Expand Networks and VMware selected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics for VDI strategy

<p>Expand Networks, the leader in optimising WANs for branch office consolidation and virtualisation, today announced that the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is implementing Expand Networks’ WAN optimisation technology to complete its organisation-wide virtualisation strategy of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). Deployed in the datacentre as a virtual image on existing VMware ESX Hypervisor, Expand’s Virtual Accelerators will enable the rollout by ABS to migrate employees across the country to VDI.</p>
<p>Accelerating the delivery of traffic over the WAN by over 300%, the implementation is intended to bring users across seven regional offices into virtual proximity of their applications and datacentre services. Bruce Buckham, Servers, Systems and Storage Manager at the ABS explains; “After investing heavily in a server virtualisation project, we are keen to complete our strategy by deploying a virtual desktop infrastructure. However, for the users in the regional offices who will receive their entire desktop over the WAN, we need to accelerate the data transfer to make it a workable experience.”</p>
<p>Leveraging existing virtual infrastructure in the datacentre, Expand’s WAN Optimisation technology is deployed as a “virtual image”. Buckham adds, “Without Expand’s Virtual Accelerator, our virtual desktop plans would have stalled. The accelerators will help us realise our virtual investment, and being virtual, they fit perfectly with our strategy.”</p>
<p>Delivering the most advanced levels of VMware integration, the ABS can use VMware’s suite of services to deploy, manage, maintain and assure the Expand Accelerator Image within the existing virtualised infrastructure.</p>
<p>Paul Harapin, Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand, VMware comments; “VMware is pleased to work with Expand Networks to help the Australian Bureau of Statistics transform its operations, delivering the significant benefits of virtualisation including reduced capital and operating costs. The Australian Bureau of Statistics is one of the most highly virtualised organisations in Australia and this desktop deployment will help it realise even greater business efficiencies.”</p>
<p>The Virtual Accelerator will extend user capacity on the ABS’ existing infrastructure, assuring the VDI experience for its employees and stretching existing network and hardware investments. In trials with 45 users in the ABS’ Perth office, the government department achieved data traffic levels of approximately 54MB through the 18MB WAN. The implementation will also enable the replacement of cumbersome local tape backup procedures with a more efficient IBM Tivoli network backup.</p>
<p>Expand’s Virtual Accelerators live within, and accelerate out of, virtual environments, ensuring the success of VDI strategies using techniques such as byte-level compression and caching that specifically enable real-time interactive TCP traffic and RDP protocols to be maximised. Expand's Layer 7 Quality of Service (QoS) enforcement – which provides monitoring and control at the application layer – also ensures that applications run unimpeded on the WAN. This is not just prioritisation, but also includes sophisticated algorithms to combat congestion, mark packets for downstream QoS handling and rate control shaping to make sure data flows get the bandwidth they need.</p>
<p>Steve O’Brien, Vice President of Expand Networks APAC explains; “A common frustration for many organisations starting down the virtualisation path is that once they get to rolling out VDI, they hit a roadblock as their WAN struggles to cope with the application load. Many of these companies are hesitant to bring in new hardware to optimise the data traffic because it goes against their virtual infrastructure plans. Our Virtual Accelerator, which is effectively an accelerator ‘image’, avoids the need for additional hardware, while still providing all the benefits of an Expand solution including application acceleration and QoS. The best part is that before a physical appliance can be boxed and labeled for shipment, a virtual appliance can be installed, configured and actively optimising traffic.”</p>
<p>-ends-</p>
<p>About Expand Networks
Expand Networks is the pioneer and leader in the WAN Optimisation market. Expand helps organisations simplify their IT infrastructure while delivering remote offices fast, reliable and secure access to networked applications. This results in improved user productivity and cost-effective IT management. Expand offers a multi-service integrated platform that ensures superior performance for any application over any network. From its headquarters in Roseland, NJ and its global locations, Expand Networks (www.expand.com) serves more than 3,500 enterprise and public sector customers in over 100 countries including: American Express, Bacardi USA, BMW, Continental Airlines, Carr America, Colgate, Elizabeth Arden, Reed Exhibitions, Target and United States Department of Defense with over 40,000 units deployed and over 2,000 MS Terminal Services and Citrix customers. Expand is the largest supplier of WAN Optimisation products to US Government and Military agencies (greater than 10,000 units) and also has the most units deployed at a single corporate location, (4,500).</p>
<p>Expand Networks, Accelerator, Expand Compass, ExpandView are trademarks of Expand Networks. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.</p>
<p>About the ABS
ABS is one of many providers of statistics that are used to inform research, discussion and decision making within governments and the community. The organizations and arrangements, formal and informal, which together provide such statistics, form Australia's national statistical system. The range of services that are collectively provided for Australia constitutes Australia's national statistical service.
Some organisations that form part of Australia's statistical system have institutional and legal arrangements which govern their operations. ABS' enabling legislation, the Australian Bureau of Statistics Act (1975), establishes the ABS as Australia's central statistical authority, responsible for providing statistical services to all Australian governments, and the community more generally. It provides the ABS with the legal responsibility to lead the development and operation of the national statistical system.</p>

• Got more on this story? Email Computerworld
• Follow Computerworld on twitter