White Paper from Unidesk Shows How to Cost-Justify Virtual Desktops, Make VDI the Easy Choice over Buying More PCs

Marlborough, Mass. (PRWEB) December 14, 2011

A free white paper from Unidesk Corporation available at http://www.unidesk.com/opex-white-paper shows how Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) projects can now be justified through real operational cost savings. Until recently, broad VDI adoption has been stalled by high capital costs and management complexity, despite the compelling security, mobility, and device flexibility advantages of centralizing desktops on data center servers. "Desktop OpEx Savings: the Key to Cost-Justifying VDI" explains how new desktop layering technology designed specifically for VDI changes the economics, and makes replacing more PCs with Citrix? XenDesktop?, VMware View? and other VDI brokering platforms an easy choice.

The white paper takes an in-depth look at the costs of Microsoft Windows? gold image management, application delivery, and desktop support within physical PC environments, typical VDI environments, and VDI environments managed by Unidesk? management software for VDI. The findings show that physical PCs are very expensive to manage on an annual basis, while typical VDI reduces operational costs, but not enough to offset the capital costs of additional infrastructure. Unidesk, however, gives VDI the clear cost advantage over buying new PCs.

Using per incident desktop support costs from industry analyst Gartner? and other standard metrics, the white paper shows how annual desktop OpEx for 500 desktops can be reduced from an estimated $ 187,940 in a physical PC environment to $ 118,400 in a typical VDI environment, to a low of just $ 22,880 in a Unidesk-managed VDI environment. The white paper findings are substantiated by customer profiles on the State of Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, the City of Kent, Wash., and Menlo College. Also included are the formulae used to derive the findings, so IT professionals can calculate their own savings based on their unique cost models and experiences.

"It?s well-known that physical PCs have a high TCO, but our customers continuously tell us they have trouble building the business case for VDI," said Tom Rose, Unidesk Chief Marketing Officer. "Through this white paper, IT professionals will learn how to calculate how much time they?re really spending on Patch Tuesday, application delivery, and desktop support. Then, they?ll see how to translate efficiency improvements in each of these areas into real cost savings that will make it much easier for them to cost-justify their VDI projects.?

With desktop layering technology, Unidesk-managed VDI eliminates the root causes of gold image proliferation, so IT administrators only have a single gold image of Microsoft Windows to patch and update on every ?Patch Tuesday,? regardless of how different their desktops are, or how many desktop pools they have. Packaging applications with Unidesk is markedly faster and simpler than virtualizing applications or using legacy electronic software distribution tools, making application delivery much more efficient. Finally, more desktop support calls can be remediated through end user self-service or Level 1 technical support in a Unidesk-managed VDI environment, eliminating escalations to costlier Level 2 and 3 IT staff resources.

To learn how to quantify the OpEx savings potential of Unidesk-managed VDI, download "Desktop OpEx Savings: the Key to Cost-Justifying VDI" at http://www.unidesk.com/opex-white-paper.

About Unidesk

Unidesk Corporation (http://www.unidesk.com) enables customers to centralize more desktops on data center servers and realize the full potential of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). Unidesk? desktop management software for VDI is the easiest way to create, patch, personalize, and support VMware vSphere-hosted desktops and deliver applications for organizations with diverse user requirements. By using Unidesk?s patent-pending desktop layering technology with Citrix? XenDesktop?, VMware View? and other VDI access solutions, customers can expand VDI to more users, reduce desktop operations costs up to 30%, cut VDI storage costs up to 70%, and foster a more productive, agile workforce. Unidesk Corp. is a privately-held company with headquarters in Marlborough, Mass, USA

Unidesk? is a registered trademark of Unidesk Corporation. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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Related Call Ops Press Releases

WSI Expects Late-Winter Pattern Change Across US with Below-Normal Temperatures Becoming More Widespread

Andover, MA (PRWEB) January 24, 2012

WSI (Weather Services International) expects the upcoming period (February-April) to average colder than normal across most of the northern and western US, with above-normal temperatures confined to the south-central and southeastern states. The WSI seasonal outlooks now reference a standard 30-year normal (1981-2010).

