HUC is a Social Enterprise delivering urgent healthcare services for millions of people across Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Luton, Bedfordshire, West Essex and Peterborough. Their range of easily accessible support includes NHS 111, Primary Care and GP Out of Hours services.

HUC needed to react quickly to COVID-19 lockdown regulations and support remote working for their workforce, who played an essential part in the country’s response to the pandemic. HUC were exploring virtual desktop solutions that would enable their staff to access business resources securely, whilst also offering simple management and deployment capabilities for their IT team.

Bytes’ End User Computing Specialists consulted with HUC to better understand their virtual desktop requirements, before showcasing several solutions and outlining the business and technical benefits of each. Based on this, HUC chose VMware Horizon to manage Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) in Azure, which would enable rapid deployment of Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 across the organisation.

VMware Horizon is an innovative virtual desktop solution enabling users to access business resources securely anywhere, on any device. It has the following benefits:

• Centralised single management hub for on-prem and cloud-based desktops
• Universal brokering for Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD)
• Fast provisioning of virtual desktops using Instant Cloning
• Strong security with True SSO, a seamless sign-in method that supports Active Directory, RSA SecurID, smart cards and more
• Smart Policies that can be customised by user, device and IP address
• A superb user experience with adaptive performance, intensive graphics and browser-based desktop display option

To help HUC implement VMware Horizon and get the most from their new technology, Bytes’ technical specialists held several sessions to configure the solution and ensure successful deployment in Microsoft Azure. Bytes also leveraged their close relationship with VMware for additional support throughout the project.

VMware Horizon provided HUC with a leading-edge remote working solution. Its robust security keeps sensitive data safe, whilst a simple management portal means desktops can be deployed efficiently - ensuring a quick migration to remote working. Seamless integration with WVD added extra functionality, enabling deployment in Azure and rapid rollout of Microsoft services. This project ultimately enabled HUC to maintain business as usual and continue offering essential health services during an unprecedented time.

Bytes’ consultative approach and technical expertise helped HUC to get the right solution for their business requirements. Thanks to the success of this project, HUC intend to continue working with Bytes in the future, with plans to further improve their security posture using Bytes Managed Services.