Background & Client Challenges
A leading Higher Education financing agency in Kenya, responsible for student loan applications, disbursements, customer service, and compliance, required a more efficient and secure ICT environment to support its nationwide operations. The agency deploys staff to Huduma Centres across Kenya to provide citizen services, but the previous workstation-based model presented significant limitations, including:
- Decentralized and hard-to-support ICT systems
- Inconsistent performance due to varied endpoint hardware
- High security risks from distributed local data access
- Escalating operational and maintenance costs
- Service delivery delays affecting students nationwide
To improve efficiency and modernize service delivery, the agency required a secure, scalable, and centrally managed Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solution that would standardize performance across all Huduma Centres in Kenya.
Why the Agency Chose Telenet Solutions Limited
The agency selected Telenet Solutions Limited based on:
- Proven expertise in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and virtualization technologies
- Ability to design secure, centralized, and scalable ICT environments
- Highly certified engineers with extensive experience in enterprise virtualization
- A strong track record of delivering mission-critical infrastructure projects in Kenya
Solution Overview – Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Deployment
Telenet Solutions deployed a centralized VMware Horizon VDI environment, enabling Huduma Centre personnel countrywide to securely access core applications hosted in the Nairobi headquarters Data Centre.
Key VDI Solution Features:
- Centralized virtual desktops hosted in the primary Data Centre
- Secure access channels for distributed Huduma Centre users
- High-performance computing through resource pooling and load balancing
- Standardized virtual desktop experience across all locations
- High-availability architecture for continuous operations
- Identity-based access control with enhanced data and endpoint security
End-User Benefits:
With the new VDI solution, agency staff can now:
- Log in to a standardized virtual desktop from any location
- Access all core applications instantly
- Deliver student services without system performance challenges
- Serve more clients faster and more efficiently
Project Deliverables
Telenet Solutions successfully delivered the full implementation including:
- Decentralized and hard-to-support ICT systems
- Infrastructure assessment and planning
- VDI architecture design & capacity planning
- Deployment, installation, and configuration
- Secure remote connectivity implementation
- System testing & user acceptance testing (UAT)
- Knowledge transfer, documentation & go-live support
Outcomes & Impact
The Virtual Desktop Infrastructure transformation resulted in:
- Uniform service delivery across Kenya
- Faster student service turnaround times
- Enhanced cybersecurity and data protection
- Reduced support and IT management overheads
- High service availability even during endpoint or network issues
- Significant cost savings through reduced hardware upgrades and maintenance
Technologies Used
- VMware Horizon VDI
- VMware vSphere / ESXi Virtualization Platform
- Centralized SAN Storage
- Secure VPN and Access Gateways
