Lower total cost of ownership of one-net by using thinclient desktop deployment and virtualization-based server technology

Abstract

The U.S. Navy (USN) has a large enterprise network outside the continental U.S. (OCONUS) that is complex and expensive to maintain. The problem addressed by this thesis is to determine which alternative desktop deployment technology is more cost effective over time while maintaining the users' operational requirements. The USN is conducting a technology refresh of its OCONUS navy enterprise network (ONE-NET) with thick-client desktop computers. This thesis proposes an alternative solution using thin-client desktops with data center server virtualization-based technology as a lower cost option. To back up this claim of lower cost, an analysis was carried out to determine the total ownership costs (TCO) of both the current thick-client and proposed thin-client solutions. A cost per seat (CPS) model developed by Naval Network Warfare Command (NNWC) was used to calculate major cost components--labor, hardware, software, and transport, while a VMware tool was used to calculate power and cooling costs for both solutions. In addition, VMware provided a cost estimate for the upfront hardware and software licensing costs needed to support the virtualization support for the thin-clients solution. The conclusion of the TCO comparison is that, for the 27,284 users, the thin-client solution would save $238 million over seven years.