Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Examined
There has been rapid growth in virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) implementation in 2014. At the start of every year for the past few years, IT analysts have predicted that that year would be the year of VDI. This prediction was fulfilled in 2012, 2013 and again in 2014. While the complexity in managing VDI environments and the costs associated with it held organizations back, significant improvements in VDI technology, especially in the storage and graphics segment, helped it to increase penetration in 2014. Before 2012, the implementation of virtual desktop infrastructure was only 1.5%, but is expected to reach 15% by the end of 2015, according to a survey conducted by DataCore on the state of virtualization.
Virtual desktop infrastructure enables organizations to host the desktop operating system on a virtual machine that runs on a centralized server. VDI can either be persistent or non-persistent. A persistent VDI allows the user to access the same desktop settings even after logging out of the system. On the other hand, non-persistent VDI wipes off user settings once the user logs out. For a persistent VDI experience, storage has been a concern for businesses. To deliver high performance desktop images to each user, businesses had to spend a lot of money up front. Today, storage technologies have significantly improved, bringing down the cost per user. Also, VDI desktops now have full GPU support, thanks to grid technology. This means that organizations can deliver the same native desktop experience to VM users as well.
The Challenges of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
IT administrators have a tough time assessing the performance levels of a network. When more concurrent users log in, performance suffers. Virtual desktops have to be delivered in batches so that resources are not wasted. While VDI reduces expenses on the client side hardware, the overall management of the infrastructure may become expensive. Businesses have to optimize the infrastructure to cut down costs. It is crucial to deliver high performance to the most demanding users. The flexibility to use popular hypervisors with Windows RDS is another requirement. Businesses need a centralized management system to monitor and manage VMs effectively.
2X RAS to Support the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
2X RAS (Remote Application Server) provides a unified management platform to monitor and manage virtual desktop infrastructure networks effectively. It provides the flexibility to use Windows RDS and VDI along with any hypervisor. Being a vendor-independent tool, 2X RAS 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 effectively managed as well. Applications and security updates can be automatically installed on a group of virtual desktops, saving time and reducing complexity. By enabling full integration with Microsoft Active Directory, 2X RAS effectively handles user environments with a privilege-based access. 2X RAS is easy to install and use.
2X RAS is a cost-effective solution that delivers virtual desktops and applications effectively. Read more.
References
Virtual desktop infrastructure: The State of Virtualization and the Impact of Storage | datacore.com
http://pages.datacore.com/StateofVirtualizationSurvey.html
Virtual desktop infrastructure: The state of the VDI industry in 2014 | computerweekly.com
http://www.computerweekly.com/opinion/The-state-of-the-VDI-industry-in-2014
Organizational Challenges with VDI | blogs.citrix.com
http://blogs.citrix.com/2013/08/29/organizational-challenges-with-vdi/
The Challenges of VDI | gridstore.com
http://www.gridstore.com/challenges-vdi/
Virtual desktop infrastructure | searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com
http://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/definition/virtual-desktop-infrastructure-VDI
