In 2008 CCL created a virtualised server environment utilising VMware and industry leading hardware to meet the needs of our clients. Known as Utility or Cloud computing this environment provides processing power and storage on demand for clients who would otherwise have purchased their own hardware.

The ongoing demand for more processing power and storage, with the subsequent impact on capital cost and physical space requirements, often hinders businesses from providing the solutions they require to their staff and customers. With Utility computing, an increase in demand, for example in software testing or for web servers to meet traffic peaks, can be achieved in a matter of minutes compared to weeks. This option has the advantage of minimising hardware costs and assembly / configuration requirements and allows for demand to be met in a very short timeframe as and when required.

CCL has drawn on its extensive understanding of Virtualisation and SAN’s to build an environment with the capability to run hundreds of servers from our data centre facility in Christchurch. The data centre is connected to a high speed fibre network in Canterbury and can also provide fast, cost effective connectivity to other New Zealand cities.

This environment has also been built to allow the deployment of Virtual Desktops using VDI technology (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure from VMware). This allows our clients to remove the need for internal server infrastructure entirely and instead deploy a virtual desktop in the office. The only hardware requirement at the client site is a router/switch for link connectivity and thin clients (which can be re-configured PC’s). VDI allows the user to experience a complete, unmodified virtual desktop that looks just like a normal PC. For a full overview of VDI and its features please see http://www.vmware.com/products/vdi/.

These technologies allow our clients the flexibility and choice that today’s modern computing environments require. They are not the sole answer to a business’s IT needs, but blended with other technologies and the skills of the CCL team, they can deliver a significant benefit to some organisations.

If you would like more information on either of these services, the technology involved or would like to discuss the costs to meet your specific needs, please contact the CCL team.