Desktop

First look

Leigh Haynes , , , , ,

Since the last post the project team has been hard at work on the delivery of the new Windows 7 & Office 2010 desktop solution. Following a series of low level design workshops a detail design was agreed and the project moved into the technical implementation stage. Server hardware was ordered and installed, operating systems installed and the build of the desktop environment and supporting management infrastructure begun. We are now at a stage where we can start to let users test out the desktop and so have opened up access to our colleagues in the Library so that they can take a first look and provide feedback before we go live.

First Look

Currently the desktop includes the following applications (more will be added in the future):

  • Office Professional Plus 2010; Access, Excel, InfoPath, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher, Word
  • Project Professional 2010
  • SharePoint Designer 2007
  • Visio Premium 2010
  • Internet Explorer 9
  • Google Chrome
  • IBM SPSS 19
  • Paint.NET
  • 7-Zip
  • Acrobat Reader
  • Sophos Anti-Virus 10

Thin clients selected for the GCW Library

Leigh Haynes , , , , , ,

We have now selected and ordered the thin client device (small dedicated cloud computer) which will be going into open access areas of the GCW Library in September. It is the latest T10 model from Wyse which boots up in 12 seconds and uses just 7W of power. It has no fans or other moving parts and so is completely silent in operation. We are planning to mount them on the rear of the monitors which will result in a neat and tidy solution which is very space efficient.

Wyse T10 Thin Client

So it begins

Leigh Haynes , , , ,

Although the blog has been a little quiet once again, work has been continuing in the background and the procurement cogs have continued to turn.

A number of companies submitted responses to our invitation to tender. An evaluation panel reviewed the submissions, shortlisted, attended presentations and after scoring each solution made a recommendation to select a particular supplier, which was then ratified by the project board.

The contract has been awarded to Phoenix IT Services Ltd and work on delivering the solution will now start with a series of low level design workshops.

Now that the competition process is complete, the project board have agreed that this blog can be made publically visible.

Why VDI?

Leigh Haynes , , , ,

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is an alternative method for delivering desktops to end users. A virtual desktop looks and acts like a traditional PC but, instead of residing locally, all software and data are housed in the University’s central data centres and offered as an “internal cloud” service. The Windows 7 Project will use server hosted desktop technology which offers numerous advantages in terms of cost savings, security, resilience, flexibility and reduced management.

For a comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of traditional PCs vs VDI check out; Why VDI?

ITT Issued

Leigh Haynes , , , , ,

Although the blog has been a little quiet, much work has been continuing in the background and procurement cogs have been turning. Today we issued the Invitation to Tender (ITT) seeking a Solution Provider with the appropriate product range, experience and competitive pricing who will act as a partner in delivering the new centralised desktop. The selected Solution Provider will be required to supply hardware, software and associated professional services; consultancy, architecture design, project management, knowledge transfer and training. The tender is being issued under the SUPC National Server and Storage Agreement framework.