Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization and Streaming in Healthcare - Help for Health Care IT

This story is for the IT geeks that read the blog....Beta software available now, formerly known as Soft Grid makes it easy for enterprise IT folks to roll out and support large scale applications through Virtualization. This saves energy as well and can reduce server boxes. Easy to roll out updates and cuts down desk top support since applications are running from a server and not installed on the actual PC, somewhat similar to terminal services, but using Virtualization to accomplish and it can run with terminal services as well. The link to the case study from the hospital below shows some astounding savings. Employees can be portable and can log on from any PC on the network, as applications are not tied to the local PC. BD

SoftGrid in Healthcare Simplify compliance, accelerate application deployments, and reduce perpetual patching Healthcare Healthcare organizations are faced with escalating costs, growing organizations and strict government regulations. All of this makes it an extremely challenging environment for IT: " Support many different types of users (clinical, administrative, research) with different computing needs. " Handle complex applications that can be time-consuming to deploy and support. " Deploy frequent compliance required updates and patches for validation to numerous applications that keep IT in perpetual state of patching. " Manage exploding server siloing because of heavy terminal server use and the inability of conflicting applications to run on the same server. " Support roaming users who share the same desktop but require different applications and configurations. 3 deployment modes:

System Center Application Virtualization Management Server, which ships as part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack and Microsoft Application Virtualization for Terminal Services packages, enables dynamic streaming including package/active upgrades, and requires Active Directory and SQL Server;

System Center Application Virtualization Streaming Server, a lightweight version which also ships as part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack and Microsoft Application Virtualization for Terminal Services packages, offers application streaming including package/active upgrades without the Active Directory and database overheads, and enables administrators to deploy to existing servers or add streaming to Electronic Software Delivery systems; and

Standalone mode allows virtual application execution without streaming and is interoperable with Microsoft Systems Management Server/System Center Configuration Manger 2007 and third-party ESD systems.

Upon deploying SoftGrid, ARMC immediately realized transformational benefits in terms of the way it manages applications, and the time and costs required to do so.
According to Gerringer, “When we first implemented SoftGrid we had planned on a 30-day trial, but it worked so well and so easily that we were able to confidently go into production right away. We turned our entire environment into a dynamic, service-based infrastructure. We can update even the most complex package for all our computers in one easy step."
Using SoftGrid, IT administrators no longer have to go from machine to machine to deploy software. Instead, they can quickly deploy applications by placing the software on a SoftGrid server and assigning application rights to users using Active Directory. To update applications, administrators replace only the changed files on the SoftGrid Server. Network connected end users have immediate access to the latest version. To eliminate an application, administrators simply take it off the SoftGrid Server. To terminate a particular user's rights, they simply remove access from Active Directory. Cost-reducing: Help significantly reduce costly processes such as compatibility testing, as well as hidden costs. Customers have cut help-desk costs by up to 30% by reducing call volume for application-related problems, and reduced end-user downtime by up to 80% by easing challenges with business continuity of applications.
Because SoftGrid centralizes management of applications, users can only get the applications they have the right to run. Centralized control also enables IT to patch or upgrade once to the server and the next time the users access the network, their applications are updated without impacting their productivity.