4 Customers Who Never Have to Replace Their PCs Again

Four customers who never have to refresh their PCs again

Never refresh your PCs again | Success Stories

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2Never refresh your PCs again | Success Stories

As mobile workstyles reinvent the way people and businesses operate, IT organizations are in a position to enable new levels of mobility, productivity and efficiencybut not if the high cost of their legacy endpoint environment prevents them from making strategic investments in innovation. Desktop virtualization, paired with thin client computing, lets IT escape costly PC refresh cycles while simplifying management, security and monitoring. This paper highlights the journey of four Citrix customers who have transformed their businesses by reallocating their annual PC refresh budget into a cutting-edge solution that delivers employee mobility paired with IT management efficiency and corporate security all within or under the standard yearly budget allocated to replace outdated PCs.

For each of these Citrix customers, PC refresh cycles were an unavoidable fact of life that the administrative teams faced every year as they struggled to maintain a balance between standard operations and innovation. Before any of these organizations could even think about innovation, they had to make sure people could run the latest applications and operating systems on their endpoints. This meant replacing a third or fourth of their entire physical PC fleet every yearand spending as much as half of their annual budget to do so, not to mention countless implementation, testing and administrative hours that could otherwise have gone towards higher-value efforts.

The demand for innovation and a better way of doing things has motivated these organizations to make this yearly burden a thing of the past. As desktop virtualization becomes the new standard for enterprise IT, these forward-thinking organizations can now ensure a fully up-to-date experience for employees on any type of endpointincluding low-cost thin clients. Each organization reaped a plethora of benefits by making the transition to desktop virtualization, but at the most fundamental level each organization saw immediate and significant value from the following:

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Reduced cost and operational effort for keeping employees endpoints up-to-date, including operating system migrations and application updates

Simplified desktop management through the centralization of all apps and desktops in the datacenter, which streamlines monitoring and security; new apps and desktops can automatically be provisioned from a single central image in a very timely manner

Improved energy efficiency as aging PC hardware is replaced with eco-friendly thin clients, delivering benefits for both the IT budget and the environment

Lower costs even for smaller organizations and branch offices through simple, appliance-oriented desktop virtualization solutions

Citrix, the leader in mobile workstyles, provides complete application and desktop solutions in partnership with leading thin client manufacturers that let each organization move beyond the constraints of traditional PC refresh cycles. Citrix worked with leading hardware vendors to establish a list of end-to-end technology solutions that are tested and validated to be compatible with Citrix software known as the Citrix Ready program. Each organization worked with the Citrix Ready program when identifying hardware for the following Citrix app and desktop solutions:

Citrix XenApp, a flexible app and desktop application delivery solution that enables any Windows application or server-based desktop to be virtualized, centralized and managed in the datacenter and instantly delivered as a service to employees anywhere on any device

Citrix XenDesktop, an app and desktop virtualization solution inclusive of all the XenApp features plus the ability to transforms any Windows app and desktop into a secure on-demand service available to any employee, anywhere, on any device

Citrix VDI-in-a-Box, an easy, affordable all-in-one VDI solution for businesses of all sizes

Thin clients, including low-cost Citrix HDX Ready System-on-a Chip (SoC) devices, which empower employees with a high-definition experience for desktops and apps delivered as services

Thousands of organizations around the world are already realizing the benefits of these solutions, but the journey and experiences of four select Citrix customers are explored in-depth below.


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The Co-operative Group saves 1.5 million annually with Citrix

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The Co-operative Groupthe U.K.s largest consumer cooperative, owned by its more than seven million members. With core interests in food, financial services, travel, pharmacy, funerals and farms, the organization generates 14 billion in annual revenue, employs over 100,000 staff members and operates over 5,000 retail trading outlets serving more than 20 million customers per week.

The challengeIn addition to reducing costs to boost profits for its members, the Co-operative Group is committed to social values such as improving sustainability by reducing carbon emissions, and providing greater flexibility and agility for its employees. The organization had used XenApp for years to deliver virtualized applications to employees in branch offices and distribution centers. However, with 18,000 desktops, 3,500 laptops and a growing number of home-based workers, the Co-operative Group faced high costs in hardware refreshes, power usage, IT support and application licensing fees.

