Teleflora Stakes Reputation on Parallels Virtual Computing Stability and Performance
Company Depends on Parallels for Dramatic Cost Savings and a 99% Reduction in Desktop Crashes
Dallas, TX, August 6, 2009 – Teleflora, the nation’s largest floral delivery network service, has chosen a Parallels virtual computing solution to meet the computing needs of their call centers. In creating an optimized solution, the company has chosen to deploy the Parallels ApplicationServer Enterprise Edition, along with the Parallels ThinClientServer, to optimize employees’ remote access to critical desktop applications. Specifically, the Parallels solution guarantees the efficient operation of Teleflora’s call centers, especially during peak order times, with flawless desktop performance delivered to over 1,100 users in multiple locations.
Jeff Jones is the Systems Architect at Teleflora, and as such, is responsible for ensuring that the company’s desktops can efficiently meet the day-to-day needs of the organization. Due to his limited IT budget, especially in the midst of a recession, Jeff is also responsible for ensuring that Teleflora’s IT goals are met at the lowest possible price, to preserve funds for other uses. To accommodate the needs of his call centers, Jeff chose a Parallels-based thin client solution with his ten 32-bit HP BL460c Blade Servers, along with the VMware ESX 3.5 (VI3) virtualization platform, and was “able to save $120 per machine, simply from one-time licensing cost savings,” a total cost reduction of over $120,000. Teleflora’s Parallels-based solution was thus a “diamond in the rough that fundamentally changed the way we do things,” as it significantly lowered IT costs and reduced the need to purchase additional thin client devices.
Through their Parallels thin client solution, Jeff states that he “can fix virtually any desktop problem by simply rebooting the ThinClient OS from the central server, accomplishing in minutes what used to take hours to repair,” guaranteeing reliable operation during peak order periods. As a result, he explains that he has “been able to reduce desktop crashes by 99% from previous levels, since my team can reboot any failed desktop from a central source.” Call center managers can now drive their teams to aggressively pursue sales, knowing that their technical support team can handle virtually any desktop challenge that might arise; it should thus be no surprise that company satisfaction with call center operations is at an all-time high.
Jeff and his team are confident of Parallels’s ability to continue to provide quality server-based software solutions in the future. He states that Teleflora’s future path should involve an expansion of their remote application publishing capabilities, along with a move to a thin client device-based solution, to take advantage of potential long-term savings opportunities. Even with a transition to thin client devices, Jeff still plans to make Parallels a core component of his solution, stating, “I’m very satisfied with the application publishing and load balancing offered by Parallels, and we’ll need these capabilities in a larger scale with a device-based solution, especially considering the cost-effectiveness and scalability characteristic of the Parallels product line.” He further explains that Parallels products’ simplicity elevates them above competitors, since he “used Citrix for many years, and Parallels’s products’ stability makes them a desirable choice for an operation as demanding as ours.”
Scott Sims, Parallels Business Development Manager, Americas stated that the company was “pleased to offer Teleflora easily manageable solutions to meet the high standards of their demanding call center operations. With centrally managed and published applications, using a thin client-based solution, companies like Teleflora can optimize access to their network. We will continue to offer Jeff and his team the latest in virtual computing software and look forward to meeting their future server-based computing needs with the efficiency and cost savings potential characteristic of Parallels products.”
About Parallels ThinClientServer
The Parallels ThinClientServer allows the conversion of outdated PCs to energy-efficient, cost-effective thin clients, while simultaneously providing centralized thin client management controls. This conversion ends the fat client administration nightmare by allowing all users’ connection settings to be efficiently managed from a central device. Additionally, administrators can use the ThinClientServer to restrict users’ individual accessibility options.
Key features:
- Conversion of existing PCs to thin clients
- Management of user connection settings by user, group or department
- Thin client vendor independence – centrally manage any thin client/PC
- Supports virtually all thin clients and computer hardware
- Limit users to Citrix or Parallels published applications rather than allowing users complete desktop access
- Boot clients via PXE, Hard Disk, CDROM or USB
- Thin client shadowing and auto-login support
Obtaining the Trial Version
Parallels is offering a 120-day trial version of the Parallels ThinClientServer. After the 120-day trial period, users can still use a free version for up to 5 thin clients by registering for the 5-thin client license key on the Parallels website. Download the trial version today.
Teleflora’s solution also relied upon the performance of the Parallels ApplicationServer; for a list of product features, or to download the trial version, please visit: http://www.2x.com/ras/remote-application-server/.
About Parallels
Parallels, formerly 2X Software is a company developing software for the booming server-based computing market. Thin client computing controls spiraling PC management costs, centralizes application and desktop management, improves security and performance and allows users to work remotely. The company’s product line includes: Parallels ThinClientServer, Parallels LoadBalancer for Terminal Services/Citrix, Parallels ApplicationServer for Windows Terminal Services and Parallels VirtualDesktopServer. Parallels is a privately held company with offices in the USA, Germany, UK, Cyprus and Malta. Its management team is backed by years of experience in developing and selling network infrastructure software. Parallels is a Microsoft, IBM and VMware partner. For more information visit: http://www.2x.com/.
About Teleflora
Teleflora is proud to have been connecting customers with the nation’s best florists for more than 70 years. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Teleflora has over 20,000 member florists throughout the U.S. and Canada, with an additional 20,000 affiliated florists outside North America. The company prides itself on delivering flawless customer service to our direct customers and member florists alike. For more information, visit: http://www.teleflora.com
For more information:
Please email Ryan Pope on rp@2x.com
URL: http://www.2x.com