Desktop virtualization can increase desktop security, reduce desktop and responsibilities and reduce calls to your help desk Virtualization of IT desktop infrastructure and applications promises the following benefits:

• Desktop Virtualization can significantly decrease maintenance and support costs

• Easier provisioning of new desktops

• Reduced downtime with server or client hardware failures

• Decreased cost of new application deployment

• Desktop image management capabilities

• Longer refresh cycle for client desktop infrastructure

• Secure remote access to the enterprise desktop environment

But still many do not understand at its basic level, what Virtual Desktop Infrastructure is.

 

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What You Will Learn

 

In this one day conference attendees will learn:

• An exact definition of desktop virtualization

• The pros and cons of desktop virtualization

• How to determine if it is right for your organization

• How to build a project plan for desktop virtualization

• How to implement desktop virtualization in your infrastructure

• How to modify your DR and Security plans

• How to avoid implementation and management pitfalls

• How other IT departments are working through these challenges

Conference Program

 

9:00am-10:00am

Getting on the Same Page: What is Desktop Virtualization?

 

 

There are many promised benefits to the organization of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure and leading analysts are promoting huge growth.  At the same time, there is some confusion as to what Virtual Desktop is, what the different types are and what the exact benefits are to the extended enterprise.

 

In this session attendees will learn:

• How desktop virtualization works

• About the differences between VDI, terminal server, OS streaming, client hypervisors, client-based virtual machines

• The business benefits of desktop virtualization

10:30am-11:30am

How to Understand the Pros and Cons of Desktop Virtualization
 

 

Desktop Virtualization has a lot of promise, but it is important to understand the reality of the undertaking.  While there are some similarities between desktop and server virtualization, there are many differences.

 

When making a move to Virtual Desktop platform, IT executives and management should consider advantages and disadvantages:

• There are exponentially more desktops than servers to support

• Since server virtualization teams may not be responsible for virtual desktop, desktop groups may need to rethink their strategy for patching, management, software distribution, etc

• Desktop challenges may include uniqueness of end-user images

• How to handle one-off machines in different departments that may need to be patched/managed separately

• In certain environments (universities) it might be a challenge to lock down the PCs since there are different groups being supported

• The costs of network and storage additions/enhancements

• In a virtual desktop environment hardware can be stretched out longer

• With less hardware there is less ‘break and fix’

• Significantly less IT staff time spent fixing machines

• Easier patching and management in some environments

11:30am-12:30pm

Virtual Desktop Project Planning: How to Design, Modify and Implement
 

Organizations with local, national and international presences all have distributed PCs that need to be managed, updated, secured, etc.  VDI can help alleviate many of these concerns.  At the same time, by mid 2010, many enterprises will be looking to make a move to Windows 7.  These two areas might make the timing right to move forward with virtual desktop for many organizations.

 

But how do you integrate desktop virtualization into your environment?

 

In this session attendees will learn how:

• To develop a checklist that includes: Delivery options, costs, power and cooling, network load, organizational structure, user and application mismatch

• Start with a desktop environment assessment to understand into the scope, size and impact of a virtual desktop infrastructure implementation.

• How to design and modify your hardware and software environment

• Virtual desktop can help manage your distributed environment

• The impact of Windows 7 and how virtual desktop can support a potential rollout

• The time and involvement of your staff to make sure the rollouts of both go smoothly

• How to avoid pitfalls with virtual desktop implementation

 

1:30pm-2:30pm

How to Modify Your DR Plan to Include Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

 

Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity are always top of mind with IT professionals.

How should you refine your DR/BC plan with migrating to a desktop virtualization environment and what should you include?

 

In this session, attendees will learn:

• How to analyze your changing environment, processes and business/technology requirements

• How to handle diverse data pools supporting the desktop, operating systems and user data

• How to centralize, secure and manage the data

• How to back up all virtual desktops and user data directly keeping a daily history of every

• How to automate disaster recovery

3:00pm-4:00pm

Desktop Virtualization Security: Understanding the Benefits and the Risks

 

Desktop virtualization promises enhanced security against malware and data leaks.   Many claim that the real advantage is that data location and processing is done centrally.  Others mention that not having to worry about machines walking out the door can help preclude intellectual property from falling into the wrong hands.

At the same time, there might be others attacks that are looking to target virtual machines.

 

In this session, attendees will learn how to develop a plan that covers the following:

 

• Tools and techniques exist to test the isolation provided by desktop virtualization?

• How to evaluate the security of a desktop virtualization environment

• Are ease-of-use and integration with the host operating system always inversely proportional to security?

• Are there ease-of-use features that should be disabled to provide higher security?

• How to prevent attacks are targeting virtual machines

• How to detect unauthorized virtual machine deployment?

• What other security threats are out there in virtualized environment

 

 

4:00pm-5:00pm

How Enterprises are Leveraging Desktop Virtualization and Avoiding Pitfalls

 

In this session, attendees will learn how IT departments are using virtual desktop to the benefit of their enterprises.  Topics that will be covered include:

 

• Costs savings

• Where those savings are being redistributed

• How IT is driving more value for the organization

• How to handle implementation issues