Conferences that solve current IT challenges

Desktop Virtualization Strategies - Implementation and Management

Strategies to help the business and IT benefit from desktop virtualization through effective management, security, and recovery techniques

April 28, 2011

9:00am-5:00pm

7 CPE / 0.7 CEU / CISSP / 7 PDU Credits Awarded

Register

Bios

Donald E. Stephens Convention Center  Rosemont (O'Hare) Illinois

Overview

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.

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

8:00am - 9:00am - Registration and Continental Breakfast

Northcutt

9:00am-10:00am

Getting on the Same Page: What is Desktop Virtualization?

Mitch Northcutt, Vice President, Consulting, AHEAD

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.

  • 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

10:00am -10:30am - Refreshment Break

Khnaser

10:30am-11:30am

How to Understand the Pros and Cons of Desktop Virtualization

Sean Larson, Network Manager Sycamore School District 427
Elias Khnaser, Practice Manager, Artemis Technology and a professional from an IT department

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

Chad Atchley, Managing Solution Architect, Desktop Virtualization Practice, CompuCom

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: 

  • 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

12:30pm - 1:30pm Luncheon

Vannelli

1:30pm-2:30pm

How and When to Use Non-Persistent Virtual Desktops

Nick Vannelli, Senior Consultant for Quest Software's Desktop Virtualization Group

In this session you will learn how to deploy Virtual Desktops that are assembled at runtime so user's data, applications and personal settings are available on any virtual machine. You will also learn how to avoid common pitfalls of this approach, and what users are NOT good candidates for non-persistent desktops. Topics that will be covered include:

  • What is a non-persistent virtual desktop
  • Storage - SAN, NAS or Local
  • Disk Types - Fixed, Dynamic, Differencing (what's the difference)
  • User Profiles - Local, Mandatory, Roaming or Hybrid
  • Applications - Installed or Virtual and how to choose
  • Application Compatibility - How to deal with apps that are not compatible with Windows 7
  • User types - Task, Knowledge, Power, Mobile, IT, Developer
  • Peripheral devices - How to deal with different peripheral devices and which ones are particularly troublesome
  • SID Uniqueness - When do you need unique Machine SID (Security Identifiers)
  • How to rapidly deploy thousands of new Virtual Desktops when a master image needs updating

2:30pm - 3:00pm - Refreshment Break

Chase

3:00pm-4:00pm

Desktop Virtualization Security: Understanding the Benefits and the Risks

Mike L. Chase, Sr. Director, Cloud Services, En Pointe Technologies

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

Christo

Lewis

Soderstrom

Wright

4:00pm-5:00pm

How Enterprises are Leveraging Desktop Virtualization for Business Benefit

Moderator:
Cameron M. Christo, CCEE, CCIA, Practice Director, RKON Technologies, Inc.

Panelists will include:
Sean Larson, Network Manager Sycamore School District 427
Chris Lewis, Manager Software Support Services, SNR Denton
Neil Soderstrom, Sr. Systems Engineer, Illinois Hospital Association
David Wright, Regional Manager IT & Network Operations, Comcast

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

Conference Price: $249.00 per person

Registe


Each attendee will receive a certificate awarding 7 CPE credits for CISSP continuing education, in addition to 0.7 CEUs and 7 PDUs. CISSP is a registered certification mark of (ISC)², Inc.

Exhibits

As is always the case at CAMP IT Conferences events, the talks will not include product presentations.  During the continental breakfast, coffee breaks, and the luncheon break you will have the opportunity to informally meet representatives from the following sponsoring companies, who have solutions in the area of the conference.

  


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Lodging Information
Village of Rosemont
Chicago O'Hare Airport