plowing (photo by william couch)
article by David Hunter – Chief
Technology Officer, WWW Public Sector
Last month I wrote an article about integrating virtualization and Desktop Virtualization into a Social Distancing contingency plan to deal with a Pandemic outbreak. The weather events of this past week in Washington, DC offer another catalyst for introducing this technology into your playbook as well. A record 55.6 inches of snow has fallen in Washington DC this week, surpassing the previous 1898-1899 record of 54.4 inches and forcing portions of Federal Government to shutdown. The inability for employees to get into the office undoubtedly contributed to a decrease in productivity for those agencies without a TeleWork program. Not only are Federal employees impacted, but think of all the contractors, consultants and temporary workers affected as well. Add it all up, and according to OPM's John Berry, the current Federal Shutdown is costing upwards of $100 million per day.
VMware has been working with many Federal agencies and departments to include Desktop Virtualization to enable a robust TeleWork Program. Imagine you are in your house sitting in front of a window watching the snow come down, yet still able to perform portions of your work as if you were sitting in your office chair. But what do you need to realize this picture of warm and cozy computing? Start with a full end to end virtualization solution, from the back end servers to a flexible delivery mechanism that delivers the best end user experience. Combine this with cost effective scalability, ease of management, flexibility, and security and have a recipe for success.
VMware's View Desktop Virtualization provides Federal users with instant, reliable and secure access to their desktops from any device – government furnished equipment or personal computers – or platform over the network. VMware View streamlines desktop and application management, accelerates provisioning and improves security through centralization, resulting in an immediately accessible, always available desktop for Federal employees. Just like the recent Air Force recruiting television commercials, this isn’t a game but reality. If you want to hear more specifics, I recommend that you attend the View Teleworking Webcast on Feb. 25th.
