Transcript
Traditional workstation running costs
Physical workstation vs. virtual workstation cost and benefits analysis
Processes • ●Device productivity is averaging less than 40% due to maintenance requirements. These include loss of productivity during file download upload, software patching, breaks, and system outages.
This whitepaper sets out the identified operational costs and benefits of running your key 3D Visualisation applications on a physical workstation, and which is tied to a single user, vs. a
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virtual workstation. It is an innovative way of delivering 3D applications which have the power to enable collaboration by many users enabling access to a pool of centralised resources, anytime, anyplace, anywhere.
Business problems associated with traditional workstations People • ●The inability to collaborate globally on the same data concurrently, which causes time lags and delays in decision making.
• Professionals are frustrated when they can’t identify the latest copy of the working data file.
• Application management, on a workstation by workstation basis. It’s time consuming and requires numerous highly skilled staff for application management on a workstation basis. • Increases user productivity by providing ubiquitous fast access to data and applications • The inability to offer mobile and or flexible working conditions to attract and reduce churn by retaining the best talent.
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The inability to quickly and confidentially work in new ways, for example: follow the sun, peer review, joint ventures. This aspect is particularly relevant to workflow processes and the fact that businesses going forward are no longer fixed premise location but more location independent.
• The need for in-house skilled professionals to constantly train colleagues in aspects of creating, growing, managing, researching and beta testing the services that need documenting and delivering. • Application management, on a workstation by workstation basis. It’s time consuming and requires numerous highly skilled staff for application management on a workstation basis. • When the business is compelled to move large amounts of data it can struggle with constantly increasing network costs or physically moving the data via external discs like USB keys. • Traditionally the only way to meet with the growing process related demands has been to keep buying more and more physical workstations, multiplying the problems they cause.
• Data moves inefficiently between users, meaning that key employees have significantly reduced productivity levels.
• The need for in-house skilled professionals to constantly train colleagues in aspects of creating, growing, managing, researching and beta testing the services that need documenting and delivering.
• Operation failures led to a loss of capability or data on a specific job, which risks all project delivery.
Technology • ●Running multiple operating systems requires multiple workstations, or complex workstation configuration. • Cost of software maintenance, security patching, and application management are all relevant in this space and can be a major impediment at enterprise scale. Desktop maintenance is the most significant cost for physical workstation owners.
• Multiple members of staff cannot share the workstations; one person is tied to one or multiple workstations. • Historically, highly graphical software could not be virtualised due to GPU and legacy server limitation. • The workstation 4K physical upgrade path requires hardware and engineering resource to modify the units. • The workstation Windows 10 upgrade path requires hardware and engineering resources to modifythe units. The journey to Windows 10 is heavily dependent on applications and readiness – ability to support legacy applications is a challenge for big businesses. • Company data (IP) is a security & compliance issue. Physical access to workstation could sometimes be considered poorly managed, for example use of external drives, contractors on their own hardware. • Data must be local to the workstation to service the 3D application. • At scale Wide Area Network (WAN) based software management and workstation backup takes months and consumes significant WAN. • Workstation power consumption drives up the business’ power costs. Air conditioning requirements continue to be high due to the Workstation BTU (thermal) output that drives the power requirements that continue to grow. • Applications that run on workstations would ideally drive replacements every 18 months as software becomes more demanding. The usual write down period is 36 months, meaning that users suffer productivity impact during the write down period for 18 months.
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The incurred costs of legacy workstation systems • ●Compliance and data management issues • Risk of data loss DLP • Constant need for overtime due to slow performance of workstations • Plant or business downtime • Penalties for missed SLAs associated to processing • Additional Out of Hours visits by the operators to the physical workstations when the data is misunderstood in 24/7 Processes • Plant or business downtime • Expensive network infrastructure (up to 10Gb per machine) to support workstations (incurring an increased cost per port)
The HPVC solution Our appliance normally occupies a single rack that operates quietly and can exist anywhere including a populated environment. The converged solution is shared between anyone who is authorised in the network. This topology enables ebb3 to centrally manage and control the entire estate from all aspects. The appliance is designed to be many times more powerful that any physical workstation (current tests suggest 8 times), delivering many operational benefits to the business and users.