?So far, the heating season has been the mildest since 2006-07 across the major energy demand centers of the US, as a very strong polar vortex has kept most of the significant and sustained cold out of the eastern US. This regime has now ended as the polar vortex has weakened significantly. For this reason, the last half of winter and early spring will likely be much different than the first half of winter. Further, the first significant episode of North Atlantic blocking (negative NAO pattern) is expected to develop as we head into February, allowing for more widespread, below-normal temperatures in the US,? said WSI Chief Meteorologist Dr. Todd Crawford. ?While the current moderate La Nina event has already begun to wane and hasn?t yet produced the expected impacts on US weather patterns so far this winter, we still think that the weaker polar vortex will allow for more typical, late-winter, La Nina impacts to manifest going forward. Specifically, this favors below-normal temperatures across the northern and western US and above-normal temperatures across the Southeast. For the February-April aggregate period, we think that below-normal temperatures will occur north of a Phoenix-Washington DC line. In total, our forecast calls for a 2.4% reduction in heating demand relative to last winter, but a 5.2% increase relative to the 1981-2010 averages.?

In February, WSI sees the monthly breakdown as:

Northeast* ? Colder than normal

Southeast * ? Warmer than normal

N Central* ? Colder than normal

S Central* ? Warmer than normal

Northwest* ? Colder than normal

Southwest* ? Warmer than normal, except southern California

According to Paul Flemming, Director at ESAI, ?The northern tier regions are expected to be colder than normal in February, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. Although colder temperatures across the northern part of the country will increase gas demand, any price response will be tepid due to high inventories and continued high production. Power prices in the Northeast will be low as a result of lower gas prices. Increased loads in February are possible due to the higher likelihood of cold snaps. This outcome would be bullish for delivered gas prices and power prices in the Northeast and Midwest markets. Warmer weather in Texas will be slightly bearish for loads and power prices there.?

In March, WSI forecasts:

Northeast ? Colder than normal

Southeast ? Warmer than normal

N Central ????? Colder than normal

S Central ????? Warmer than normal

Northwest ? Colder than normal

Southwest ? Warmer than normal

?Temperatures in March are expected to be much-colder-than-normal across the northern tier of the country. Although gas prices are expected to remain low, power prices could rally at times. These rallies would be due to the higher loads associated with late-winter cold combined with an early start to the generator-maintenance-season this year. There are planned nuclear outages in March in both PJM and New York,? Flemming noted. ?Warmer weather across the southern states should be neutral for power prices in Texas and Florida with shoulder-period load levels in those regions.?

In April, WSI forecasts:

Northeast ? Warmer than normal

Southeast ? Warmer than normal

N Central ????? Colder than normal

S Central ????? Warmer than normal, except west Texas

Northwest ? Colder than normal

Southwest ? Colder than normal

?Warmer-than-normal temperatures across the eastern states will have little impact on power prices due to low seasonal loads. As April and May are the peak months for generator maintenance in most regions, power prices will be moderate and be more bullishly influenced by planned generator maintenance outages than by warmer-than-normal temperatures. Lower gas-demand for heating in April will be offset, somewhat, by the increased need for gas from the power sector, as gas plants make up for coal and nuclear outages,? Flemming added. ?Colder-than-normal temperatures in the western states should only have minor impacts on power prices.?

WSI, which provides customized weather information to energy traders, will issue its next seasonal outlook on February 21.

*To view the map defining WSI?s US regions, click here.

About WSI

WSI (Weather Services International) is the world's leading provider of weather-driven business solutions for professionals in the energy, aviation and media markets and multiple federal and state government agencies. WSI is a member of The Weather Channel Companies and is headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts with offices in Birmingham, England. The Weather Channel Companies are owned by a consortium made up of NBC Universal and the private equity firms The Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. More information about WSI can be found at http://www.wsi.com.

About ESAI

Since its inception in 1984, Energy Security Analysis Inc. (ESAI) has been dedicated to monitoring, analyzing and synthesizing information about world-wide energy markets. Tapping the talents of its senior-level staff, ESAI provides clients with unparalleled insight into where the markets have been and where they are headed. ESAI provides ongoing systematic analysis of energy prices in the oil, natural gas and energy markets. For more information on ESAI services, see http://www.esai.com.

