Fujitsu turns to Brocade Workflow Composer to enhance its virtual desktop service

Brocade has announced that IT solutions and services giant Fujitsu has successfully deployed Brocade Workflow Composer to enhance the functionality of its virtual desktop-as-a-service (V-DaaS) offering. The network automation platform increases the agility and security of Fujitsu’s V-DaaS operations by aligning the network with IT operations and tool chains. As a result, V-DaaS customers can streamline their digital transformation while increasing business innovation and gaining a competitive advantage.

The initial impetus for the Brocade Workflow Composer deployment stemmed from V-DaaS customer requests for enhanced security, with Fujitsu investigating ways to automate isolation of virtual desktops that have suffered a security incident from the rest of the V-DaaS network. Fujitsu considered a variety of potential solutions, including internal development and third-party software, before selecting Brocade Workflow Composer because it simplifies the automation of cross-domain workflows on the V-DaaS network.

“We are addressing changes in V-DaaS customers’ business environments and requirements with the capability to quickly and flexibly implement new services and functions,” said Narumi Takano, director of Desktop-as-a-Service Business Promotion, Global Managed Infrastructure Service Division, Managed Infrastructure Services Business Unit, Global Services Integration Business, Fujitsu Limited. “Brocade Workflow Composer is a great automation platform for DevOps environments, enhancing the selection of scripts for developers and offering flexible implementation and licensing structures. We were able to implement the virus non-diffusion service with reduced design cycle and cost than initially expected, to offer highly competitive services.”

Brocade Workflow Composer is based on the StackStorm open source project, which provides a streamlined method for apps, services, and workflows to be combined. Thanks to this strong ecosystem of innovation, the product features nearly 2,000 pre-wired integrations for popular cross-domain platforms and technologies. This includes Brocade VDX 6740 switches with software-defined network (SDN) capabilities that form an intelligent fabric at the heart of V-DaaS, giving Fujitsu developers and customers a powerful foundation for event-driven automation.

“IT infrastructure is only as agile as its least agile component,” said Masakazu Aoba, VP of Brocade Japan. “The lack of network automation and the difficulty of fully aligning the network with IT operations and tool chains today is the single biggest inhibitor to an organization’s ability to capitalize on digital transformation. With Brocade Workflow Composer now in place, Fujitsu can fully address these issues and take V-DaaS to the next level, both in terms of operational automation and functional enhancement.”

Fujitsu is now leveraging workflow automation in a number of V-DaaS development initiatives, including:

·Automated recovery of the network once a security-compromised virtual desktop has been isolated

·Automated configuration and recovery of the Brocade VDX 6740 switches

· The expansion of V-DaaS to include a new mobile device service

Because Fujitsu also plans to offer V-DaaS in overseas markets, including Singapore and the US, the company expects to continue its close partnership with Brocade in the design and integration of an automation platform for networking and the cloud.