How virtual desktop infrastructure works
VDI centralizes desktop environments on servers, allowing users to access them from almost any device rather than running operating systems and applications locally.
Here’s how the architecture works:
- Centralized hosting: At the core of VDI is a centralized server environment. These servers may run on-premises in a company’s data center or in cloud infrastructure managed by a cloud provider.
- Hypervisors: VDI platforms rely on a hypervisor, a layer of software that allows multiple virtual machines (VMs) to run on a single physical server.
- Network connection: When a user logs in, they connect to their virtual desktop over the network.
- Access from many device types: One advantage of VDI is that users can access the same desktop environment from multiple device types, including thin clients, laptops, and BYOD devices.
Also, VDI environments typically use one of two desktop models:
- Persistent desktops:
- Each user receives a dedicated virtual machine.
- The desktop environment remains the same between sessions.
- Personal files, applications, and settings persist over time.
-
Non-persistent desktops:
- Users receive a temporary virtual desktop from a shared pool.
- The desktop resets to a standard image after logout.
- Common in environments like call centers, labs, or training facilities.
This distinction is important because the choice between persistent and non-persistent desktops affects both the user experience and how the environment is managed. Organizations typically choose the model that best fits their security, support, and workload requirements.
Key benefits of VDI
VDI offers several operational advantages for IT teams and organizations:
- Centralized management and policy enforcement: Because desktops run on centralized servers, IT teams can manage users, applications, and policies from a single administrative environment. This means fewer manual device configurations, consistent policy enforcement, and improved governance
- Simplified updates and patching: In a VDI environment, OS updates, application patches, and configuration changes can be applied at the server or image level rather than individually on each endpoint.
- Security and zero-trust alignment: Since applications and data remain within the data center or cloud environment, sensitive information does not need to be stored on endpoint devices. Access controls, identity verification, and monitoring can be applied centrally.
- Remote access flexibility: VDI enables users to access their desktop environments from almost any location with an internet connection.
- Reduced endpoint dependency: Because computing workloads run on centralized infrastructure, endpoint devices do not need to handle heavy processing tasks. Users can access their desktops from thin clients, older hardware, or personal devices.
Overall, these advantages show why VDI is often appealing to organizations that need greater control, consistency, and flexibility across distributed users and devices. When implemented well, it can help IT teams streamline administration while giving users secure, reliable access to their desktop environments.
Challenges and considerations of VDI
While Virtual Desktop Infrastructure offers many benefits, there are also practical considerations to keep in mind:
- Network dependency and latency: Because users connect to their desktops over a network, VDI performance depends heavily on reliable connectivity. Network speed, latency, and stability can affect the responsiveness of the virtual desktop.
- Infrastructure cost and maintenance: VDI environments require server infrastructure capable of hosting many virtual desktops simultaneously.
- Storage requirements: Each virtual desktop requires storage for operating systems, applications, and user data. In large deployments, this can lead to substantial storage demands, particularly when using persistent desktops where user environments are saved between sessions.
- Scalability planning: As organizations add more users or workloads, the underlying infrastructure must scale to support additional virtual desktops.
- IT complexity: Deploying and managing VDI typically involves multiple components, including hypervisors, connection brokers, storage systems, networking layers, and identity management services. Integrating and maintaining these systems requires careful configuration and ongoing oversight from IT teams.
These considerations highlight an important reality: VDI can deliver strong flexibility and centralized control, but it also requires careful planning, investment, and ongoing IT support. For many organizations, the value of VDI depends on whether the infrastructure, network, and management resources are in place to support it effectively.
What is a virtual machine (VM)?
A virtual machine (VM) is a software-based computer that runs inside another physical computer. It behaves like a separate system with its own operating system, applications, storage, and settings, even though it shares the underlying hardware.
Studies show that companies that deploy virtualization report increased agility, better operational efficiency, and lower hardware and maintenance costs.
Note: VDIs rely on VMs to deliver desktop environments to users. In a VDI system, each user’s desktop typically runs inside a VM hosted on centralized servers.
VDI vs virtual machines: What’s the difference?
What’s the difference between VDI and virtual machines (VMs)? While these two technologies are related, they serve different purposes.
In simple terms, a VM is a virtual computer, while VDI is a system that delivers many virtual desktops to users using VMs running on servers.