Contacts:

Linda Maynard????

WSI

(978) 983-6715????

lmaynard(at)wsi(dot)com

Tommy Sutro

Energy Security Analysis, Inc.

(781) 245-2036

tsutro(at)esai(dot)com

Editorial Contact:

Barbara Rudolph????

Rudolph Communications, LLC

(781) 229-1811

bjr(at)rudolphcommunications(dot)com

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Credit Union Members Spent 15% More in 2011 Holiday Season; Study by CO-OP Financial Services and Saylent Technologies Shows Robust Growth in Purchase Activity

Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. and Franklin, Mass. (PRWEB) January 17, 2012

Shoppers who belong to credit unions spent 15% more and made 15% more transactions during the peak holiday shopping season in 2011 than in 2010, according to an analysis by CO-OP Financial Services and Saylent Technologies, a provider of payment intelligence solutions.

?This month-long holiday spending surge among credit union members is even higher than Black Friday sales growth among the same group, which we found grew 8.1% year over year,? said Stan Hollen, President/CEO, CO-OP Financial Services. ?This robust sales activity mirrors the powerful momentum of the credit union movement overall.?

The holiday sales analysis is based on more than 71.9 million transactions representing $ 2.8 billion in spending made between November 25 and December 25, 2011. Drawn from debit card transactions across 563 credit unions processed by CO-OP Financial Services, the year-over-year comparison was performed through an advanced analytics solution, CO-OP Total Revelation?, powered by Saylent Technologies, and was conducted by Saylent?s Insight360? consulting team.

?Our analysis revealed a remarkable 10% increase in the number of debit cards in use during the holiday season, the result of a burgeoning consumer interest in credit unions,? said Tyson Nargassans, President and CEO of Saylent Technologies. ?The CO-OP Total Revelation solution provides detailed payment intelligence that helps card issuers uncover hidden opportunities and insights to better serve their expanding roster of members.?

The analysis spanned 30 days of spending activity among the credit union members both at brick-and-mortar establishments and on the Internet. Some of the key highlights:

???? ?Tis the season for politics: The end of 2011 saw a spike in political contributions, up 513% over the same time last year, as the U.S. Presidential campaign season went into full swing.
????Holiday cheer: Tavern and alcoholic beverage purveyors toasted the end of the year with a 48% increase in sales.
????A season of giving: Contributions to charitable and social service organizations were up 38% year over year.
????Stocking up: Buying clubs and shopping services bulked up with a 125% sales increase.
????Popular gifts: Among the merchandise categories showing strongest gains were leather goods (up 42%), records and CDs (up 42%), flowers and nursery stock (up 40%), bicycles (up 22%), computer software (up 21%), books (up 21%), candy and nuts (up 18%), and pets (up 17%).

For more information on CO-OP Total Revelation, visit http://www.co-opfs.org.

About Saylent Technologies, Inc.

Saylent Technologies, based in Franklin, Mass., develops payment intelligence solutions that help organizations understand and capitalize on payment behaviors. Employing innovative analytics and segmentation techniques, Saylent?s Card360? solution identifies card usage patterns by cardholder, targets underperforming or at-risk segments, and enables corresponding marketing programs and metrics. Saylent?s Account360? solution provides a holistic perspective on customers across all payment types, enabling financial institutions to understand and shift customer behaviors and increase share-of-wallet. Saylent?s Insight360? consulting services help clients speed time to value with expert analysis and customized marketing services. For more information, please visit http://www.saylent.com or call (508) 570-2161.

About CO-OP Financial Services

Based in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and founded in 1981, CO-OP Financial Services is the industry leader in access and convenience products for credit unions. CO-OP Financial Services connects credit union members to their accounts through network, payment processing, e-commerce, shared branching and call center services. With more than 3,000 credit union members, 30 million cardholders, 28,000 surcharge-free ATMs, 4,400 shared branch locations and more than two billion annual transactions, CO-OP Financial Services offers the tools, counsel and leadership to help credit unions prosper. To learn more, visit http://www.co-opfs.org.

