Enterprise IT is increasingly resorting to desktop virtualization, but why? Modern employees require unquestioned flexibility in order to do their jobs. Desktop virtualization gives users an entire virtual operating environment on any device, even if that device doesn’t have adequate space or power to run an environment. Essentially, users no longer have to be limited by their physical hardware. Desktop virtualization can also benefit enterprises by lowering the cost of management and boosting utilization. It also reduces energy consumption and replacement and cooling cost—resulting in a much lower cost of ownership and a bigger return on investment.
While there are two main types of desktop virtualization (local vs. remote), large enterprises are embracing the remote option. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (the industry term for remote virtualization, VDI) hosts its operating systems on servers within the data center. Users then experience their virtual environments over the network.
There are a few different deployment models for VDI, and it’s important to know which is best for your customers. You can either host VDI from your own data center or pay a provider to host it for you.
In-house VDI
Bigger enterprises opt for this and it’s currently the most popular virtual desktop service model. That’s because it gives enterprises the ability to centrally manage every aspect of data, hardware and software. The reason SMBs often don’t utilize in-house VDI is because of cost and logistics: setup, deployment and management can be complicated and expensive. And although innovations are constantly being made to make in-house VDI more accessible, it’s still an option mainly used by enterprise-level organizations.
Desktop as a Service (DaaS)
Lower setup cost, smaller server storage requirements and less complexity all make DaaS an attractive alternative to VDI for smaller companies. The virtual desktops of DaaS can be used over both a local network and an internet connection. Newer technologies are making HD content via DaaS possible and expanding what has been a relatively limited user experience compared to VDI. Some companies are distrustful of services they can’t host locally to ensure better security, but new innovations and improvements are also poised to make this a non-issue in the near future.
If you’d like to learn more about virtual desktop infrastructure (including in-house VDI and Desktop as a Service) and how it can help your customers’ business, please contact the virtualization experts at Ingram Micro.