Since the pandemic lockdown, people have been working from home. The workforce has been slow in returning to the corporate office setting. An IFS survey conducted last year reports that almost three-quarters of respondents plan to increase spending on digital transformation. The climate control benefits include a reduction of CO2 emissions due to less commuting and travel to in-person meetings. Technologies like Microsoft Teams have made multi-site team meetings easy and readily available.

Cloud migration is the price of admission to competing in the digital world. 

Moving your IT environment to the cloud reduces the need for additional hardware, but more importantly, to your bottom line and the environment, cloud migration modernizes your operations. While being on the cloud, and using robust cloud-enabled services like IronOrbit’s INFINITY Workspaces, won’t make your business carbon neutral, it is a significant first step on that journey.

DEMATERIALIZATION

How You Can Reduce the Environmental Impact on Doing Business

Hardware casings, cords, adaptors, and other electrical products are called E-waste. E-waste is a growing problem. Significant environmental damage happens because nature cannot absorb these products. E-Waste is a significant contributor to the haphazard disposal of old electronics: they’re inert. All E-Waste products contain hazardous materials of one kind or another. The toxic materials are predominantly lead and mercury.

By switching to IronOrbit’s cloud, you can reduce the amount of hardware because you no longer need to invest in so many on-site computer stations. There’s no need to pay for its maintenance or replace machinery when it becomes obsolete. Instead, you only pay for the exact services you need. Over time, this saves you money. Cloud computing can help your company become sustainable while making it more profitable and productive.

Reducing Needless Travel Reduces Carbon Emissions

INFINITY Workspaces is our brand of DaaS, robust technology that enables employees to work remotely with ease. There are different INFINITY packages to fit specific use cases. Even designers and engineers can access the most demanding modern applications on their mobile devices. INFINITY Workspaces empowers Geographically dispersed teams to do their best work. The technology inspires productivity while eliminating the need for lengthy commutes. It also eliminates the carbon emissions associated with daily commutes.

Adopting a work-from-home environment or even a hybrid workplace is an excellent way to reduce your business’s carbon footprint. You could also save some money in the process.

Shared Data Centers Reduce Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)

On-premises servers and data centers use substantial amounts of energy both for running and cooling. The manufacturing, packaging, and shipping of the hardware and peripheral products also add to GHG emissions. Companies can reduce emissions considerably by moving to a cloud computing environment. Once a company moves to the cloud, they use shared data centers. Like the ones operated by IronOrbit, shared data centers run far more efficiently than individual facilities or on-premises servers. There is no longer a need for personal equipment.

A recent forecast by the International Data Corporation (IDC) reports that cloud computing will prevent the emission of more than one billion metric tons of CO2 between 2021 and 2024. Moving away from legacy software and hardware and towards cloud adoption is a logical next step for companies. Insofar as business continuity and investment in the future, cloud migration is a necessity.

Cloud computing and all the digital benefits of having your IT infrastructure on the cloud are valuable for IT departments. IT departments can work more closely with business leaders to develop new sustainability goals. It is favorable for companies, and of course, it contributes to a healthier environment.

Contact us for a no-obligation proof of concept. We’re here to help.

The post How Digital Technology Helps Deal with Climate Change first appeared on IronOrbit.

Virtualizing desktop computers is useful for many reasons.

The advent of technology has made it possible to create a virtualized desktop environment powered by Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), the software that enables users to access virtual desktops remotely on a central server.

This means that if you‰Ûªre a business with more than a hundred computers, you can easily access each of these desktops in one single cluster of servers.

The Virtual Machines (VMs) serve as the host of these virtual desktops and controlled by the management software. VDI makes it possible for you to gain access to your desktop from anywhere at any time with the use of VDI client software. There is no need to install or configure each desktop PC with VDI.

This means that VDI allows enterprises and SMEs to cut their administrative overhead, increase their productivity, diminish IT support costs, gain better security, and experience peace of mind.

The Basic Components of VDI

VDI has three parts – the Connection Broker, the Hypervisor, and the Desktop Pools.

1) Connection Broker: This is a software program that enables users to access desktop instances. It also authenticates users’ information and sends it to the instances. The connection broker also has the ability to monitor active and inactive desktops.

When you attempt to send the connection request to the desktop, you will be provided with an idle desktop instance. The status will show inactive when you disconnect from the server.

2) Hypervisor: The hypervisor is the component that creates a virtualized environment by separating your operating system from the hardware.

After the separation, the hardware is broken down into multiple VMs, which are individually configured as well. These VMs have unique OS, applications, and configuration. Hypervisor lets you experience the advantage of using a separate desktop everytime you access the desktop instance.

3) Desktop Pools: Desktops pools let you configure a group of similar desktops based on a specific function you want to install or enable.

For instance, there are two departments in an office with different needs. Two desktops do not have to copy all applications and configuration. When you create a desktop pool, you can configure the desktop settings according to the department’s specific function.

How does VDI work?

