Revist your data access methods

Companies working on IT consolidation strategies should be paying as much attention to their information access and deployment methods as to their servers and storage inventories. So says Citrix, which last year re-launched itself as an ‘access infrastructure’ specialist – getting away from its old thin client server-based computing roots. Keith Turnbull, vice president of product development at Citrix, says: “One of the key challenges for manufacturers is to reduce the complexity of linking supply of information to the user demand for it. We’re asking them to think about access methods: companies need a common solution – be it application data or information from other sources.” He argues that it’s no longer about tactical fixes – getting application and other data to remote users cheaply. “Your access infrastructure needs to be viewed as strategic. It should be part of your consolidation strategy.” And in this sense, it is strategic. Lewis Gee, Citrix UK managing director, argues that thinking about the management and delivery of information in this way cuts administration costs operationally, but also eases the IT processes post mergers and acquisitions. “Even though companies will be on different systems, you’re in a position to merge the information flows much more quickly,” says Gee. And he adds that by going for common access, working practices needn’t change, but firms will achieve greater flexibility and security, while also reducing the costs of the IT infrastructure. The message seems to be resonating with some. Says Chris Campen, assistant IT director at BAA: “We’re seeking to reduce the complexity of our 10,000 desktop population in order to lower support costs and enable BAA staff to focus on value added activities. Citrix MetaFrame will enable BAA to streamline desktops and achieve operational efficiencies.” And he adds: “Citrix demonstrated that it understood our commercial drivers and had the products and technical capability to enable BAA IT to deliver reductions in desktop support costs.”