A Comprehensive Overview of Dell vWorkspace

Unified business procedures are a key offering of the cloud revolution, and virtualization plays a key role in unifying business procedures across an organization. The entrance of Dell into the virtualization space speaks volumes about this trend. The recent acquisition of virtualization solutions company Quest by Dell has brought the company into the software space. With virtualization software vWorkspace from Quest combined with hardware offerings from Wyse, Dell’s end-to-end VDI solutions (Dell vWorkspace) provide stiff competition to virtualization tools such as VMware and Citrix.

What is Dell vWorkspace?

Dell vWorkspace is a desktop virtualization solution from Dell that enables businesses to cost-effectively publish virtual desktops and applications to remote users. It provides integrated infrastructure options for businesses of all sizes. A high user-density per server means SMBs as well as large enterprises can take advantage of this virtualization solution to cost-effectively manage virtual networks while benefiting from high performance and multi-device support.

Multitude of Features

Dell vWorkspace 8.5 comes with the expected features such as multi-hypervisor support, tight integration with Hyper-V, support for Windows Server 2012, and Hyper-V Catalyst support. It supports major hypervisors such as VMware ESX, Citrix Xen, Parallels Virtuozzo, and Microsoft Hyper-V, which means MSPs don’t have to force customers into predetermined VDI strategies. It also allows HTML5 browsing to support a range of mobile devices. Dell vWorkspace can be tightly integrated with Hyper-V for a policy-based deployment and configuration, security, and an infrastructure that is easy to manage. Combining the virtualization software with Wyse thin client devices, Dell lowers its virtualization solution cost to under $250 per seat.

Challenges with Dell vWorkspace

While Dell vWorkspace provides a broad range of configuration and connectivity features, configuration of the network is not easy. The automatic provisioning option can sometimes backfire. It assumes that you have already installed a vWorkspace connector to prepare various host systems and that relevant TCP ports in the firewall are open. When you haven’t done this, you receive network failure errors. The same is true for automatic provisioning of virtual desktops for VDI. In short, a standard configuration may not be difficult, but when something fails, it is not easy to manually configure the system. In addition, there is a lack of online help.

How is Parallels Remote Application Server a Better Option?

Parallels Remote Application Server is a comprehensive virtualization solution that enables businesses to cost-effectively publish virtual desktops and applications to remote networks. It provides all the options offered by Dell vWorkspace while resolving the configuration challenges presented by the Dell solution. Parallels Remote Application Server is easy to deploy and configure. By following guided wizards, you can get the system up and running in five minutes. Most of the features come auto-configured. Provisioning of VMs, configuration, and management is pretty simple and straightforward. Moreover, Parallels Remote Application Server offers a higher level of support in case you need any assistance. It supports all major hypervisors, browsers, and a range of thin clients. Most importantly, Parallels Remote Application Server is highly cost-effective.

References

Dell vWorkspace: How it Compares to VDI Competitors | Tech Target

Dell vWorkspace: 8.0 Review | Notebook Review

Dell vWorkspace: Dell Releases “Wyse” vWorkspace 8.5, with HTML5 Clients and Enterprise Scale | Brian Madden

Dell vWorkspace: Dell Wyse vWorkspace 8.5 Announced | Storage Review

Dell vWorkspace: Dell Wyse vWorkspace 8.5 Improves Access, Scale for VDI Deployments | Tom’s IT Pro

Dell vWorkspace: 8.5 Review | Sandbu Blog