For you to activate VDI, you need to log in to your desktop via the client software.

You will need to wait for the connection broker to accept your request after they authenticate your information. The hypervisor takes over, creating multiple VMs where your virtual desktop will be hosted.

The HA in hypervisors has the option to combine the resources of multiple servers. The process enables the migration of virtual desktops to another server if required.

If you are not using the virtual desktop, the admin has the option to turn it off. This practice lets you accommodate more users.

In full cloning, desktops function independently as they are not linked to the master desktop. Each clone has its own separate disk space.

In linked cloning, all other desktops depend on the virtual disk of the master desktop. It does not use separate disk space, making this type of cloning a space saver. However, for cloned desktops to work, they should be linked to master desktops.

The admin user controls and manages the virtualized desktop environment. They are responsible for setting up policies, creating new pools, provisioning new desktops and managing the desktop pools.

The Benefits of VDI

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure provides businesses with an innovative solution in simplifying management, minimizing the risks involved in managing sensitive data, and optimizing user experiences.

Increased Productivity – There is no need to be chained to your desk to access your data because VDI provides you with data access from anywhere. You do not have to sit for hours to configure your PCs.

Cost Efficient – Another benefit you reap from VDI is the reduced IT support costs, especially on licensing. When you replicate virtual desktop instances, you can also consolidate server storage.

Reduced Administrative Overhead – Managing your multiple desktops in a virtualized environment means you can make updates without being physically present in an office.

Improved Security – VDI only controls the central server, and this capability gives you the option to set data policies for each user.

The post VDI : What You Need to Know first appeared on IronOrbit.

The Client

ICON Builders is a general contractor that specializes in the renovation and construction of affordable housing. Since 1984, it has renovated more than 17,000 affordable housing apartment units.

It has completed projects in five different states: Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Washington. According to its website, the company is currently engaged in nearly a dozen different projects—costing a total of $187.6 million—that involve the renovation or construction of close to 1,200 housing units.

The Problem

ICON Builders contacted IronOrbit because it was unhappy with its current deployment of an application called Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate.

Sage 300 CRE is business management software for enterprises in the construction industry. General contractors like ICON Builders use it to manage and track their finances, store and organize their electronic files, and assign and monitor the progress of project tasks, goals, and schedules.

At a certain point, ICON Builders decided that it was spending too much time and money maintaining its deployment of Sage 300 CRE by itself.

It wanted to redeploy the application with a hosting provider that would not just host the application but also perform all of the maintenance and support tasks that ICON once handled internally.

It was important for the hosting provider to be able to resolve problems with the Sage 300 CRE deployment quickly. It’s also crucial to maintain the availability of the application at all times, since much of the work at ICON involved the application in one way or another.

The Solution

“We moved our Timberline (Sage 300) server to their Hosting service and we have never had a better IT decision.”

In the end, ICON Builders selected IronOrbit, a leading provider of managed hosted IT solutions, to host its Sage 300 CRE deployment.

No other hosting company provides as many advanced IT services with its solutions for no additional cost as IronOrbit. For example, the IT services that came with ICON Builders’s hosted Sage 300 CRE (as they do with all IronOrbit hosted solutions) included:

• 24x7x365 all-inclusive technical support. All-inclusive meaning that IronOrbit will provide technical support for all of ICON’s networks and IT hardware and software. Not just the hosted Sage 300 CRE
• 24x7x365 monitoring and maintenance of the Sage 300 CRE deployment and its underlying IT infrastructure
• An IT security system that protected the Sage 300 CRE deployment from hacking attempts, malware, physical theft. And also from inappropriate access by Ironorbit personnel
• Complete onsite and offsite backups of all of the data associated with the Sage 300 CRE deployment. Which is performed multiple times daily

World-Class IT Solutions at a Price You Can Afford

ICON Builders only had to pay a low, flat monthly fee. This all-inclusive fee is for the hosted Sage 300 CRE and all of the included IT services.

In addition, no one at the company had to spend any of his or her own time managing the application. Plus, ICON Builderswas able to save itself thousands of dollars by not having to purchase any servers. Which it would need if it planned to host the application onsite.

By signing up for hosted Sage 300 CRE from IronOrbit, ICON Builders achieved its goals of reducing its IT costs and outsourcing the management and support of the application. They achieved that while also ensuring that the application was properly maintained and protected.

The Chief Financial Officer of ICON Builders, Marianne Laupp, summed up how pleased the company was with IronOrbit.

Laupp said, “We have been with IronOrbit for more than a year now. We moved our Timberline (Sage 300) server to their Hosting service and we have never had a better IT decision. The move went very smoothly and we have had very few minor issues since then. Their ticketing process and support is great. They look at a problem and have the ability to fix anything immediately. We are very happy that we moved to their service, it has saved us immeasurable time and money. I would highly recommend their team to anyone looking for a better IT solution.”

The post Case Study: ICON Builders first appeared on IronOrbit.