Desktop Virtualization Summit in East Lansing

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Desktop Virtualization: A Summit for Decision-Makers

Merit Network presented a one-day summit on the current state, potential rewards and ongoing challenges of desktop virtualization. The summit was held on Wednesday, December 1, 2010, at the Kellogg Center on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing.

The summit was designed to meet the needs of decision-makers who select technologies for their organizations. Chief technology officers, managers who select IT solutions and products, and others with active roles in virtualization and desktop strategies benefitted from attending the summit. The agenda emphasized the needs of educational, non-profit and government organizations.

Desktop virtualization holds the promise of improving computing performance for end-users while making the task of providing and maintaining desktops significantly more efficient. As with server and storage virtualization, desktop virtualization offers a vision of improved services through increased centralization and maximized utilization of resources. Implementation and financial aspects are challenging, though, and the technology is young enough that that organizations still have a great deal to learn as they seek reliable solutions.

The summit on December 1 was an opportunity to learn from experts, hear from your peers and share your own desktop virtualization experience and insights. The event emphasized stories of real-life implementations (successful and unsuccessful), roundtable discussion, and the opportunity to learn about effective products and services.

Keynote Speaker

Terrence Cosgrove, Gartner Research
Terrence Cosgrove is a principal research analyst at Gartner Research, where he is part of the IT operations group. His coverage includes client life cycle management, desktop support and desktop application delivery. In his previous role at Gartner, Terry supported the security and risk management team, directing and advising on complex inquiries. Prior to joining Gartner, he was a research associate at Smith Barney, evaluating investment opportunities in IT companies.

Photo Archive

View photographs of the speakers and more in the Photo Archive.

Agenda

Time	Event	Presenters	Archived Presentation
8:30-9:30	Continental breakfast: Sponsored by Cisco
9:30-9:35	Welcome	Don Welch, Merit Network and Roger Rehm, Central Michigan University
9:35-10:30	Desktop Virtualization: Industry Trends, Implementation Realities and Future Expectations	Terrence Cosgrove, Gartner Research	(This presentation is not available for download)
10:30-11:00	Break: Sponsored by Data Strategy
11:00-11:40	Approaches to Desktop Virtualization at Central Michigan University	Stan Pope, Roger Rehm and Mel Taylor, Central Michigan University	Approaches to Desktop Virtualization at Central Michigan University (PDF)
11:40-12:20	VMLab: A Desktop Virtualization Testbed for Research and Education	Prasad Calyam, Ohio Supercomputer Center and OARnet	VMLab: A Desktop Virtualization Testbed for Research and Education (PDF)
12:20-1:10	Lunch: Sponsored by HiperLogic
1:10-1:55	VDBench: A Benchmarking Toolkit for Thin-client based Virtual Desktop Environments	Alex Berryman & Prasad Calyam, Ohio Supercomputer Center and OARnet	VDBench: A Benchmarking Toolkit for Thin-client based Virtual Desktop Environments (PDF)
	Virtual Desktops for Instructional Support: A Cloud-Based Solution	Martin Kohl and Jim Lofquist, Macomb Community College	Lofquist - Virtual Desktops for Instructional Support (PDF) Kohl - Virtual Desktops for Instructional Support (PDF)
	Demonstration and roundtable	Stan Pope, Roger Rehm and Mel Taylor, Central Michigan University
1:55-2:05	Transition break
2:05-2:50	Desktop Virtualization @ University of Michigan: From Concept to Completion	Ryan Henyard and Kevin Jones, University of Michigan	Desktop Virtualization @ University of Michigan: From Concept to Completion (PDF)
	Looking at the Future of Desktop Virtualization	Gary Wroblewski, Central Michigan University	Looking at the Future of Desktop Virtualization (PDF)
	Demonstration and roundtable	Martin Kohl and Jim Lofquist, Macomb Community College
2:50-3:15	Break: Sponsored by CDW-G
3:15-4:00	Implementing Desktop Virtualization in a K-12 District	AJ Cook and Pete Young, Rockford Public Schools	Implementing Desktop Virtualization in a K-12 District (PDF)
	Desktop Virtualization Options: A Roundtable for CIOs	Members of the Program Committee
	Demonstration and roundtable	Ryan Henyard and Kevin Jones, University of Michigan
4:00-5:00	Social hour

Planning Committee

Desktop Virtualization: A Summit for Decision-Makers was developed by a distinguished program committee made up of members of the Merit community. Thanks to:

David Gift, Vice Provost for Libraries, Computing and Technology, Michigan State University

Jim Rarus, Manager, Network & Security Services, Wayne County RESA

Roger Rehm, Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Central Michigan University

Chris Wood, Storage and Server Virtualization Manager, University of Michigan

Michael Zimmerman, Chief Information Officer, Macomb Community College