Restoring Business Operations with Managed VDI

Overview

This case study illustrates use of Managed VDI in quickly recovering from the major IT crisis triggered by a CrowdStrike update. The incident caused severe system failures, disrupting operations for organizations worldwide. Anunta’s managed VDI solutions were crucial in rapidly restoring services for all affected clients.

The Challenge

On July 19, 2024, a critical CrowdStrike update resulted in significant system failures impacting Microsoft operating systems globally. The update led to Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) errors and continuous reboots, halting business operations. While CrowdStrike provided workarounds for restoring thousands of systems was still tedious and time consuming, leading to substantial operational disruptions and monetary losses.

The Power of VDI in Crisis Management

VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) platforms and solutions played a crucial role in effectively responding to the crisis. The image-based, centrally managed architecture allowed us to rapidly restore services by rebooting affected virtual desktops, significantly reducing recovery time. For instance, while restoring 1,000 traditional desktops or laptops typically takes about 48-72 hours, VDI can achieve this within a few hours. By leveraging VDI technology, we were able to efficiently overcome challenges and expedite the recovery process, ensuring prompt restoration of operations.

Swift Action to Manage an Unexpected Crisis

Although a VDI solution inherently offers a more efficient way to recover end-user systems, a fully managed VDI solution comes with additional benefits, including continuous monitoring, accelerated response, and broad technical expertise, all of which significantly reduce recovery time.

In this instance, Anunta acted promptly by recognizing the developing crisis, deploying the CrowdStrike workaround for the VDI images, and pushing them across all impacted systems. This approach successfully restored operations for many clients. Recognizing that traditional recovery methods often require physical intervention, we integrated VDI solutions to accelerate resolution. Our approach underscores our capability to manage and resolve unforeseen IT crises effectively.

Optimized Configuration

• Exclusionsand Policies: We configured CrowdStrike policies to exclude specific files, directories, or processes that were known to cause conflicts or excessive resource.
• Performance Tuning: We adjusted performance settings within CrowdStrike to balance security with operational efficiency, including modifications to scan schedules and sensitivity.

Regular Updates and Patches

• Software Updates: We ensured that both the VDI environment and CrowdStrike software were updated to the latest versions to leverage bug fixes, performance enhancements, and improved.
• Patch Management: We established a robust patch management process to keep all components, including the operating system and third-party applications, up-to-date.

  Testing and Validation

• Testing Changes: We conducted comprehensive testing of updates and configuration changes in a controlled environment before full deployment to identify potential.
• User Feedback: We collected and analyzed user feedback to address recurring problems associated with the security software and adjusted configurations.

VDI-Specific Security Practices

• Snapshot and Rollback: We utilized VDI features such as snapshots to quickly revert to a known-good state if updates or changes caused.
• Profile Management: We carefully managed user profiles and settings to prevent corruption or misconfigurations that could lead to system.

OEM Support and Best Practices

• OEM Support: We coordinated with VDI OEMs to ensure rapid recovery of VDI infrastructure servers using snapshots.

The Outcome

Anunta’s effective crisis management and technical expertise ensured that affected clients had their services restored within hours. This rapid response prevented significant financial losses and minimized operational disruptions. Our ability to integrate VDI technology into our recovery strategy was key to this successful outcome.

Customer Testimonials

“I want to share that the Anunta support team did a great job working through the issues we incurred as part of the CrowdStrike issue. Anunta quickly began working with Microsoft to determine the best way to resolve it. They provided frequent updates and were available whenever needed. Great job!”

– Senior Manager, Leading Financial Service Provider, US

“I thank your team (Anunta) for your quick response and assistance during the CrowdStrike issue! Your team (Anunta) quickly and efficiently walked me through the fix to get our VDI systems back up and running. That day, we used the same procedure to get most of our Windows servers back online. Anunta’s support was very timely and helpful!”

– Lead Systems Engineer, Financial Service Provider, US