Technical Biography utilizing open ended questions

By Brian Murphy (Been there, designed it, built it)

Summary
Proven, solutions architect having designed a repeatable process relative to virtual hosted applications, architecture, application lifecycle, hardware refresh lifecycles, corporate trainer with 100 and more recommendations, awards, pertaining to Private Cloud with emphasis on solutions designed to exceed the needs of the end-users that appreciate a solution providing 10 or less second logon, one Web GUI for all applications, by default high-availability on what I have coined VOS as Virtual Operating System capable of withstanding several outages in the data center and zero impact to the VOS, offline for Microsoft Patches only due to separation of all applications from the desktop, customer inspired unique authentication design allowing for customized VOS using on template for the entire company yet ability for customer to choose logon banners, drastic reduction of logon scripts required for applications by moving this and other logic to the published application, drastic reduction of network aggregate bandwidth requirements per site and working with thirdparty vendor before and after to determine CIR adjustments where monthly costs for bandwidth has become the most beneficial OPEX savings for some companies. Emphasis on EUC satisfaction in the production solution is critical and most important in all my implementations closely followed by a paradigm impact to all internal IT teams where the focus is making life easier for IT services from operations, Windows, Desktop Support, Help Desk, Storage, Networking, Firewall Team, efficiency impacts for business units requesting access to business applications and IT Security Fulfillment or HR, in some cases, with the goal being streamline the entire procurement process by focusing on the Corporate Business Applications, proven repeatable process for migration of all COTS, internal developed, external developed, direct vendor managed, basically having a strategy that addresses the consolidation of all business applications to a centralized location regardless of the number of applications; hence, the term repeatable in practical use doesnt care if I migrate 3000 applications or 300 it just works and leveraging published best practices. The unique design, combined with a proven project plan, workflows, escalation paths, application lifecycle proprietary process including custom agreements with Help Desk management and Change Control management team approvals new process is immediately implemented with a customized letter sent to all Business Unit management to emphasize the critical role of allocating 1 to 3 power user UAT resources whereby user is shadowed during UAT to assist with creating of application run books which helps shift priority of success relative to new production applications working in a shared private cloud to-be environment and prevents end users from pointing the finger immediately at the new solution when evidence is provided showing the power user provided did not UAT that report or that query.

Who are the KEY players in desktop virtualization and their

strengths/weaknesses?
First thing I consider with this question is hardware versus software where each is equally important but not always the same. For example, I can do a lot more with Compellent storage from a software perspective such as their Fluid Storage line but they own both stacks whereas Citrix, Vmware, Oracle, Red Hat, Symantic, Microsoft offer do-it-yourself software for private cloud or hosting applications or desktops or both. Yet, which company has it all relative to the software stack required to actually use a VOS in a VDI scenario? As you know, there are many third-party cloud providers and internal private cloud solutions that leverage a combination of different hardware, thin-clients, Ipad, phones, Linux, XP, Win7, Win8, and so forth but broken down further that is hinged on the actual protocol with few choices: RDP, ICA, PCOIP. Nothing can change the fact that most are late to the game compared to Citrix, Microsoft, and Vmware. My first implementation of Citrix was Windows NT 3.51 and Winframe 1.0 and nothing else like it was available at the time. Citrix and Microsoft essentially grew up together in VDI with each having their own distinct protocol but ICA having always supported more clients, and the most important variable of all which is the reason for VDI and anyone stating different I would challenge on this single point. Why do we implement VOS requiring a VDI solution? (Virtual Operating System). My words; Virtual OS requires a solid VDI foundation and serves one purpose which is conduit for accessing the business application. This is the primary purpose but so few start with this to determine number of applications that are low hanging fruit and easily ported to those requiring more hours than narrowing the list down to a particular set of users being the easiest target for initial migration which is critical to the success. VDI starts and ends with hosted applications meaning, unless you start with the application and create a full life-cycle management for centralized hosting, installation, patches, or uninstall-new install, to pre-production conflict analysis and DLL isolation combined with advanced merge module methodology to assure no conflicts and latest shared dll's, followed by complete customer UAT, creation of run-book, set-in-stone aka iron-clad-agreements with Change Management and Help Desk stating business CANNOT open a S1 ticket on something they did not UAT. Hence, my goal is 95% MSI packages using Windows Installer Service, Wyse Packager, Wyse Conflict Analysis SQL Repository packager calls user, user shadows packager image, packager creates run-book while capture every frame and every function and every report, obtain customer sign off, if power user forgets something cannot open S1 and cause black eye for IT when customer never UAT'd. Now, I need to close but Citrix and Microsoft led the way, others follow but does not mean they cannot surpass. It happened to IBM can happen to M$ and Citrix. Example, dimCloud is a VDI solution and recently won award but despite their great solution they have a big obstacle when it comes to INTERNAL business applications that must reside on the same LAN as the database period. This is why I like private or hosted solutions but in hosted solutions like I created for Dell with multitenant design it must include data center migration in the scope. That design was Citrix on Vmware because cloud was 100% Vmware but could not beat the numbers when it comes to XenApp or XenDesktop read-only's. For example, 2200 applications ported to XenApp uses 50,000 IOPS. If that is not proof that XenApp is #1 in application hosting space then presenting applications using ICA to the desktop with 12 IOPS per desktop, sub-10 second logons, all apps on XenApp, 1-1 relationship of role based group to XenDesktop group and 1-1 relationship of business application to AD DLG streamlines the entire provisioning process for new users to VDI. From acquisitions perspective, Citrix and Vmware are making all the right corporate acquisitions to support growth of EUC in future tense. I name Citrix the leader for having address the reason for VDI hosting business applications and providing a conduit for accessing business applications.

