Public sector CIO claims 40 per cent cost saving from virtual desktop deployment
'We have saved around 40 per cent on our desktop budget,' explains Department for Communities and Local Government CIO Darren Scates of his Citrix deployment
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) is deploying Citrix desktop virtualisation software and other tools in a move that will save £3m a year while boosting efficiency and flexibility for mobile workers.
The announcement comes after it was revealed that Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines has deployed Citrix cloud and mobile infrastructure in order to provide a faster, more reliable IT system.
As part of a move towards a more agile and cost-effective IT infrastructure, DCLG has deployed Citrix NetScaler Gateway, Citrix XenApp and Citrix XenMobile across its estate in an attempt to give employees mobile access to the apps and data they need to work more efficiently.
The deployment has seen the introduction of a virtual desktop application that enables employees to remotely access XenApp desktops from a range of devices.
It also allows DCLG employees to work offline on their personal devices and supports a BYOD policy that the department describes as "the fastest and least-expensive way to provision a new user".
According to DCLG, staff have embraced the new technology and the mobile working it supports, increasing user satisfaction.
The Citrix virtual desktop solution has also allowed the department to become more agile, enabling a flexible working environment and a reduction in the amount of space required.
The project has also drastically reduced the cost of running IT systems within the department.
"We have saved around 40 per cent on our desktop budget. We used to spend around £7m a year providing PC desktops, and we now spend £4m per year on a better service that users prefer," said Darren Scates, CIO and technology leader at the DCLG.
"If I want to deploy new software, it is much easier and faster to do on the central Citrix servers rather than on every individual desktop. The best part is that our user satisfaction scores have increased by 50 percentage points since we implemented the new Citrix solution," he said.
"In our last IT pulse survey, over 80 per cent of our users told us that their technology enables them to work flexibly and efficiently, 59 per cent said that their work technology is as good as they have at home and 78 per cent said that overall, their IT has improved in the last 12 months," Scates said.
Jason Tooley, UK & Ireland country manager for Citrix, welcomed the partnership with the Department for Communities and Local Government.
"The public sector is under continued pressure to innovate whilst achieving more with less. DCLG is an excellent example of an organisation that has put innovation at the forefront of everything it does, empowering workers and transforming the work environment," he said.
By centralising and securing data and applications, DCLG is giving workers the tools to work more smartly wherever they may be whilst significantly reducing costs," Tooley added.
"Digital transformation is recasting the relationship between citizen and state, making it easier for people to interact with a government that works for them," said Cabinet Office Minister Matt Hancock.