businessinfomag.uk 20 magazine END USER COMPUTING Revit, Rhino, SketchUp and Enscape, as well as Microsoft 365. “It’s not just a question of putting in a VDI solution; it is about strategically considering the whole environment. We’ve upgraded our networks and put in new switches; we’ve upgraded our storage solution – we’re moving away from NetApp to Nutanix for storage; and we’re also moving away from physical Intel servers for the server virtual environment onto a Nutanix compute cluster to try and reduce the number of nodes we have and bring down the overall operational cost of those devices and hopefully extend their lifespan,” says Moyes. TCO and ROI Moyes estimates that the new VDI infrastructure costs 10% to 20% more than buying the same number of physical desktops, when you take into account extra licensing costs, network upgrades, investment in the on-premises datacentre and implementation and training costs. “Because it’s new technology, it’s not the same as just putting in 60 desktop computers or 100 desktop computers, where everybody tends to know what they’re getting and has been through the process before. There’s an additional learning curve and the additional cost of the VMware licensing for the desktops and Microsoft licensing for the VDI machines,” he says. While the new system does cost more (although the phased implementation means that it can be delivered within existing ICT budgets set at 5-7% of revenue), its TCO and ROI benefits easily outstrip the total cost of the entire modernisation project, which is also designed to provide the capacity and resources needed “Like most professional services businesses, we sweat an asset until it’s physically not able to be sweated any further, which is why we’re in this hybrid environment with physical PCs and the VDI. Those physical PCs are high end gaming machines – they’re not cheap boxes and they’re not on a three-year life cycle – so we will continue to sweat them until they break and we can’t repair them,” explains Information and Digital Systems Partner Dave Moyes. In tandem with its new hybrid VDI solution, SimpsonHaugh has made far-reaching changes to the firm’s IT infrastructure to ensure it is robust enough to support GPU‑intensive applications like Like many architectural practices, SimpsonHaugh Architects (see box) is modernising its IT infrastructure to support the evolving needs of clients and employees, with a particular focus on boosting productivity, enhancing collaboration, improving the remote working experience and future-proofing systems to support ongoing growth and new technologies, such as AI. The firm’s multi-year, £1.2 million IT modernisation project, implemented with the support of managed services provider and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) consultancy ebb3, builds on changes the practice was forced to make during the pandemic, including the centralisation of IT in Manchester to avoid the time and expense of managing systems in multiple locations and the extension of an existing, very small Citrix environment to support remote working across the practice. These changes have precipitated the phased introduction of a VDI environment based upon Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop, which provides a gateway to virtual desktops running on VMWare in SimpsonHaugh’s on-premises datacentre in Manchester. Today, 30% to 40% of all SimpsonHaugh employees across its London, Manchester and Birmingham offices access virtual desktops via energy-efficient mini PCs, laptops and Chromebooks. Most workers still have physical desktops, but they will move to virtual desktops over the next three to five years as their high-end physical workstations, costing as much as £6,500 each, reach end of life. How ControlUp is helping SimpsonHaugh optimise the end user experience as it transitions to virtual desktops VDI with added reassurance SimpsonHaugh is an awardwinning UK-based architectural practice founded in 1987 by Ian Simpson and Rachel Haugh. Ranked 48th in the AJ100, the Architects’ Journal index of the top architectural firms in the UK, it employs 100 staff split across studios in Manchester, London and Birmingham. In the year to March 31, 2023, it had sales of £10.3 million, with net profit before tax of £1.3 million. Notable schemes include Deansgate Square; One Blackfriars; 14 Westfield Avenue; The Engineering Innovation Centre (University of Central Lancashire); Circus West Village (Battersea Power Station Phase 1); 4 Angel Square, part of the 20-acre NOMA area in Manchester; and Manchester College’s new City Centre Campus, shortlisted in the 2024 RIBA North West Awards. www.simpsonhaugh.com Dave Moyes
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