Pub. 6 2011-2012 Issue 1

www.nebankers.org 18 Extraordinary Service for Extraordinary Members. Q Top Benefits — continued Chris Sutherland is a network engineer, advanced, at Matrix Network Services offered by Gladiator Technology, a solution provided by the ProfitStars® division of Jack Henry & Associates Inc. (JHA). Reach Sutherland at csutherland@jackhenry.com . respond to market changes with dy- namic resource management, faster server provisioning, and improved desktop application deployment. Banks need to be able to change software and add new products in a reasonable timeframe. With a virtual server in- frastructure, they can do this without having to find new hardware, order it, and wait on having it shipped to the bank. If you have the growth room in your setup, you can configure and test without having to wait for equipment.  Improve Desktop Management and Security Virtualization provides environ- ments that users can access locally or remotely, with or without a network connection on almost any standard desktop, laptop, or tablet PC or device. With desktop virtualization, banks can secure and manage desktops from one centralized location. Using simple management tools, all desktops can be configured the same and the data is stored at a data center to help en- sure that security and backup policy requirements are upheld. Getting Started Banks that are interested in get- ting started with virtualization should begin the process with discovery and planning. It’s important to analyze the current operating environment and use that information to decide how and where virtualization should be utilized. • Discovery – First, take inventory of your entire environment, including servers, workstations, and switches. Monitor the performance of your en- vironment, which includes building a history of performance for servers, diagramming what each worksta- tion needs physically, and tracking performance of bandwidth locally on wide-area networks. • Planning – Review your discovery documentation, and determine what elements of your environment are good candidates for virtualization. Determine your future needs in ar- eas such as management, disaster recovery, and cost savings. Make sure you’re working with a trusted and proven vendor that is experienced with evaluating and implementing virtualized environments. Look for a vendor that offers custom network solutions and consultation that support virtualization, server con- solidation, storage, communications, conversions, and migrations. Server virtualization can generate significant cost-saving and time-saving benefits to banks. If you haven’t re- searched how this operational en- hancement can help your bank save money, improve disaster recovery, and simplify day-to-day processes, there’s never been a better time than right now. Around the world, companies of all sizes are benefiting from virtualiza- tion—don’t be left behind! Z It ’ s Time to Stand Apart . Nebraska’s bankers know that to stand apart is to build strength. Now is the time to leverage that power. We’re here to stand with you. www.woodsaitken.com L I N C O L N OM A H A