Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory improves balance with Citrix VDI-in-a-box
As a research and development laboratory focused on the nation’s security, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has high standards for physical and cyber security. Protecting LLNL systems, networks and classified data requires strong cyber security measures, including restricted access to personal email accounts and social media.
The challenge: acquire desktop solution, provide access to personal email and social media—securely
“The challenge was to provide employees a way to access personal email and social media tools that play an increasingly important role in the conduct of our business while maintaining a strong cyber security posture,” said Robin Goldstone, IT project manager at LLNL. Many users surveyed reported that access is important to their work, so LLNL sought a cost-eff¬ective approach to delivering virtual desktops that could act as a sandbox from which employees could safely collaborate online, access the web and get to their personal email.
The results: Citrix VDI-in-a-box solution satisfies employee needs and security requirements
After considering alternatives, including internally hosting virtual desktops, LLNL chose a fully managed and hosted virtual desktop service powered by Citrix® VDI-in-a-Box™. LLNL was able to roll out service in days without burdening lab IT services. Of nearly 1,000 LLNL users currently on the service, more than 90% rated the Citrix VDI-in-a-box, delivered over the WAN, as providing a ‘good’ or ‘very good’ user experience, both in ease of use and desktop performance. LLNL employees reported improved work/life balance, and with desktops outside the firewall, security was even stronger than before.
About Citrix VDI-in-a-Box
Citrix VDI-in-a-Box is a an all-in-one VDI software appliance that enables Windows® administrators to deliver centrally managed virtual desktops to any user, anytime, on any device – for less than the cost of new PCs. VDI-in-a-Box eliminates over 60% of traditional VDI infrastructure – including management servers and shared storage (SANs) – by integrating connection brokering, desktop provisioning, load balancing, and user profile management, and leveraging off-the-shelf servers with direct attached
storage. Servers can be connected to form a highly-available grid, which scales simply by adding more servers; the grid automatically load balances and manages high-availability.
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Desktop Solution Needs
- Enable secure web access
- Allow business use of web
- Deliver web access quickly without IT cost
Key Benefits
- Disposable virtual desktops
- Fast login times
- Good WAN user experience
- High availability and low cost
- Reliable 24x7 service
Networking Environment
- Servers with SSD drives
- Citrix VDI-in-a-Box