A better user experience The fully managed high-powered converged virtual workstation capability can be located centrally – in the Data Centre or On-Premises. ebb3 manages access to the converged solution and management resource can be shared on the estate at the discretion of the client. Our appliance supports multiple operating systems running simultaneously with the ability to add user profiles within minutes.
Transfering technical or scientific data more effectively Market feedback indicated to us that moving the data to the applications was not sustainable – the growth in data retention and speedier more detailed acquisition has meant that the volumes of data that a workstation is now being expected to handle in order for the applications to run and deliver an output is growing much more quickly than the workstation can adapt; we call it the boulder of data which is headed for the workstations. By listening to this message our business was formed over 3 years ago, with the simple thought – what if we moved the applications right next to the data and delivered the application in a completely new way? Hence the virtual workstations hosted on the HPVC. Data is local to the application, connected over very high speed links – the ones you can only find in a datacentre. This circumvents the need to transport the data over any material distance thus reducing the network cost to the business and also delivering physical security to the data. At this stage the applications are being visually accessed by network connected terminals (our technology is supported on
Users can be located anywhere on the majority of networks, anywhere globally. ebb3’s system
over 110 million different devices, like macs, PCs, Linux Terminals, iPads, iPhones, Android
delivers to appropriate high or low resolution displays and can drive multiple 4x4k screens within
Devices) only and without the ability to gain any form of inappropriate access to the data. This
minutes. This enables the users to be more productive and efficient in their roles. The increased
resolves the security and data movement issues that currently exist. Furthermore, as there is a
processing power of the appliance also enables the most graphically intensive software in the
single instance of all software installed centrally, the management of the entire estate can be
world to be virtualised at speed with significantly improved accuracy.
controlled by a single body rather than a network management team. This delivers significant benefits, saving and operational advantages to the business and users. For the first time the hardware processing and GPU capability is significantly ahead of the software applications. This HPVC converged solution does not have to be replaced or upgraded every 18 months. However, as the solution is built from state of the art devices, each device can be individually enhanced depending on the form of the data being manipulated on a volume or capability basis. It scales on a linear basis.
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Cost efficiency
Scalability
Users do not need individual power hungry workstations, making energy usage more
Our fully managed services are provided on monthly terms on an OPEX based contract.
manageable with all the added benefit of the BTU issues being centrally controlled. The benefit
Included in our service offering we can over-specify the equipment needed by 50% and install
of normally having a single rack located centrally is that the network demands become local
with zero committed charge. These untaxed assets can be utilised on a burst basis and charged
which allows the management to effect cost control on the data transfer needs. Individual
for on a daily basis.
mobile, thin client or 4/5k devices can be added as needed instantly. This delivers the flexibility needed to attract staff with the ability for true collaboration when using valuable data.
Smoother processes
Business benefits
Decisions can now be made more quickly with improved accuracy without the need to travel or
• ●Rapid permanent expansion of services on demand
face delays. The flexibility offered allows confidentially of work, new and experimental projects to be expeditiously undertaken, due to new collaboration capabilities. One of the best things about virtual desktops is that you can run different versions of software in different virtual environments without affecting each other. You can deploy new versions of software, both existing and new within a completely independent virtual environment, so you get the benefit now rather than later. Workflow is very important; a virtual environment can assign the correct resource for the workflow task and not be constrained by a fixed 1:1 Workstation to user configuration. The nature of the converged solutions ensures that the in-rack devices are robust, resilient and scalable.This enables the resources offered to be highly available 99.99% of the time. This solution is a fully managed proposition and can be outsourced, which releases the people demand on the business.