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Moomba Puts More Pop in Lake Life with New Mojo Wake Boat

Maryville, TN (PRWEB) October 04, 2011

Experience the extraordinary wakes, handling, ride and reliability of Moomba's new wide-bow Mojo 2.5. This 22-foot 6-inch wake rider's dream rolls off the Skier's Choice production line with a boat-load of standard features and more wake sport performance than its price class can handle. A definite departure from the ?me too? pickle fork trend in wakeboard boat design, this new Moomba gives value performance buyers an extremely safe, deep, wide bow in addition to a boat load of accommodation. This unique design is pushed by the torquey Indmar Assault?, perfect to pull all levels of riders. Beginner to pro will flip for the Moomba Multisport Wakeplate and the available Gravity III Ballast System. Visit your local Moomba Dealer and put some more pop in lake life with the Mojo 2.5.

Feature rich on a budget.

Whether the goal is reaching new heights in wake sports or simply looking for low-cost high-enjoyment days on the water, the Mojo is inspiring. No cost optional exterior designs, the new Oz tower and stainless accents are just some of the features that make this Moomba wake boat seem less like an value-priced boating option and more like a top-of-the-line offering. Wake accessories like the standard Multisport Wakeplate and standard Digital Cruise Pro with Display as well as the available 1250-pound Gravity III Ballast System, make the Mojo as much of a competitor on the water as it is a comfort to those in the boat.

Just as fun on the inside.

With room for 16, the Mojo 2.5 magically fits the whole crew. The bow has been widened and deepened to accept extra passengers safely and comfortably. The innovative design of the Mojo bow lends itself to this kind of accommodation. Add the available filler cushion and the relaxation expands. Unlike other new big bow offerings this new Moomba isn't just about the bow. The common seating area is where most passengers gravitate because that's where extreme accommodation lives. Snap-out Syntec Fast-dry carpet exudes the comfort of home along with ease of maintenance in extreme boating environments. Built on one of the industry?s quietest fiberglass floor, deck and liner designs, the Mojo preserves the convenience of removable carpet without sacrificing low noise levels. The social lounge seating is covered in expanded vinyl with a stain resistant top coat for comfort and durability. And no matter the seating position, the built-in and over-sized cup holders are close by. The Mojo is even a joy at night with standard LED lighting.

Powerful expectations overboard.??

This Moomba can kick it into top gear. Power plant reliability comes standard in the new Mojo with a 330-horse, fuel injected, catalyzed, 5.7 liter Indmar Assault? engine. The torque this engine creates is enough to snap-up a number of riders, even at the same time. Custom calibrated for Mojo by Indmar Marine Engines, the 330?Assault??is more than enough to power life on the water.

Birth of a legend.

Like Moomba on Facebook, follow on Twitter or logon to the Moomba Boats Blog Tuesday, October 3, 2011 to witness the birth of the new Mojo 2.5. Moomba will be digitally chronicling the first production build of this new wakeboard boat with daily build photo posts. Check out the photos and the production processes, then insert a new there.

Visit your nearest Moomba dealer to experience the Mojo 2.5 and the other four budget-friendly 2012 model offerings from Moomba Boats. If you can?t get away right now logon to Moomba.com and configure your Mojo.

About Moomba: Introduced to the tournament wakeboard and water ski boat category as an affordable performance water sports boat, Moomba is not a compromise. It is a simply designed boat built for extraordinary performance without the added cost of needless complexity, trendy accessories and high profile athlete endorsements. Moomba boats put the fun in function with everything you need and nothing you don?t. Standard features abound with powerful engines, speed control, comfy seating, straight-line tracking, nimble handling, solid ride, pro-level wakes, massive storage, reliable performance, outstanding resale and years of dependable operation. Moomba boats.

About Skiers Choice, Inc.: Moomba boats are manufactured by Skier?s Choice, Inc., a privately held company located in Maryville, Tennessee. In addition to Moomba, Skier?s Choice builds a luxury performance line, Supra Boats. Both Moomba and Supra boats are sold to dealers in the United States and around the world. Today Skier?s Choice is the third largest manufacturer of tournament wakeboard and water ski boats in the world. Skier's Choice encourages all boating participants to learn and follow safe boating practices.

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