A luxury hotel in Ireland has helped staff improve productivity and the service offered to guests whilst simplifying IT management and reducing total cost of ownership, thanks to IGEL end user computing solutions.

Druids Glen Hotel & Golf Resort, nestled in grounds of 400 acres between the Wicklow Mountains and the Irish Sea, has a reputation for fast class service and is just 30 minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Dublin. When the hotel decided to refresh its desktop computers, Andrew Prior, the Hotel Director of Finance, knew that he wanted to move away from PCs to a next generation desktop solution.

A thin solution using existing hardware

“We didn’t need fat client PCs any longer and I started to research the options. A remote desktop solution seemed to be the right approach but I was also keen to reprovision our computers rather than just discard the hardware,” said Andrew.

Looking for a solution, Andrew downloaded the free trial and test IGEL Universal Desktop Converter software and was impressed with the results. In just minutes, the UDC converts any existing x86 hardware device, regardless of manufacturer or form factor, into a universally deployable IGEL Linux-based endpoint.

Worked like a dream

“Initially, the hardware wasn’t working that well but when I replaced the hard disk with an SSD it worked like a dream,” said Andrew.

The hotel has upgraded and virtualised its servers and moved from Windows XP to Windows Server 2012. It originally converted 45 PCs, using the IGEL UDC, and added another 25 IGEL IZ2 zero clients. For staff ease of use, all the devices are connected to two displays (16×9 inch) with keyboard and mouse. The devices are used throughout the hotel, from reservations to back office.

Savings and improved productivity

“The IGEL UDC allowed us to update our IT and extend the life of the PCs for another four years for just €90 per device,” said Andrew. “As the old hardware eventually fails, I replace it with a new IGEL IZ2 zero client. Using IGEL, a desktop costs me €550 all in, with two displays a keyboard and mouse. A fat client with similar functionality would cost me well over €1000. Alongside the cost savings, using the IGEL Universal Management Suite software with Remote Desktop, I have a centralised management solution delivering far greater control over the user experience and security.”

“In my view, the IGEL deployment with two displays has improved staff productivity and staff retention, because everything is now much easier for them to do. The staff love it and they are now free to interact with customers and provide the Druids Glen experience without barriers from their IT system.”

A UD Pocket future

Moving forward, Andrew says he would like to replace the few PCs and laptops used by remote workers with the IGEL UD Pocket solution. No bigger than a paperclip, the UD Pocket is a portable Universal Desktop endpoint. When inserted into the USB port of a PC or laptop, remote and mobile workers can access cloud services, server-based computing applications or virtual desktops. UD Pocket is automatically integrated into the IGEL Universal Management Suite (UMS) for remote support, deployment and management. It extends the functionality of existing hardware with two operating systems on one endpoint. Once the user has finished accessing the IGEL Universal Desktop through the UD Pocket, they can simply reboot from the local OS and return to using their local device desktop.