Air traffic control service adopts virtualisation
Air traffic control service adopts virtualisation
The National Air Traffic Service (NATS) has announced that it is rolling out a virtualised desktop environment to enable more employees to work remotely and to boost productivity.
The organisation’s current IT infrastructure is ageing and slow, according to the NATS head of information solution, Gavin Walker. He explained that some 6,000 people are employed by NATS, many of whom would benefit from being able to access their desktop remotely.
He explained, "Operational staff do not have dedicated desks, phones or PCs, but they do need access to IT services for general administrative tasks. Technical engineering and development teams work across multiple sites and need remote access.”
He went on to talk about how adopting virtual desktop technology will help employees work more flexibly and would also allow staff to bring their own devices in and work from their own devices at home, boosting productivity. He said, "The applications are currently local to the PC but we need staff to be able to use any PC and get access to other applications. With the virtual desktop, the applications will follow the user so they can move around from one PC to another."
The organisation intends to roll out the virtual desktops from June and the entire project will be implemented by September this year. The tender process for the work has now been completed and was tested through a 100-staff pilot scheme. This involved the new technology being rolled out to 100 staff in a test that proved successful.
"With the current infrastructure there is flexibility but this will give them even more flexibility and therefore improve productivity," added Walker.
Businesses looking to move services into the cloud, should evaluate the performance of their existing network and consider setting up a leased line or MPLS network.