The solutionThe Co-operative Group complemented its XenApp investment with XenDesktop, enabling the shift from physical desktops to standardized, centrally managed virtual desktops. The ability of workers to access applications and desktops as cloud services from anywhere, on any device, made it possible to replace many traditional PCs with low-power thin clients running virtual desktops. Within the datacenter, the organization used Citrix XenServer for server virtualization, further increasing efficiency and reducing costs.

Key benefitsThe replacement of 3,000 physical desktops with low-power thin client devices will yield 1.53 million in savings per year in desktop PC upgrade costs, while lower server, storage and desktop PC energy bills will generate 459,000 in savings per year. More efficient desktop support will reduce IT costs even further. The Co-operative Group expects to save over 1.5 million per year with Citrix and lowering energy consumption helps the organization fulfill its commitment to sustainability and green IT.

Able to deliver desktops and apps as services available on any device, the organization can offer employee-friendly work practices such as telework, consumerization and mobility. This helps it improve both satisfaction and productivity while helping attract younger workers who can contribute to the groups growth and competitive advantage.


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KIBAG accelerates Windows 7 migration with Citrix and system-on-a-chip devices

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KIBAG, a leading Swiss building materials and construction company, operates businesses including 13 gravel and 22 concrete plants, 17 construction companies, and recycling and waste management companies.

The challengeSupporting 1,600 employees in divisions dedicated to building materials, construction services, and environmental and waste management, KIBAGs IT organization needed a simple, cost-effective way to manage its widely distributed user base. Prior to the companys virtualization initiative, IT had installed the Windows XP operating system locally on each employees desktop, resulting in a heavy administrative burden. As KIBAG prepared to migrate to Windows 7, they needed a way to deliver the operating system without the long timelines and high costs of traditional operating system migration methods. At the same time, the company wanted to streamline IT operations and reduce overall costs for its endpoint environment.

The solutionKIBAG selected XenDesktop and XenApp as their desktop virtualization solution of choice, with new Windows 7 desktops and applications delivered centrally as services. Instead of costly PCs or mobile devices, KIBAG selected NComputing N500 thin clients as the endpoint for their XenDesktop environment. Based on Numo 3 system-on-chip (SoC), the devices provide a high-definition experience with HD video for virtualized desktops and appsincluding resource-intensive computer-aided design (CAD) softwarewhile consuming less than five watts of power. Now KIBAG employees can access their Windows 7 desktops securely from anywhere through a central portal interface while all data remains secure within the datacenter.

Key benefitsThe solution offers great graphics performance for CAD. The lower acquisition costs mean the N500 is making our move to XenDesktop both cost-effective and successful, says Christian Schollenberger, CIO of KIBAG AG. Desktop virtualization made it possible to deliver the new Windows 7 desktops based on a single, central image to every employee in the company in a fraction of the time, at a fraction of the cost, of local installation. Using NComputing SoC thin clients reduced costs further, helping the company cost-effectively provide quick, direct access to IT resources for employees at new sites. For IT, centralized delivery of apps and desktops based on single-image management has streamlined maintenance and control of the environment.


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Seattle Childrens Hospital simplifies computing while reducing cost with Citrix and Wyse

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Seattle Childrens Hospital specializes in meeting the physical, emotional, and developmental needs of children from infancy through young adulthood. The hospital is consistently ranked among the nations best childrens hospitals by U.S. News & World Report magazine, and is the primary teaching, clinical, and research site for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

The challengeThe IT organization of Seattle Childrens Hospital supports 5,500 workstations with a staff of approximately 180. Although the hospital had already centralized and virtualized key applications with Citrix, different machines behaved differently and had different software loaded on them vastly complicating support and administration. This lack of consistency also challenged clinicians, who had to spend valuable minutes logging into each workstation they used, and then find their way around an often-unfamiliar desktop environment. Seattle Childrens Hospital needed to provide greater consistency across its standard desktop so that each machine worked the same way every time, without performance issues or failures, and staff could use any computer on the campus to securely and reliably pull up their own desktop within seconds.

