600 to 1,200 User VDI Migration: Enabling Scalable Desktops for a South American Mining Leader

Client Profile    

Our client is a well-known multinational mining company based in South America. With operations spread across remote mining sites, processing facilities, and corporate offices, they rely on a dependable IT setup to keep everything running smoothly — from field operations to transporting mined materials to the port.

Challenges 

The mining company was dealing with a number of serious IT infrastructure issues that were affecting scalability and operational efficiency:

• The existing Citrix VDI struggled to meet growing workforce demands and lacked the flexibility needed for remote employee management and modern mining operations.
• An anticipated increase from 600 to over 1,000 concurrent users would have led to significant performance degradation and operational risks due to infrastructure limitations.
• The company experienced inconsistent application delivery across remote locations and mining sites, leading to lost productivity and higher IT support costs.
• Managing multiple disparate systems made IT operations overly complex, requiring specialized knowledge, increasing maintenance expenses, and reducing overall system reliability.
• As a large mining operation, the firm requires a robust and dependable VDI solution to support 24/7 operations, demanding white-glove service levels with minimal downtime.

Anunta’s Solution 

Anunta designed and implemented a comprehensive VDI modernization plan using advanced virtualization technologies:

• Anunta replaced the outdated Citrix system with a next-generation virtual desktop infrastructure, significantly improving performance, scalability, and dependability for mining operations.
• HPE GreenLake infrastructure with Alletra storage and dHCI was implemented to boost performance and streamline data management.
• HPE DL360 servers with specialized GPU acceleration were integrated to support critical CAD software, data visualization, and graphics-intensive mining applications.
• A single platform was established for centralized application delivery across all mining and remote sites, ensuring a consistent user experience and simpler IT management.
• FSLogix containerization to enhance Office 365 performance, ensuring faster logins and a seamless user experience with Outlook, OneDrive, and Teams.
• Our comprehensive expert services, covering planning, deployment, training, and ongoing support, ensure a seamless transition and peak system performance.
• The infrastructure was specifically designed to seamlessly scale from 600 to over 1,000+ concurrent users while maintaining operational dependability and performance goals.

Key Benefits 

• We achieved significantly improved operational efficiency by reducing system downtime.
• The new infrastructure provides seamless scalability, supporting growth from 600 to over 1,000 users without any performance issues.
• Centralized application delivery led to a 40% reduction in IT support overheads.
• We improved the performance of graphics-intensive mining applications through the implementation of GPU acceleration.
• Platform consolidation has notably simplified overall IT operations.
• Optimized resource utilization resulted in a better total cost of ownership.
• The solution delivered enhanced security and compliance capabilities.

The implemented scalable infrastructure is future-ready, supporting the company’s continued growth.