Logicalis

Logicalis helps Johnsonville Sausage implement a VDI recipe that pleases end users and IT.

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Johnsonville Sausage, based in Wisconsin, is the No. 1 national brand of brats, Italian sausage, smoked-cooked links and fresh breakfast sausage links. Its products are available in about 30 countries including France, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Hong Kong, China and the United States.

Johnsonville’s skill on the grill is matched by the innovative IT infrastructure that supports its operations. Logicalis Account Executive Bill Bogard has worked with Johnsonville Sausage for more than eight years, and during that time the company has implemented a wide range of projects, from server virtualization to systems monitoring and management. (See the case study on Managed Services for Johnsonville at: http://www.us.logicalis.com/johnsonville).

When the leases started to come due on its desktop computers, Johnsonville turned to Logicalis to help evaluate the benefits of replacing them with a virtualized desktop infrastructure (VDI) system of thin clients.

Savings from VDI

The savings from VDI are compelling. Not only are thin clients considerably less expensive than desktops and notebook computers, they also last longer (6 to 7 years, compared to 4 years for desktops). Additionally, the power and cooling savings are significant. Because all the applications run on a centralized server, they are also much easier to manage and support. Upgrades and patches can be accomplished at the server, so when a user logs in the next time, he or she has the most current configurations. No more troubleshooting individual machines at the user’s desk.

Logicalis helped Johnsonville assemble a pilot program that provided thin clients to the IT group and other power users. Once the pilot established proof of concept in their own environment, Johnsonville began replacing desktops in select workgroups as the lease agreement for their desktops came due. To date, Johnsonville has replaced more than 200 desktop computers with thin clients.

Sweetened the Transition

In line with its reputation for being a great place to work, Johnsonville enhanced the transition to VDI for its users by providing each of them with a new flat-screen monitor. The cost of the monitors was offset by the savings from virtualization. Another benefit to end-users is that they are now able to log in from home on their own PCs and access their files exactly where they left off at the office.

Johnsonville’s Jeremy Gruenke demonstrated just how easy it is to swap out thin clients once VDI is in place. Speaking at a customer event hosted by Logicalis, he interrupted his PowerPoint presentation, logged off, disconnected and unplugged the thin client he had been using. Then he opened a box with a brand-new thin client, plugged it in and turned it on.

In less than two minutes, the new thin client booted up and Gruenke logged into the network. As soon as he signed in, his PowerPoint presentation appeared on the screen of his new thin client, at the exact same page where he had left off.

"In that scenario—bringing in CIOs from around the state to take a look at this solution—you definitely have to trust the technology you’re working with," observed Gruenke. "Anyone who has presented new technology in front of an audience would agree."

Pleasant Surprises

As much research as they performed before the installation began, there were still some surprises, according to Gruenke.

"We had an idea that turn-around times would be quick, but we didn’t realize it would be as quick as it was," Gruenke said. "That was a great bonus that we weren’t expecting. Another pleasant surprise is exactly how stable these units are."

Gruenke says the savings from VDI are on track to be as significant as the savings from server virtualization.

Another surprise was the amount of multi-media that a wide variety of users had come to depend on for things like online training. Delivering this functionality required some creativity. Progressive improvements to the PC-over-IP protocol, he adds, will make supporting multi-media more predictable.

Knowledgeable Advisor

Throughout the migration to VDI, Logicalis solutions architect Steve Pelletier—supported by technology consultant Dwight Goble—presented Johnsonville with a range of options that met their specifications. The Johnsonville IT team then chose the specific technology they wanted to use, and Pelletier specified all the server hardware and software for the VMware View environment.

Logicalis was also available whenever Gruenke came across something he couldn’t figure out on his own.

"It was great to be able to call on Logicalis whenever I had a question," said Gruenke. "They are definitely very knowledgeable. They were a great partner through this. They always are."

The next step in extending virtualization throughout its IT infrastructure involves replacing existing notebook computers with thin clients. Besides the technology, there is some marketing involved in this step, Gruenke says. Notebook users tend to be particularly attached to their computers and need to be convinced thin clients will do everything they need—including run multiple applications at once. Once they see how a thin client can work for them in their respective jobs, however, they are willing to accept the change.

Gruenke says VDI is a win-win for the IT department and the user.

"There is no data on the thin client, so there are no risks of losing proprietary data or having it fall into the wrong hands," said Gruenke. "All data is safe and centrally managed. That’s great for us in IT. At the same time, end-users are always working on the same version of every file, secure and routinely backed-up on the server. No more losing work or having different versions on different computers. That’s another win for end-users."