Should You Move to Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)?

Due to the pandemic year 2020, almost all businesses and companies had increased work from home or remote working in all sectors, be it government or private. Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) gives users access to work from any digital device with a cloud-based server. 

 

Virtual desktop infrastructure gives an advanced working environment to users besides the old and traditional work culture, where you have a desktop operating system. This technology was first made known by VMware company. The VDI Windows-based is the commonly used workload, and Linux is also an option for virtual desktops. 

 

The virtual desktop copy transmits to a network on any particular mobile device that provides the user interaction with the operating system and applications. The endpoint device can be a personal computer, laptop, or any mobile device.

 

The user then connects to the virtual desktop, and then it becomes the primary center and, it appears as a local workstation to the user. As per the requirement of the user, they can select any application and start working on it. 

 

Working of VDI

 

The operating system -

 

Earlier, they say that VDI means, virtualized workstation operating system assigned to a single user. Virtual desktop operating systems represented to users are available with a 1:1 ratio or 1:many users, i.e., multiple-users. So, in this, a single virtual desktop gets a single user, and a large number of virtual desktops get a single operating system.

 

The display protocol - 

 

The display protocol takes care of the display, and multimedia competency special features, along with the functionality of every protocol. The display protocol provides the best user experience to the user by minimizing and compressing the data broadcasting. 

 

The requirement for VDI -

 

The generic requirement for VDI is the availability of a computing device to the user, and it is usually a desktop or virtual machine. According to the need for VDI, virtual machines get set up. Storing the data on a virtual desktop is the most costly side of VDI, as there is a specific space allotted to every virtual machine. In this manner, you have to take care of the storage requirement to ensure that your storage should not exceed the limit. 

 

Why is VDI needed?

 

VDI provides many benefits to the customer, like customer flexibility, ease of access, secured environment, and user portability. Earlier, its high-performance concerns make it costly and assertive for legacy systems, which become a barrier for various businesses. The advanced technology leads to the adaptation of hyper-converged infrastructure that gives scalability solutions and a high-performance virtual machine with cost-effective management. 

 

Benefits of VDI -

 

As the VDI process is a complex one and it’s not exactly the suitable choice for every business. However, it gives numerous benefits to the companies that are using it. Advantages are as follow:

 

Remote access -

 

The VDI users can access the virtual desktop from anywhere. The users will have remote access to all the data and records while working from anywhere. 

 

Cost-effective -

 

The computing takes place on the server, so the need for hardware equipment for virtual machines is much lower. Customers can use their old desktops, tablets, mobile phones to save high prices on hardware systems. 

 

Secure -

 

VDI ensures data security, as the data and critical records are safe on cloud-based servers. These servers safeguard the records and sensitive information so, if any data is stolen or compromised, you can retrieve the entire data and continue with your work.

 

Centralized servers -

 

IT teams get the ease of patching, updating, and configuring the virtual desktops with a centralized server. 

 

Usage of VDI 

 

There are three main areas where VDI is suitable and essential :

 

Anywhere access - increased number of remote workers in work culture making companies use VDI on a large scale. The easy setup of virtual machines and gets updated from the centralized server. 

 

The ease of access with any device - VDI provides employees a work environment where they can easily access and start their work on any device hassle-free. They can access through any device like a computer, tablet, or mobile phone. 

 

Shift-based work - the non-persistent VDI environment applies to those companies where numerous employees perform limited tasks on the same software in shifts.

 

Implementation of VDI 

 

As the work from home environment increases, most companies are implementing VDI technology for better and secure access to work from remote areas. Here are some vital requirement for implementing VDI -

 

Make your network scalable - VDI performance based on network performance. You require an effective network to handle the scalability of work in the peak timings, and also network capacity assurance is essential according to the rise in demand. 

Appropriate planning - you should plan appropriately for the capacity of your resources. You can use a performance monitoring tool to check the consumption of your assets.

Proper understanding of your user requirements - you should take care and plan according to the users. Some users need virtual machines for intensive application software, and some require only the internet for fewer simple applications. 

Proper testing requirement - some VDI services allow testing tools for a mock test before implementing VDI. A streamlined process needs to ensure your available resources can successfully perform. 

 

Disadvantages of VDI

 

Below are some possible disadvantages of VDI :

 

Unsatisfactory experience leads to failure -
 

VDI is a complex process, and without proper training and knowledge to the employees can lead to confusion with the access of two desktops. It can cause poor user experience, and the VDI project may fail.

 

Internet connectivity constraint - 

 

Although internet connectivity in the world is improving, there are still some places with limited or no internet access. It is impossible to connect virtual desktops without an internet connection. It can cause the failure of the project as users can’t connect to their systems. 

 

Additional IT support -

 

For VDI implementation and maintenance of highly qualified IT professionals, regular training and advancement are difficult. If companies take new projects, they need to recruit more IT professionals for project guidance and initial implementation. 

 

Conclusion 

 

VDI is the new opportunity and world of new possibilities. With every technological advancement, VDI is a proper way of using and implementing use cases. 

It makes the business owners happy and provides a new working environment in remote areas with secure access. It gives leverage to the employee’s work from anywhere with any device like PC, tablet, or mobile phone.