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VDI promises and pitfalls
Virtual desktop infrastructure promises many of the same benefi ts as server
virtualization, but it can rack up hefty initial capital expenses
By Matthew D. Sarrel
There’s no denying that virtualization is a hot topic in enterprise IT, but when it comes to adoption rates, not all types of virtualiza- tion are created equal.
While it would be difficult to think of
an enterprise that hasn’t embraced—
or at least piloted—server
virtualization, the same
cannot be said for desktop
virtualization.
The ROI for server virtualization is well-understood
in terms of consolidation
and better asset utilization.
Some of the same benefits
can be obtained through
VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure), the form of
desktop virtualization that
most closely resembles the
type of server virtualization
enabled by products such as
VMware vSphere and Citrix
XenServer.
In a VDI scenario, desktop
operating systems and applications
run on virtual machines located
on a server, and users access these
machines remotely. Users can run
thin clients to access their virtual
desktops, or they can use full-fledged
Windows, Linux or Mac hardware,
regardless of the operating system
running on the virtual desktop. This
model lets enterprises separate the
OS and apps from the hardware,
increasing flexibility and mobility.
The use of VDI holds great promise
as a way of easing the pain many
enterprises feel while administering
thousands of physical desktops. You
know the pain I’m talking about:
provisioning physical machines,
asset management, hardware and
software configuration management,
installing and patching operating
systems and applications, cleaning
up malware, reimaging—the list goes
on and on. Industry analysts estimate
that these activities cost enterprises
anywhere from $3,000 to $6,000 per
desktop per year. Roughly half of this
cost is borne by IT departments, and
the other half comes in the form of
lost user productivity.
VDI centralizes and standardizes
distributed desktops on servers in the
data center. This has many advantages,
such as reducing the cost of physi-
cal desktop acquisition and mainte-
nance. Typical business applications
will run just as well on VMs (virtual
machines) as they will on physical
desktops. You might consider using
thin clients in public places and for
shared workstations, such as those in
kiosks and call centers.
VDI also provides excellent business
continuity, as “desktops” are available
any time from anywhere. Employees
can easily work at
a remote location
or from home.
Standardizing
desktop config-
urations across
different plat-
forms and devices
minimizes down-
time during per-
iods of potential ser-
vice interruptions.
Increased busi-
ness agility is
another advantage
of VDI. Flexibility
is the name of
the game for busi-
nesses that want to survive this tough
economy. The ability to provision or
relocate a desktop with a single mouse
click opens new opportunities for
businesses. Users can buy whatever
hardware they want and still have
access to the applications they need.
As the desktop environment is
abstracted from the physical devices
on users’ desks, management and
updates become much less resource-
intensive. Estimates indicate that VDI
can reduce desktop TCO by anywhere
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Desktop virtualization, while based on most of the same technologies (such
as vSphere, shown here) as server virtualization, has been slower to take off.
