With over 20 years of experience in driving digital transformation in the public sector, VMware is the perfect match for any governmental agency looking to grow digitally. Best of all, VMware has an eye on the future, with a unique understanding of what federal agencies may face over the next decade and beyond. At Exertis, we’re discussing the main ways in which VMware’s SD-WAN and SASE solutions can best benefit the hybrid-working government sector.
Our team at Exertis have worked hard to deliver VMware’s SD-WAN technology to several large UK government departments. These departments now extensively deploy this technology to ensure a secure and faster working environment, with the ability to efficiently and securely work from home.
Taking advantage of cloud resources
The importance of being able to facilitate remote work is amplified in emergency cases – such as a pandemic – which may force government agencies to give their employees the resources to stay productive while at home. However, giving several users access to these resources in a quick and secure manner is not easy.
With VMware’s SD-WAN, automation and visibility for remote workspaces enable fast and efficient setup. Remote workers can easily download the software themselves if a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) environment is preferred. The cloud-based central management tool, SD-WAN orchestrator, automatically connects and allows network managers to remotely troubleshoot devices, removing the need for unnecessary travel.
Flexibility for all device types
Throughout 2020, many end users suddenly went from coming into the office one day, to sheltering at home the next. Without the proper time to prepare, an almost full shut down could have taken place if the capacity for all devices wasn’t enabled within the agency. If end users don’t already have an agency-owned device, how could they securely access agency resources? With national lockdowns, agencies would be met with long lead times for new endpoints due to high demand and limited supply. However, using an unmanaged personal device isn’t a solution, since these devices can pose a security threat when accessing the government network.
Having a strategy in place to easily support a wide range of device types and operating systems is best. One way to do this is to provide a virtual desktop, or virtual apps. The end user’s endpoint is then only being used to render the virtual tools, meaning IT departments don’t need to worry about securing or managing the endpoint. With VMware’s SD-WAN technology, governmental agencies can easily access the tools to make this management possible.
Supporting all users
In large agencies, the number of different end users is vast. Some users will need access to things others don’t, and their personal devices may not have this: such as high-powered workstations with graphics processing units (GPU).
Using VMware’s central management tools, certain apps and resources can be allocated to the correct user. This can also be used if the user needs access to a different operating system than their personal endpoint, and allows for the IP to stay within the datacentre and off the personal endpoint, keeping the end user safe.
Prioritising exceptional user experience
Without a long-term plan in place for remote working, a lot of agencies may find it difficult to juggle scalability, security, and manageability. This can lead to a decreased user experience, so making sure this is settled early on is important.
With VMware’s SD-WAN, virtual desktop and app, performance can be accelerated, and a great experience can be ensured. It prioritises network traffic and provides insight into app delivery across the WAN.
For more information on how VMware’s SD-WAN technology can benefit several sectors, contact a member of our team.
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