Orbis: The Ghost of XP Finally Exorcised

The Windows XP is dead but its zombies are still ailing millions of PCs globally, mainly in the financial sector. Companies, mainly banks and financial services institutions in India, are actively groping for ways to divorce from the evil called XP but are unable to do so. It is a major security risk for organizations dependant on the zombie operating system.

A study conducted by Kaspersky Lab underlines that more than 16% of all PC users are still working on computers running Windows XP. This fact carries potential implications for information security.

But Orbis Financial Corporation has ably moved from the Windows XP systems addressing all challenges by strategically steering ahead with precision and agility—leveraging smart and lean technology solutions like desktop virtualization.

Orbis Financial Corporation is a Gurgaon (Haryana, India) based non-banking financial services company that made its foray in the financial services domain in 2009. Since then it is successfully conceptualizing and offering a range of forward looking services designed and customised to equip the investors across segments to efficiently manage their investing operations securely.

Given the growing market volatility and complex processing requirements, Orbis is focused on meeting the growing demands of investors by offering premium investor services. This it does by combining the best technology solutions and applications, automating processes and establishing necessary controls and procedures to create value for its stakeholders.

Migrating to the newer operating system

As part of this strategy, the company deployed desktop virtualization solution to do so. The company ran through a market search round to find a suitable partner but it finally implemented NComputing’s L-series virtual desktops which are claimed to be affordable and energy-efficient. The solution seems to have addressed the key IT challenges that Orbis was faced with till not so long ago. “It was a challenge for us to migrate from the older operating system. It was a daunting task, since it required a lot of hardware upgradation which was not possible. However, we chose to deploy desktop virtualization solutions that could easily handle the new system with minimum upgradation,” says Mani Kant Singh R, Head—IT & Security, Orbis Financial Corporation.

The company’s existing IT infrastructure had gone obsolete overtime. There were nearly 42 thin clients with an average age of 4 to 6 years. The hardware of these devices was bulky, with moving parts. Due to their big size, these devices couldn’t be mounted behind the monitors, and had to be kept on the desk. Invariably, there were instances of these devices falling on the floor and getting damaged. As a consequence, users called for IT support every now and then. Besides, there was no way to centrally manage these devices.

Also, these thin clients were only compatible with the Windows XP operating system—the operating system that has already gone obsolete. This posed operational issues as users couldn’t perform financial transactions involving reading of digital certificates. Hence, the company decided to replace these outdated devices and migrate to the Windows 7 platform.

Further Singh divulges, “The key requirements were—to upgrade the existing IT set up with a solution that was state-of-the-art, easy to deploy, monitor and use, and, came with good customer support service. Orbis considered many software-based thin client solutions, but eventually deployed NComputing’s L-series desktop virtualization solution that fitted the company’s requirements like a glove. The solution delivers great ROI, is simple to deploy, scale and manage.”

Mani enumerates the benefits that Orbis is observing after deploying the desktop virtualization solution:

Flexible and Rugged: The desktop virtualization devices bundle a sophisticated SoC (system on chip) form factor, are sleek and immensely rugged with no moving parts. The devices come with a docket and can be mounted behind the monitor. This clears up space on the desk. What’s more, since it is a plug and play system, it renders a lot of flexibility of use.

Savings that are Evident: Orbis saved over 50 percent on the hardware cost, and over 90 percent on maintenance cost and support time. Power and backup cost savings are also noteworthy.

Central management: Since the desktop virtualization devices can be managed and updated centrally, it saves the support team a lot of time and effort.

Green IT: These devices have no moving parts such as fan, and do not emit any heat. So, the CO2 emission is extremely low.

Performance Par Excellence: Deploying desktop virtualization has improved speed and performance of PCs and this has in-turn improved employee productivity. Users now get to experience uninterrupted, hassle-free PC-like experience.

Perfect Mapping of Requirements: The desktop virtualization solution can be easily deployed in any setup based on the requirements. Orbis faced relatively less problems while deploying the solutions and making it mainstream.

Going forward...

When Orbis decided to deploy 10 NComputing workstations, like any financial services company, it wanted to tread cautiously and first test the waters before taking a leap in to it. However, today the Orbis team is completely satisfied with the solution and plans to gradually replace its obsolete computing infrastructure entirely with desktop virtualization solution. Mani concludes, “My experience with the desktop virtualization devices suggests that other organizations should also explore this revolutionary technology. It is the easiest way to get rid of the Windows XP. The solution is perfect, not only for startups but any organization requiring a computing solution for running mission-critical applications.