Getech has selected IGEL OS running on LG Cloud Device thin client devices as part of a company-wide strategic shift to cloud desktop virtualisation and update of ageing desktop hardware.

Getech is a leading thin client distributor in the UK based on revenue, market knowledge and sales expertise. Over and above all the other brands it supplies, Getech selected IGEL OS and LG for its own corporate solution.

Founded in 1989 and privately owned, Getech is a hybrid distribution and reseller business with its headquarters in Ipswich. The site is home to the firm’s configuration and engineering centres, storage, logistics, sales and administrative functions. Turnover for the year ending December 2021 was £72m, with the thin client business making up £12m of this.

Getech has migrated to Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) whilst installing LG CL600 thin client running IGEL OS. This has an AVD client built in enabling easy connectivity. Two LG 24-inch monitors for each of its 85 staff have been purchased as well.

The roll out was simple: 10 minutes per desktop managed by Getech itself, department by department, with IGEL Universal Management Suite (UMS) then used to manage the whole desktop estate.

The investment in AVD also allowed staff to work from home effectively and easily during the Coronavirus pandemic, given the new platform is accessed via a standard browser and optimised for Microsoft Teams so that video telephony and workplace collaboration is reliably delivered.

The business previously used Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2012 R2 and it was impossible with this legacy platform to provide this kind of functionality for the whole company. Michael Peck, Getech’s IT Manager, says, “Windows Server 2012 R2 was creaking at the seams. Systems admin was difficult, updates will end soon, newer apps like Teams aren’t supported and staff struggled to login every morning as the system was slow.”

In addition, Getech’s existing LINUX-based thin client endpoints were already eight years old and did not support AVD. Watts adds, “The replacement upgrade was on our radar long before the pandemic hit. Covid and the requirement to offer remote working for staff with video conferencing tools brought this investment programme forward.”

Various benefits of a combined AVD, IGEL OS and LG desktop solution have been realised:

1. Lower cost. AVD has meant Getech has moved away from on-premise Windows Server 2012 R2 – thereby solving its operational issues – as well as reducing the number of [physical] servers within the business. More money is being saved as the company’s disaster recovery facility has also been closed as it now has a solution in AVD that’s a proven alternative to a physical DR suite.

LG Cloud Device CL600 thin clients were selected as they are attractively priced and came as a blank chassis with no OS on them. IGEL OS was then loaded straight away. LG Cloud Device thin clients also have a compact fanless design. This means they’re quieter, are smaller and use less power which lowers operational costs.

2. Improved performance. In addition to the speed of the new LG endpoint devices – which each come with powerful Intel Celeron Quad Core processors and 4GB DDR4 memory – the login process to AVD now takes seconds not minutes at peak times. Staff then access Office 365 and an ERP system called G-Sys which combines CRM, sales and finance modules.

3. Happy users and better team collaboration. AVD also supports Microsoft Teams for dependable desktop video telephony and workgroup collaboration. All users are better off with larger LG 24-inch monitors which are ergonomically and attractively designed and perform well.

4. Enhanced reliability and superior platform flexibility. With the old Windows Server 2012 R2 platform, the IT team spent a lot of time solving and fixing problems which often meant taking the system down out of hours. The reliability and flexibility of AVD means that the focus now is on using time for productive development to enhance the overall environment.

5. Easier management. The UMS central management console makes it is straightforward to power on new IGEL OS-powered LG endpoints, set them up in the correct workgroup and then configure each based on the individual needs of the user.

6. Greener IT. Watts says, “Another reason for moving to AVD and using LG Cloud Device thin clients is that our environmental working group has been looking at our on-prem power consumption. Shifting to the cloud helps with our ISO 140001 certification and delivering our net zero carbon strategy.”

Watts concludes, “Our confidence in selling a LG-IGEL OS solution has increased since we have deployed it ourselves. I am delighted to say this has resulted in more sales and a bigger pipeline of opportunities.”