Sungard Availability Services UK Ltd (Sungard AS), a leading provider of information availability through managed IT, cloud and recovery services, announces the launch of its Desktop as a Service (DaaS). This is the first solution of its kind to be developed alongside leading global providers Cisco, Citrix and NetApp to provide a complete cloud-based desktop solution for organisations.
Changing working practices continue to create tensions between the CEOs’ desire for increased productivity, availability and security, and millennial employees demanding mobile work styles enabled by multiple applications accessed from any device and anywhere.
For our customers, who typically have high availability needs, it’s a complex, large scale challenge and customers are asking us to help them provide a complete service that addresses both changing work styles and their availability demands. The Sungard AS Desktop as a Service provides the optimal IT infrastructure to deliver desktops wherever they are needed: be it their offices; on the move or into emergency workplace recovery offices.
Sungard AS’ DaaS solution is the first project to have been announced in partnership with best-of-breed providers Cisco, Citrix and NetApp. The solution will offer a 100 per cent availability service level agreement – for gold customers, with minimum 99.95% SLAs on silver and bronze contracts – providing customers constant access to their desktop, from any location and device.
Sungard AS’ consultancy-led delivery aims to minimise the IT challenges associated with implementing a virtual desktop infrastructure and to enable new ways to work better with state-of-the-art workspaces that are mobile, virtual and secure. Sungard AS’ managed-services provision helps ensure high availability of critical systems, supporting flexible and mobile working practices and improvements to staff productivity.
The service is a natural extension of Sungard AS’ existing capabilities. With the organisation already providing bespoke virtual desktops for over 4,000 end users, Sungard AS has demonstrated a strong track record in this area. Additionally, the company manages around 2,600 desktop images as part of its recovery services, any of which may need to be provisioned at a moment’s notice and without failure.
As part of the Sungard AS environment customers will be able to access the company’s optional Workplace Recovery services, where 100 recovery desktops can be rolled out in just 2 hours – allowing businesses a near seamless recovery in case of disruption to their home based IT or usual office facilities. Additionally, the service can be rapidly scaled up in order to accommodate seasonal demand peaks. This means you can access office space and IT more flexibly and faster when you need it.
“This service has been in high demand from our customer base, and they trust Sungard AS to deliver. It is underpinned by a Cisco Validated Design design, which brings together best-in-class technology and market leadership, enabling organisations to accelerate growth and reduce costs,” commented Keith Tilley, EVP, Global Sales & Customer Services Management at Sungard Availability Services. “Our expertise in resilient infrastructure means that customers are happy to place their desktop environments in our hands, knowing that we are probably the only service in Europe which can offer the level of highly available IT which will ensure organisations are always on and able to do business.”
Mike Threlfall, European Customer Services and Consulting Director said: “Our consultancy service will help unlock further value for customers and remove much of the complexity around implementing a virtual desktop solution. For us the answer does not lie simply in throwing technology at the problem but requires a comprehensive and objective overview that will assess the needs of employees as well as the organisation’s infrastructure requirements. Unlocking the value of the enterprise in this way, businesses can ensure that they put into place the optimal working practices that will enable them to draw the best performances from their staff.
“There is no denying that the expectations of employees are changing, and with more and more ‘Digital Natives’ entering the workplace, IT departments are finding it increasingly challenging to keep up the pace with today’s technology demands. Employees now expect to access vital data and key applications from any location or device. The introduction of Desktop as a Service represents a huge competitive advantage for our customers as they aim to transform and optimise their current working practices.”
Organisations looking to migrate to virtual desktops or workplace environments or upgrade their first generation virtual desktops are invited to contact Sungard Availability Services to undertake an initial business assessment to determine the right desktop strategy for their business and provide the business case to take to the board.
