by VDI allows enterprises to centralize administration of desktop operating systems and deliver virtual desktops to users which they can access using any device with an internet connection including personal devices. Using VDI, a company can host desktops virtually instead of having physical PCs. This enables users to access their virtual desktop from anywhere, on any device.
Benefits of VDI
There are several key benefits that VDI brings to enterprises:
Centralized Management and Security
With VDI, IT administrators can centrally manage virtual desktops from a single console. This allows for streamlined administration of security updates, application deployment, and configurations. As the desktops are hosted on centralized servers in a secure data center, it becomes easier to implement security policies and protect sensitive data from threats.
Flexibility and Mobility
Employees gain the freedom to work from anywhere using any internet-enabled device like a laptop, tablet, or smartphone. They can access their personal Virtual Desktop Infrastructure and all their applications from any location. This improves employee productivity and work-life balance. Enterprises also gain flexibility to support BYOD and hybrid work models.
Cost Savings and Efficient Hardware Usage
VDI eliminates the need to purchase, deliver, install and maintain physical PCs for each employee. It optimizes hardware usage by allowing multiple virtual desktops to run on a single physical server. This leads to lower capital and operating costs compared to maintaining physical desktop fleets. Hardware refreshes are simpler since users are accessing desktops hosted remotely in the data center.
Scalability and Business Continuity
VDI infrastructure can be quickly scaled up or down based on changing business needs without investing in new hardware. It also offers better disaster recovery and business continuity capabilities. If a data center failure occurs, virtual desktop environments can be easily restored from backups at alternative locations.
How Does Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Work?
At a high level, a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure deployment consists of four main components – virtualization platform, VDI infrastructure, storage, and client access devices.
Virtualization Platform – This forms the foundation for hosting virtual desktops. Popular platforms include VMware Horizon, Citrix XenDesktop, and Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop.
VDI Infrastructure – This includes servers with powerful processors and graphics cards that run hypervisor software to host multiple virtual machines (VMs). These servers host pools of virtual machines, each with a guest operating system and associated applications.
Storage – High-performance SAN or NAS storage is required to store virtual desktop images, operating systems, applications, and user data. Storage traffic must be optimized to deliver responsive virtual desktop experiences.
Client Access Devices – Users connect to their virtual desktops using any internet-enabled PC, laptop, tablet or thin/zero client through a remote display protocol. Popular access methods include RDP, PCoIP and Blast Extreme.
When users log in, they are assigned to an available virtual desktop from the pool hosted on the servers. Their desktop session, including applications and data, is streamed to their device. Subsequent user interactions are delivered back to the remotely hosted virtual machine.
Key Components in Depth
Virtualization Platform
The virtualization platform forms the core of any VDI deployment and supports the creation and management of virtual machines hosting desktops. VMware Horizon and Citrix XenDesktop are popular enterprise solutions for VDI.
Some key capabilities looked for in virtualization platforms include centralized management, scalability, high performance graphics, dedicated VDI features, fault tolerance, security, application/desktop streaming and more. The hypervisor underneath manages hardware resources and allows safe isolation of virtual machines from each other and the physical host.
VDI Infrastructure
Physical servers with beefy processors, RAM, graphics cards and hypervisor software make up the VDI infrastructure. Popular server form factors for VDI include blade servers and 2U/4U rack servers. Components like chipsets, CPUs and storage controllers are carefully selected based on the number of concurrent VDI sessions to be supported.
Servers are usually clustered or integrated with the virtualization platform for high availability. GPU pass-through or vSGA graphics processing further enhance the virtual desktop experience. For large deployments, dedicated VDI hardware appliances combining servers and storage are also used.
Storage Infrastructure
I/O intensive random access patterns of VDI environments demand high-performance block level storage. All-flash arrays are commonly deployed due to lower latency and greater IOPS compared to HDD arrays. Proper tiering, caching and optimization is required.
Technologies like VMware vSAN, Nimble, Pure Storage FlashBlade help integrate computing and storage into converged infrastructure. Network attached storage filers can also be used with careful tuning. Regular backups and replication ensure data protection and disaster recovery.
Client Access Devices
For accessing virtual desktops, there are generally three types of client devices – personal PCs/laptops, thin clients and zero clients. Full-fledged PCs connect through RDP, Blast Extreme or PCoIP protocol. Thin clients have limited local storage and processing but boot an operating system to connect to virtual desktops.
Zero clients offer the thinnest and most secure endpoint with no internal storage or processors at all. They rely entirely on a remote hosted VDI instance for all OS, application and processing needs. Smartcards, network authentication and encryption maintain security. The right mix of client devices depends on organizational needs.
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is a strategic technology leveraged by modern digital workplaces to deliver desktops virtually while meeting goals around security, mobility, manageability and efficiency. With careful infrastructure design, deployment, integration and optimization, VDI offers unmatched freedom and control for empowering distributed workforces.
*Note:
1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
