Journalists securely connected 24×7 with UDS Enterprise VDI

• Name: Godó Communication Group

• Sector: Media

• Number of employees: 1,000

• Number of offices: 3

• Location: Barcelona and Madrid (Spain)

The Godó Communication Group is the multimedia leader in Catalonia and their publications, radio stations… have an important weight in the communication sector in Spain. This Catalan holding company has known how to adapt its media to the new times and, as part of its innovation strategy, they have opted for desktop virtualization with UDS Enterprise.

This software has become an essential tool for the day-to-day work of the all the staff. The journalists at La Vanguardia, Mundo Deportivo, and RAC1 work with Windows virtual desktops managed and deployed by UDS Enterprise. Their VDIs have the two content managers that they use to write and publish the news: a heavy client for paper and a web client for digital content. This technology allows them to have their workstation available 24×7 and accessible from any place and device.

The company’s IT department is delighted with the implementation of the software. “Thanks to UDS Enterprise, we have reduced costs since we have been able to size the platform to provide the exact number of desktops based on real demand,” explains David Úbeda, Responsible for the Workplace.

With UDS Enterprise, they have managed to fully customize their VDI infrastructure and increase the control they have over it. “Now we are autonomous to implement the changes requested by the Management to be aligned with the evolution of the business. Moreover, the modifications are applied with great agility, and we are certain that the machines we deliver to journalists are stable,” comments Úbeda.

In addition to offering a higher management level, UDS Enterprise has helped them protect access to virtual desktops by enabling multi-factor authentication. “When workers enter their username and password in the UDS Enterprise login portal, the system redirects them to a web access manager. This is where the multi-factor authentication works with NetIQ Access Manager,” points out the Head of the Workplace.

System administrators have Yubikey token-based security keys (HOTP), and users verify their identity with temporary security codes (TOTP) that they enter into their Microsoft Authenticator application.

This type of protection is an essential requirement for Godó Group, as it gives them the peace of mind that all corporate information and company computer systems are appropriately secured against unauthorized access.

In fact, one of the aspects that this company values most about UDS Enterprise is “the security of the solution, as well as its excellent value for money,” indicates Úbeda.

VERY EASY TO IMPLEMENT VDI SOLUTION

Grupo Godó’s IT team already knew the advantages of desktop virtualization, since they have experience with other solutions. Even so, there are features of UDS Enterprise that have surprised them. “Our evaluation of the software is very positive. The simplicity of implementation seems truly remarkable to us, as well as its flexibility and the wide range of configuration options that can be applied to virtual machines. We find it very useful that there are specific clients for Windows, Linux and macOS, as well as a light version to connect from any operating system through HTML5,” says the Head of the Workplace.

After testing the solution, they migrated certain journalists from other VDI technology to UDS Enterprise. The elasticity and adaptability of this connection broker facilitated the process, which was quick, comfortable, and without difficulties. For users, it was practically transparent. “Employees are happy with the change. From the IT department we do not hesitate to recommend adopting this software, we believe it can be very beneficial for companies in all sectors,” declares Úbeda.

The implementation of the project in this media group was carried out with the support of ID Grup. As UDS Enterprise Gold Partner, the professionals of this company have the necessary skills to lead the deployment and provide first-level support. “They were of great help when it came to establishing the technology, and also to resolve certain doubts that arose during the launch of the virtual desktops platform,” tells Úbeda.

The trust placed in UDS Enterprise has brought them important benefits. The IT cost-containment of IT spending, increased security, better customization of workstations, and greater efficiency stand out among them.

VDI INFRASTRUCTURE

• Broker: UDS Enterprise

• Hypervisor: VMware vSphere

• Connection protocols: RDP and HTML5

• Authenticator: Active Directory

• Hardware: ID Grup cloud services.

  Dedicated IaaS environment also provided by ID Grup that delivers, among others, the UDS Enterprise service

• VDI OS: Windows

• Access OS: Windows and macOS