So is the tide going to turn now the feature set of the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 now has more functionality?
The criticism has been that Citrix has always been the expensive reason and that Windows Terminal Services doesn't have all the basic functions thus people have been slow to adopt Citrix and the Server Based Computing model..
Well it seems the question is more when will people start using Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services it seems that from a few articles published over the last few days it seems the slide might have started.
With the customer move into VDI also may be this will affect Citrix sooner than later. An article that court my eye was
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Sterling Insurance Group moves to Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services with the comments as:
Simon Hooper, infrastructure manager at Sterling Insurance Group, said the application, which was developed in-house, was struggling to cope with business growth. "Users experienced system slowdowns and when logging on to their applications, they were forced to sign on a number of times." In addition, the IT team did not have centralised control over user access, and individuals had to be set up separately, which was time consuming and laborious.
"Employees found it difficult to function efficiently, while the IT team spent a considerable amount of time dealing with support," he explained.
Managers were concerned that delays in generating quotes had started to affect the professional service for which the business was known, Hooper said. "The system took up to a minute to create a quote, and we could no longer afford that kind of delay."
The firm tried to improve system performance, but decided instead to replace the application with a customised off-the-shelf package and run it on a new operating system.
The insurer found Windows Server 2008 now gave users access to the application running on a remote client machine "seamlessly", so they didn't know the application was running remotely, a feature only available previously using Citrix software. Hence the insurer avoided the cost of a buying both Citrix and Microsoft licences for the new deployment.
Simon Ratcliff, Sterling Insurance Group senior server engineer, said, "Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services licences are about £55 per person. If we were to use Citrix we would be required to purchase Terminal Services licences at £55 per person and spend an additional £50 per person for the Citrix licences."
Sterling Insurance Group now expects the application to generate quotes in less than five seconds, a saving of more than 90% on the performance of the old system. The single sign-on for users and access to applications helps to close the gap between the internal and external user experiences.
Fewer user requests are expected to ensure significant productivity improvements for IT staff too, Ratcliff said. "The single sign-on means there's no second password to be reset, and there will be few technical issues due to system slowdowns. IT administrators can focus on more strategic activities."
Sterling Insurance Group can offer customers a more responsive turnaround of insurance claims and quotes. "We can eradicate embarrassing delays, boost relationships and secure customer loyalty," said Hooper.
The new system also enabled more flexible working, he said. "With Terminal Services in Windows Server 2008, users have the same access and performance on computers at home as they would in the office. Advanced security and control over our network gives employees greater flexibility and workplace satisfaction."
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With these comments to hand the next 12 months is I think that these will be very interesting because of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and the competition to Citrix, what will the uptake of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services ?
Click for original news article for the Sterling Insurance Group by clicking here