The solutionSeattle Childrens Hospital launched an initiative to adopt desktop virtualization with zero-client devices. The hospital was already using XenApp to centrally deliver applications; now, it uses XenDesktop to deliver full desktops as well. Employees across all administrative and clinical environments access their apps and desktops on Dell Wyse Xenith next-generation zero clients. Doctors and nurses have a simple, sign-on experience for the hospitals full clinical environmentincluding the Cerner clinical information system, the Epic electronic medical records system and more than 380 other applications.

Key benefitsDell Wyse Xenith next-generation zero clients simplify the end point of our IT infrastructure. Over the next five years, we anticipate well save about $6 million in hardware, $1.2 million in staff time, and $1 million in energy costs, says Drexel DeFord, senior VP and CIO at Seattle Childrens Hospital. In addition to consuming less time and human resources, the Dell Wyse Xenith units also consume dramatically less power than traditional workstations, saving an estimated $300,000 in energy each year. For clinicians, fast access to a familiar, consistent desktop with a high-definition computing experience saves valuable time and allows them to focus their attention on patients and their families.


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A U.K. secondary school delivers an up-to-date computing experience on a limited budget

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A secondary school in Worcestershire, one of Englands designated regions for high-tech innovation, provides its students with an immersive curriculum of technology, mathematics and science.

The challengeLike many schools, this U.K. secondary school recently lost government funding that would have been used for maintaining and upgrading the technology available to students. Unable to replace its 1,200 laptops and PCs, many of which were reaching the end of their useful lives, the school needed a new way to run the latest applications as well as support a planned upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7. They also needed a solution that would help its four-member IT team manage this large network efficiently.

The solutionThe school recognized the potential for desktop virtualization to solve its IT challenges, but needed a simple, cost-effective way to implement and maintain the environment within its limited budget. Priced for smaller organizations, VDI-in-a-Box provided an affordable option; a try-before-you-buy offer gave the school the confidence to move forward. The school now uses a combination of new thin clients and existing computers to provide access to virtual desktops, including 15 thin clients in a dedicated classroom, as well as a cluster of thin clients in an open area of the school for drop-in use, and existing PCs in four math classrooms were repurposed as thin clients to save costs. Students can access the latest versions of Microsoft Office, graphics programs such as Adobe Creative Suite, Serif web design software and multimedia education software such as Science School.

Key benefitsWe were really, really impressed with the fact that we delivered desktop virtualization ourselves. It was relatively easy and took very little time, says the schools network manager. The initiative has enabled the school to extend the life of aging PCs and create two new computer labs while working within its limited budget. Students and teachers can access a high-definition user experience on whatever device they use, including four resource-intensive multimedia apps. The four-person IT team can effectively manage and support more than 1,200 PCs and laptops to ensure uninterrupted instruction, and will be able to easily upgrade its virtual desktops to Windows 7 based on a single master desktop image.

About Citrix Citrix (NASDAQ:CTXS) is the cloud company that enables mobile workstylesempowering people to work and collaborate from anywhere, easily and securely. With market-leading solutions for mobility, desktop virtualization, cloud networking, cloud platforms, collaboration and data sharing, Citrix helps organizations achieve the speed and agility necessary to succeed in a mobile and dynamic world. Citrix products are in use at more than 260,000 organizations and by over 100 million users globally. Annual revenue in 2012 was $2.59 billion. Learn more at www.citrix.com.

Copyright 2013 Citrix Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Citrix, Citrix Ready, XenApp, XenDesktop, XenServer, VDI-in-a-Box and HDX are trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. and/or one of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in the U.S. and other countries. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.

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ConclusionWhile the four customers discussed in this paper vary in terms of size, industry and IT resources, their experiences illustrate a common theme: the combination of desktop virtualization and thin client computing helps organizations deliver an up-to-date user experience more simply, at a lower cost, without the burden of traditional PC refresh cycles. To learn more about the benefits of this approach for your organization, please visit Reduce costs with HDX-ready thin clients on the XenDesktop home page.

Additional resources Citrix HDX Ready Thin Clients

Citrix XenDesktop

Citrix XenApp

Reduce costs with HDX-ready thin clients

4 Customers Who Never Have to Replace Their PCs Again

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