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• Resilience built in to the design and deployment • Untaxed assets can be utilised reactively – cloud flex or burstable
Moving to HPVC – the benefits • P ● ower – Workstations typically are configured with 1125W (Z820) PSU. They are typically running 24/7 and generate significant amounts of heat – 5002 btu/hr. • Redundancy – Support costs for each workstation, time lost if workstation fails, redundant underutilised hardware. Spare capacity often used for new hires, and failures. • Flexibility – A new better application purchase may not be possible due to the cost of upgrading each workstation. • Workload – Applications often use more resources during key workflow stages. Workstations cannot grow their available computer/memory/graphics resources to adapt to these workflow stages. • Multi User – A workstation is a single user device and is often under the personal desk space of an employee. • Remote Working – Remote user workstation software is often not very flexible and opens up network and data security problems. The workstation also has to be switched round the clock (seepower above). Each remote worker also needs to have a workstation themselves. • Data Security – Data is often copied from a central storage system onto faster local storage; this can take time and is inefficient. Data also cannot be backed up and controlled. • Network Capacity – Within the HPVC we have multiple 40Gbps to connect to the data store. The end points can connect on links as small as 6 Mpbs. • Software Management – With ebb3 all the software is in one place, so we can deploy patches, updates, and even whole operating systems in a matter of hours rather than weeks or months. This enables us to run applications individually on operating systems, which is especially useful when you have legacy applications with ageing operating system requirements. • Software Isolation – Software is freed from the 1:1 situation that traditional workstations force, therefore enabling more people access to the same software on-demand.
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This makes the decision to move to a hpvc solution a simple one. Your business will benefit from: • ●Reduced operating costs and complexity of support • Increased sales and productivity • Maximised profits from efficiency • Reduced time to market • Benefit from greater flexible capacity on demand
General and standard running costs for 5 mid-specification workstations
Mid-Range traditional workstation (8 Cores, 128Gb RAM, RAID 5 on 4 SSD, k4200 GPU) will cost around £7,800 to procure and depreciate over 3 years giving an annual running cost of £2,600 a year.
Workstation Annual Workstation Management
Software updates
£ 1,600
OS and software patches
£ 1,400
Multiple image management
*****All figures based on running 5 Traditional workstations
£ 375
Includes software updates, patches and overheads of managing multiple workstation images. • Software Management ½ hour per month @ £25 per ½ hour = £300 per year x 5 workstations • Updates and Patching ½ hour per month @ £25per ½ hour = £300 per year per x 5 workstations • Cost of managing multiple devices and images £75 per year x 5 workstations
Workstation
Annual Workstation Procurement cost
£ 13,000 Workstation
Annual Power Cost
Workstation 850W * 24 * 365 * 0.09 = £ 3,350.00 Workstation Support
Costs of electricity varies by supplier, so the calculator uses the average cost per KWh. • Cost to run a mid-range traditional workstation running a single 4k screen based on a 1500W power supply running 24 hours per day 365 days a year at a power unit price of £0.09. Calculated as an assumption as the usual PSU capability is anything up to 1500W, 850W assumes average load.
Service desk Support Security management
£ 900 £ 1,500 £ 500
Includes software updates, patches and overheads of managing multiple workstation images. • Break fix costs contract £15 per workstation per month = £180 year per workstation per year x 5
Workstation Annual workstation cooling Expenditure
Break fix maintenance contract
Air conditioning infrastructure
£ 600
• Resources to manage the workstation local of field workstation support including helpdesk 1hr per month @ £25 hour = £300 per year per workstation x 5• Cost of managing multiple devices and images £75 per year x 5 workstations
Air conditioning Maintenance
£ 750
• Cost of workstation security and enforcing security policies £100 per workstation per year x 5
6800W * 24 * 365 * 0.09
£ 5,361.12
Costs include the cooling of the workstation, and also general maintenance cost of cooling systems and purchase of air-conditioning hardware depreciated over 10 years. Costs based on air conditioning system to support the cooling of 5 workstations. 1 kW =3412.142 BTU/hr. • Air conditioning power based on 6.8 kw – 6800w Fujitsu Ceiling Cassette Units covering 5 people and 5 workstations • Purchase of Air conditioning infrastructure based on 1 ceiling Cassette unit per 5 users • Air conditioning support and maintenance contract covering 24/7/365 including break fix and quarterly service and consumables, contract costing £750.00 per annum
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Total Annual cost for 5 Workstations
£ 29,336.12
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