You might be ready for a virtual desktop

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is an exciting new technological advance that will change the way many companies think about desktops.

VDI hosts traditional workstation operating systems on server hardware. The hosted desktops are installed in isolated virtual machines, and run on an underlying infrastructure that allows hardware sharing to multiple installations.

While VDI is maturing to the point at which companies can begin to use this technology, server-based computing (SBC) is not a new concept.

In the mid-90’s, Citrix developed MetaFrame, which allowed multiple users to logon and execute applications on a single server. The technology behind MetaFrame was MultiWin, which later became the basis for Microsoft’s Terminal Services. Since then, Terminal Services and Citrix Presentation Server (since renamed XenApp) have been the major players in SBC.

As an SBC design, VDI offers benefits over both conventional PCs and traditional SBC solutions.

VDI offers improved manageability, reduced downtime, and a reduction in time spent provisioning new desktops. It reduces operational costs associated with installing applications, deploying desktop images, applying software updates, and troubleshooting end-user issues.

VDI streamlines desktop deployment to new users from hours, or even days, to less than an hour. Besides lowering costs associated with desktop management, VDI has a highly available architecture that reduces downtime from hardware failures. Load-balancing automatically ensures optimal performance on each virtual desktop.

Where VDI especially outshines other Terminal Services-based solutions is in application compatibility and end-user experience.

Most of today’s applications are compatible with workstation operating systems such as Windows XP. With VDI, there are fewer problems installing applications in this environment, and end-users don’t require training, because they’re working in a familiar operating system.

Finally, VDI takes advantage of the architectural design of virtualization -- it isolates the virtual desktop from underlying hardware. This allows you to consolidate more virtual desktops on less hardware, and eliminate underutilized PCs.

A number of companies offer VDI solutions, but the three most visible are VMware, Citrix, and Microsoft.

VMware has been the market leader in virtualization, with its popular Virtual Infrastructure suite, and offers an excellent solution with VMware View. VMware View has a robust connection broker and enterprise features, including linked clones and offline desktops.

Citrix offers the impressive XenDesktop suite, including Provisioning Server, for streaming virtual disks to multiple desktops, and XenApp, the application delivery mechanism.

The newest VDI entry is Microsoft, which has rebranded and expanded its Terminal Services solution with Remote Desktop Services (RDS). Similar to the solutions provided by Citrix and VMware, Microsoft RDS allows the creation of assigned or pools of desktops to users.

VDI has recently matured into a viable alternative to traditional desktops, offering tangible benefits that can bring favorable returns on investments, making VDI’s exciting potential into reality.