Judson ISD Deploys Flash Storage Arrays for VDI
Judson Independent School District
(ISD) in Bexar County, TX has implemented a flash storage array to reduce login
times for its virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environment.
The district originally implemented its Citrix
XenDesktop VDI environment in an effort to improve flexibility and
efficiency for its 23,500 students and 3,000 employees. But with thousands of
students trying to log on to their virtual desktops simultaneously at the
beginning of class, the system slowed to a crawl. In some cases it took 15
minutes of the 45-minute class period just to log on to the desktop.
While at a conference, the IT team learned about flash storage arrays from
Pure Storage as a potential solution
to their VDI bottleneck issues. The team decided to test the array in one of
its biggest schools, and the difference was immediately evident. The school
"immediately saw a 95 percent improvement in response time, reducing login time
from 15 minutes down to an average of 36 seconds," according to a press release
from the company.
Based on the success of that test, the team implemented the Pure Storage
arrays in each of its three data centers. In addition to supporting the Citrix
VDI environment, the district now uses the storage arrays to support its
back-office financial systems, Microsoft SQL Server, network monitoring and
other applications.
According to Pure Storage, the arrays have enabled the district to reduce
login times, add applications without adding staff, and reduce capital and
operating expenses. Because the arrays provide an average data optimization
rate of 10-to-1, the district can make more efficient use of its storage
resources, reduce power and cooling costs in the data center and eliminate
downtime during software upgrades.
About the Author
Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].