share the project with them and verify the best way to carry it out, their support is excellent”, says Patxi Lorenzo.

Easy and simple VDI management

Once they have started using this joint solution, UPNA has proven that their choice has been the most successful. “Both the administration of the virtualization platform through Prism, and the virtual desktops with UDS Enterprise are simple and very intuitive. The IT team is now much more productive, since they work faster and has much more flexibility when it comes to including new software in the devices used for teaching or making updates”, says Fernández.

The Head of the User Support Section of the UPNA explains that teachers also enjoy the advantages of this VDI, since “the software they need to teach their classes is available much earlier, and they can use templates especially prepared for their practices or laboratories, with all the necessary applications and programs“.

The positive assessment on the part of the IT team and of the professors has favored that the UPNA be already working on this subject so that all the students can benefit from the possibilities offered by desktop virtualization with UDS Enterprise and Nutanix. “The next step will be the implementation of the BYOD trend“, explains Fernández, “we will offer our 8,000 students the possibility of accessing the software they use for their classes and projects using their own device, at any time and from anywhere“.

VDI INFRASTRUCTURE

• Broker: UDS Enterprise

• Hypervisor: Nutanix Acropolis (AHV)

• Connection protocol: RDP

• Authenticator: LDAP corporativo

• VDI OS: Windows 16 data center edition with appearance of Windows 10 and Ubuntu 16.04

• VDI access client OS: Windows 10

• Hyper-convergence Platform: 9 Nutanix NX-1065-G5 nodes with 2 E5-2640v4 processors at 2.4 GHz with 20 cores, 512 GB of RAM and 4.2 TB of SSD storage per node. Mounted in 3 chassis and interconnected between them through 2 switches SFP to 10 GB of NetGear