Assess the Environment

Assess the Environment

The data capture process collects key information on users, devices, applications and infrastructure that will be required during subsequent phases of the project.

Data Capture Strategy

There are three main techniques that can be used to collect data:

• Manual - For small organizations, it is possible to capture user and application data by visiting each desktop in person or by connecting remotely. Performance counters can be used to acquire raw user data while the Add / Remove Programs applet in Windows XP or the Programs and Features applet

in Windows 7 and Windows 8 can be used to provide a list of installed applications as well as information on how often they are accessed. 

Most medium and large-sized organizations use an enterprise software deployment (ESD) tool such as Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM). Since the ESD solution is typically the sole method of deploying application packages to workstations, the project team can query the ESD software to identify which applications are assigned to which desktops. However, most ESD solutions do not provide details on application performance requirements, application usage metrics or user installed applications. In addition, significant effort may be required to extrapolate, analyze and document application and desktop information from the ESD tool. 

The problem with the manual approach is that it is difficult to gain a good understanding of each user and application’s performance requirements over time. In addition, the manual approach is very time intensive per desktop making it inappropriate for medium and large-sized organizations. It can also be difficult to query application requirements of mobile users who may spend extended periods of time away from the office.

• Survey - A questionnaire can be created and distributed to each business manager to identify user and application requirements within their departments. Questionnaires are far less time consuming for the project team than the manual approach because the focus is upon the department managers to identify the applications necessary for their employees to complete their jobs. However, it is unlikely that every manager within the organization will complete the questionnaire and a completion ratio of 70% should be considered normal. The results from a questionnaire are typically less accurate than the manual or automated approach. Although less time consuming than the manual approach, considerable effort is still required to extrapolate, analyze and document the results from the returned

questionnaires.

• Automated - There are a variety of automated inventory tools available that allow for a wide range of information to be collected, including applications installed, access frequency, and performance requirements. This data is uploaded to a central database so that reports can be generated across the

entire user and desktop estate. To help reduce the cost and complexity of desktop virtualization projects, Citrix has partnered with Lakeside Software to provide Citrix Project Accelerator users

with a free 60-day license of Lakeside FastTrack. FastTrack is a sophisticated inventory tool that has been developed based on Citrix methodologies, terminology and best practices. An example LakeSide FastTrack report is available from the LakeSide website. An automated inventory tool is a great solution for medium and large-sized organizations; however the centralized infrastructure and agent deployment effort is unlikely to be appropriate for very small organizations due to the time required when compared to the manual method. In addition, some organizations may not allow inventory agents to be installed across the desktop estate or may not have rights to install the agent on user-owned desktops.

Although the automated method is accurate, fast, and does not inconvenience employees, there are a number of business characteristics that automated tools cannot identify. For example, what is the criticality of the user, will the user need to work offline and should access to the application be restricted due to security or licensing restrictions? Therefore, the recommended approach is to use the automated method to identify technical characteristics and a questionnaire to identify the business characteristics. The User Segmentation and Link Apps to Users sections provide detailed information on the user and application characteristics that you will need to collect. Key results from the user data gathering exercise should be documented in the assess spreadsheet.