What is a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure?

A virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) can either be persistent or non-persistent. So what is VDI? It is the technology used to create a virtualized desktop environment on a remote server setup. Virtualization software, called a hypervisor, is installed on a central server, creating the virtual desktops distributed to users and accessed from their devices. As to persistent vs. non-persistent VDI, the former is customized so that the user can log in to the same desktop each time, while non-persistent VDI reverts desktops to their initial state after logout. In this article, we will look at VDI use cases and benefits, its differences from desktop virtualization, how to implement VDI and the challenges in implementation, and how to streamline your VDI with Parallels® Remote Application Server (RAS).

VDI Use Cases

VDI is ideal for the following use cases:

The Benefits of a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

The many benefits of VDI include:

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure vs. Desktop Virtualization

E2EVC 2019 Lisbon - Virtual Desktop InfrastructureAt the start of every year for the past few years, IT analysts predicted it would be the year of VDI. According to an August 2021 report, the VDI market will reach $30 billion by 2026, up from 11.7 billion in 2020.

Organizations are shifting towards VDI due to lower IT costs, centralized management of the IT infrastructure, and the flexibility of allowing employees to access applications and desktops from any device, anywhere. Moreover, user experience is improving with better GPU availability and enhanced functionality.

According to the End User Computing – State of the Union survey, VDI environments with 100K concurrent users have increased from 0.6% in 2018 to 27% in 2021.

VDI no longer requires big budgets, time, and dedicated resources – changes have made it possible for organizations to spend less time, effort, and money setting up the infrastructure.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Implementation  

At the start of every year for the past few years, IT analysts have predicted it would be the year of VDI – which it appears 2019 is!  According to new data, more companies are considering VDI projects than ever before in 2019 (source: TechTarget).   

Organizations are shifting towards VDI due to lower IT costs, centralized management of the IT infrastructure, and the flexibility of allowing employees to access applications and desktops from any device, anywhere. Moreover, user experience is improving with better GPU availability and enhanced functionality.  

According to the End User Computing – State of the Union survey, VDI is also gaining ground because of an increased focus on security. Centralized management (22.79%) is the most important reason to use VDI. In addition, VDI environments with 100K concurrent users have increased from 0.6% in 2018 to 2.2% in 2019. 

VDI no longer requires big budgets, time, and dedicated resources –  changes have made it possible for organizations to spend less time, effort, and money setting up the infrastructure.     

The Challenges of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure  

When setting up your VDI, your IT team may encounter the following challenges:

Parallels RAS Supports Virtual Desktop Infrastructure   

Parallels® RAS provides a centralized management platform to monitor and manage virtual desktop infrastructure networks effortlessly. It provides the flexibility to use both RDS and VDI infrastructures, leveraging the major hypervisors available on the market.  Parallels RAS supports Microsoft Hyper-V, VMware ESXi, and hyperconverged infrastructures such as Nutanix Acropolis, Scale Computing HC3, and HPE.

Parallels RAS is a vendor-independent tool that delivers highly scalable solutions with the same interface and features, regardless of the technology used. Moreover, it automatically generates VMs using customized templates. While it saves administration time, user demand is also effortlessly managed.   

Applications and security updates can be automatically completed on a group of virtual desktops by simply updating the master (or golden) image, saving time, and reducing complexity and repetitive tasks. Parallels RAS is easy to use, manage, and maintain – it is an affordable solution that delivers virtual desktops and applications effectively. 

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