Several practical differences help clarify how they are used in real-world environments:
- Performance: A local virtual machine runs directly on a user’s computer. Because processing occurs locally, performance is predictable and depends mainly on the host machine's capabilities. In contrast, VDI desktops are accessed remotely over a network, meaning performance depends on connectivity.
- Management: With local virtual machines, the user typically manages the VM environment themselves. They install operating systems, configure settings, and keep their devices up to date. Alternatively, IT teams usually centrally manage VDI environments.
- Deployment scope: Virtual machines are often used by individual users for tasks like software testing, running another operating system, or isolating development environments. VDI is typically deployed at the organizational level, where many users need access to standardized desktop environments delivered from centralized infrastructure.
- Cost structure: Local virtualization generally involves software licensing and local hardware resources on the user’s device. VDI deployments often require server infrastructure, storage systems, networking capacity, and centralized management tools.
These differences show that virtual machines and VDI serve distinct needs. Virtual machines are often the better fit for individual flexibility and local control, while VDI is designed for centralized management, standardized access, and larger-scale organizational use.
VDI vs DaaS: Understanding the cloud shift
Organizations are moving more infrastructure to the cloud, with research showing global cloud infrastructure service spend is rapidly increasing. As this happens, many organizations are evaluating Desktop as a Service (DaaS) alongside VDI options.
DaaS is a cloud-based model for delivering virtual desktops. Instead of running desktop infrastructure in a company’s own data center, the desktops are hosted in a public cloud environment and delivered to users over the internet.
It’s different from VDI environments, which are typically deployed in on-premises data centers, with organizations managing their own servers, storage, networking, and virtualization layers.
Choosing the right approach for your organization
Choosing between VDI and virtual machines (VMs) depends on how much isolation you need between environments and how much administrative oversight your organization requires.
The overall difference between the two virtualization options is that a virtual machine is a complete virtualized computing environment, while VDIs involve a network of virtual machines running over a network:
- Individual Mac users who need Windows applications: For individuals who work on a Mac but also need Windows-only applications, local virtualization is often the simplest approach. This setup works well for developers, analysts, students, and professionals who need access to a specific Windows tool without having to switch devices. Solutions like Parallels Desktop provide this type of local virtualization, enabling users to run a Windows VM directly on their Mac while maintaining access to their regular macOS workflow.
- Enterprises delivering remote desktops at scale: Organizations that need to deliver standardized desktop environments to many users typically adopt VDI or DaaS models. For enterprises deploying remote applications or desktops across teams, platforms such as Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) are designed to deliver these centralized environments to users on different devices. For cloud-native delivery, Parallels DaaS is an option.
Some organizations combine both models depending on the workload, using a hybrid approach.
Explore virtual desktop solutions with Parallels
Virtualization technologies can support a wide range of workflows, from individual users running apps locally to organizations delivering full desktop environments from centralized infrastructure.
The main difference between VDI and VMs comes down to how and where the desktop runs:
- Virtual machines (VMs) create isolated computers inside another system.
- Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) uses virtual machines hosted on centralized servers to deliver desktops to many users remotely.
- Desktop as a Service (DaaS) shifts that same model to cloud-hosted infrastructure.
If you’re exploring ways to run Windows applications on a Mac, you can start a free trial of Parallels Desktop to see how local virtualization works in practice.
FAQs
Let’s address some common questions about virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). These FAQs cover the basics, clarify how VDI works, and help explain why organizations use it to deliver desktops and applications more efficiently.
Is VDI the same as a virtual machine?
No. The difference between VDI and VM is that a virtual machine (VM) is a software-based computer that runs inside another system, while Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is a platform that uses virtual machines to deliver desktop environments to users.
What is the difference between VDI and DaaS?
VDI and Desktop as a Service (DaaS) both deliver virtual desktops to users, but they differ in their approaches. VDI environments are typically deployed in an organization’s data center, whereas DaaS shifts infrastructure to the public cloud.
Does VDI require internet access?
VDI requires a network connection because users access their virtual desktops remotely from centralized servers.
Is VDI secure?
VDI can support strong security practices because applications and data remain in a centralized infrastructure rather than being stored on endpoint devices. IT teams can apply centralized access controls, authentication policies, and monitoring tools to manage user activity.
Can Mac users access VDI environments?
Yes. VDI environments are designed to be device-agnostic, meaning users can connect from many endpoint types, including Macs.