We’ve seen a substantial evolution around virtualization technologies, including better resource controls, better user optimizations, and even better economics around content delivery. Cloud computing and VDI have been powerful drivers behind these improvements. The types of efficiencies we can create with a flexible virtual desktop ecosystem have created a number of new use cases and business strategies for organizations across all verticals.
Still, before any environment jumps on either the cloud or VDI bandwagon, it’s critical to make sure there is a solid value proposition for your company. Begin by doing some of your own research and speak with outside experts to see if there is a fit.
With that in mind, expanding VDI into the cloud can make a positive difference in the right environment. Today, VDI has helped a number of organizations overcome two big challenges:
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Aging physical hardware components (desktops and end-points). This is where the resurgence of VDI is taking place. In the past, purchasing new end-points was a no-brainer as hardware began to wear down. Today, there are many more choices when it comes to user mobility, content delivery and virtualization. Companies need a much more versatile platform today.
Solution: VDI allows for the complete abstraction of the physical device. In the data center, server, blade, GPU, and virtualization technologies all work together to bring the best possible user experience regardless of hardware. The employee can use whichever device makes them most productive. For the IT administrator, VDI delivers a centralized delivery methodology, which offers the ultimate flexibility in both device choice and control. VDI combined with cloud architecture simplifies life for IT and gives employees more freedom in how they work.
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Dealing with OS end-of-life. Maybe your operating system is starting to show its age or perhaps it is approaching end-of-life. You can deploy a number of new end-points with new standalone operating systems, although the migration can prove costly in terms of new hardware, training, compatibility testing with legacy applications, and so on.
Solution: Today, IT organizations can use VDI and cloud infrastructure to create a highly agile, software-driven environment while also mitigating the operating system EOL headache. A smart strategy is to move to a virtual desktop environment using hosted applications with powerful graphics optimization options and delivered in a hybrid cloud environment. This scenario allows a user to sign into a PC at an office and begin working on a Word document. That same user can then move to another office or location and launch the same session to continue working on the same Word document. Finally, while working remotely on an iPad, the user can connect to a private cloud, which will then allow him to resume his session on a Windows 10 desktop. By using VDI and the cloud, IT can bring a seamless user experience to their workforce while allowing for faster IT innovation.
VDI and cloud deployment is changing the way we look at content and workload delivery. Even better, VDI and cloud technologies can greatly improve the economics around your entire data center.
Underwritten by HP,E NVIDIA, and VMware