Citrix started with this, XenApp hence, whether by acquisition or better protocol may go away but they are the reason VDI exists today. However, today's leaders are not future leaders per se, if cloud solutions can port all applications to web or SaaS or Vmware and Citrix make headway with their hybrid solutions to webify compiled applications then cloud VDI might stand a chance. Otherwise, it is a conduit for SaaS applications only which is needed and will sell but smaller market. I'm actually using the Oracle BOX for POC's and this led to other considerations having such easy access to pre-built VM's on my laptop. At some point becoming member of Sourceforge and GitHub I've migrated to OpenOffice or for SaaS Vdesktop I've designed a solution that consisted of Win7 and Google Chrome for HTML 5 SaaS applications that you can grab freely from Marketplace or develop on your own. And I love this because it goes to show where this is a problem, just create a blank W7 VM, load chrome, add some extensions of open a free Google Business account and you have applications in there that cost 15000 per month but allow up to 3 FREE users. I must have tested 1000 of these applications and they all at some point overload the OS being every HTML5 applications consumes massive resources. SaaS is at no way close to replacing the need for VDI if anything it has provided a reason to use VDI because you need server side hosted VDI to run some of these HTML applications!!!! Just like .NET did nothing but strengthen VDI (did for me, I'm hosting .NET thick client applications requiring every version of .NET Run Time creating the same problem we have with JRE and having to use the version it was created in although Java is getting better in this regard. I tend to come back to Citrix but there reasons are significant in that Citrix works on ESX, Hyper-V and XenServer. The major hypervisors in the market and XenServer is used by Yahoo, Amazon, Microsoft (yes), Rackspace (yes), and a lot more. Now, so what right? If it ended there then no deal but it supports almost all major devices and with this recent acquisition of Zenprise already having a decent solution for providing a virtual encrypted work IOS and personal IOS with BYOP best practice. This basically eliminates any real competition as of my writing. I have designed and implemented Citrix Netscaler and Cloud Gateway for creating mini-VPN mobile solution where we can utilize one phone in a BYOP scenario using the new employee immediate access to corporate phone image as all-inclusive-encrypted-IOS-Work-Only running on a single phone with personal phone and corporate phone running as two distinct IOS environments with no impact to carrier. Maybe this is "until" you get a new phone or perhaps it is a requirement that is part of a new HR and IT policy stating that you must be employed 1 year prior to ordering a phone or replacement to existing technology such as "Good". Possibly, part of a new BOYC and BYOP initiative as well. Point being, that was a good solution when designed properly. This takes mobile computing relative to "IT agility" to that "next level", IMO. Next, XenApp hands down application hosting and life-cycle management with over 1000 policies to control licensing by limiting connections, control hours of access, control access by IP, IP ranges, subnets, computer name conventions. Another Citrix acceleration for VDI. Citrix is making right acquisitions such as; (FROM JUNE 2012 TO NOW) Bytemobile, Virtual Computer, Podio, AppDNA, ShareFile, RingCube, Cloud.com, Kaviza (Kaviza being an example of a company that bought the right to use ICA and created a SMB solution then Citrix bought them and essentially trashed the solution IMO. They just did not want anyone owning a piece of their company and cannot place blame whatsoever. Above, you have now a private cloud solution for quick shared files (BOX=SHAREFILE), a very fast and efficient way to catalog and assign 1-5 variable and actually list out remediation steps for migration of applications but addressing this at the APPLICATION level versus a blue-print / migration method of monitoring desktops and usage then trying to determine if this user and

application mix is a fit for VDI. This is another Liquidware product but not one that I am particular finding useful. With that said, Liquidware UX Hub with Advanced Network Client and Profile Unity License free of charge is phenomenal.

Please note, I specialize in implementation of Citrix yet experience with all major hypervisors. If you wish to know more. The link at top of my profile contains a 1 page skills list and multi-page skills list with notes, resume, 7 whitepapers relative to VDI architecture, and something that required a lot of my time - a interview style, open-ended questions with my direct, honest answers. It is a long document, but I've been told it is also good enough to actually eliminate candidates if you are a recruiter or hiring manager in the IT industry. I offer it freely now, soon I am publishing them on Scribd. Brian Murphy Profile - http://www.linkedin.com/in/vcisscloud/ Managed Groups Vision Concepts Infrastructure Services Solutions - http://goo.gl/234nB Plan B - Resource Group and Advice for Changing Jobs - http://goo.gl/rM38E Proud member of Top Recommended People (42 recommendations) http://goo.gl/92tUN and 49 other Linkedin Groups.