Essential Guide
The ultimate guide to VDI planning
There is no standard VDI deployment. Each one takes on a life of its own depending on key decisions, including the remote display protocol and the underlying infrastructure.
Introduction
From what you have for dinner to where you live, life is full of choices both big and small. VDI planning is the same way.
When thinking about VDI considerations, IT has to decide whether it will host the back-end infrastructure in house or trust a service provider. Then, it has to figure out whether persistent or nonpersistent desktops are the best fit. After that, there's the question of what endpoints users will work with to access their virtual desktops. The decision-making process can be daunting.
This guide takes the pressure off by bringing the key details of VDI planning into one place, including information on remote display protocols and thin clients.
1DaaS vs. VDI-
When to use DaaS vs. VDI
The first decision IT must make when VDI planning is whether or not to go with desktop as a service (DaaS) or VDI. With DaaS, IT picks a service provider that has the infrastructure in place to deliver virtual desktops. Because IT does not have to set up the infrastructure itself, DaaS can lead to significant upfront cost savings. The savings can quickly run out, however, because IT has to continually pay subscription fees to the service provider to use the virtual desktops. IT also sacrifices some level of control with DaaS because it cannot directly manage the infrastructure powering the desktops.
Is DaaS or VDI the best option?
When it comes to desktop virtualization options, some IT departments are looking for DaaS to outshine VDI. With better pricing and flexibility, it may just happen. Continue Reading
What separates DaaS and VDI?
The battle between VDI and DaaS for desktop virtualization supremacy comes down to factors such as management, control, security, performance and cost. Continue Reading
How to make DaaS reach its potential
Planning and constructing a successful DaaS deployment takes work. Get to know the top vendors and considerations before launching a project. Continue Reading
What to look for in a DaaS provider
Before locking into a DaaS provider, IT professionals must understand how DaaS will integrate with back-end systems, as well as how it will affect users and security. Continue Reading
How DaaS actually improves security
IT might fret over whether cloud-hosted desktops can provide confidentiality, integrity and availability, but many DaaS providers offer better security than an on-premises infrastructure. Continue Reading
2HCI for VDI-
Can HCI help with VDI?
If IT forgoes DaaS and builds the back-end infrastructure itself, it also has to decide what hardware to use to power everything. One option is hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI), which brings all the necessary network, compute, storage and virtualization resources into one physical piece of hardware. The obvious benefit here is that everything works in concert because the vendor designed it to do so. As a result, IT has fewer integration challenges to worry about. There are some drawbacks to keep in mind, too. For example, HCI is really only fit for organizations with at least several hundred virtual desktops.
The realities of HCI for VDI
Hyper-converged appliances improve IT management and VDI scalability. Uncover which VDI shops need HCI and how to choose a product. Continue Reading
How HCI fits in the VDI world
HCI takes the pain out of delivering VDI because it reduces the frequency of back-end component issues and makes them easier to resolve. Continue Reading
How much does HCI for VDI really cost?
Before making the leap to purchase HCI to support VDI, IT needs to understand the total cost of ownership. Continue Reading
3Desktop delivery approach-
What's the difference between persistent and nonpersistent desktops?
With the back end set, the next step in the VDI planning process is whether to use persistent or nonpersistent virtual desktops. With persistent virtual desktops, each user has his own specific desktop assigned to him each time he logs in. This enables the user to customize the desktop and essentially treat it the same way he would treat a physical desktop. The problem with persistent desktops is that it takes a lot of storage space to preserve every user's customizations. With nonpersistent desktops, on the other hand, users are randomly assigned a desktop each time they log in. As a result, they can't save any of their settings or customize their desktops. Of course, this means that the desktops require less storage space.
Pick between persistent and nonpersistent desktops
The question of taking a nonpersistent vs. persistent desktop approach to VDI comes down to user needs. Explore the benefits and drawbacks of each method. Continue Reading
Pros and cons of persistent vs. nonpersistent VDI
The differences between nonpersistent and persistent VDI, such as storage and sharing, give IT pros options when looking at VDI deployments. Continue Reading
Bring personalization to nonpersistent VDI
Layering in VDI affords users the opportunity to create personal virtual desktops and provides a backup plan for IT if users make mistakes. Continue Reading
The importance of image management in VDI
To avoid an untenable number of images, IT pros need effective VDI image management tools and techniques. App layering and app virtualization can both help. Continue Reading
4Thin clients-
What thin clients can IT choose from?
Of all the VDI planning considerations for IT, the endpoints from which users access their virtual desktops is one of the most critical because user experience is so important. The market is flush with thin clients -- computer endpoints stripped of many of the components of a full-fledged PC -- for IT to choose from. Google Chromebooks, Raspberry Pis, Dell Wyse thin clients and more all bring something a little different to the table.
A closer look at the VDI thin client market
VDI clients are a user's window into his work. As such, they must perform as well as physical desktops. IT can also turn to thin clients to keep costs down. Continue Reading
The inside scoop on Chromebooks
Chromebook thin client devices are cheap and have plenty of enterprise use cases. Discover how Chromebooks can lighten IT's workload and when they're a good fit for a VDI deployment. Continue Reading
Get a Chromebook remote desktop up and running
One of IT's cheapest options for providing VDI access is a Chromebook remote desktop. Learn how to use a low-cost Chromebook as a thin client. Continue Reading
Raspberry Pi and Chromebooks both have appeal
Cheap Chromebook and Raspberry Pi devices will save organizations money, but they can also simplify endpoint management, improve security and more. Continue Reading
Put Raspberry Pi to work
With Citrix peddling its own version of the Raspberry Pi 3, IT pros should figure out if they have any good use cases for low-cost Raspberry Pi thin clients. Continue Reading
Dell thin clients integrate with Windows 10
Dell's Windows 10 IoT Enterprise thin clients are ahead of the game, enabling IT to unleash all the security and interoperability features in Microsoft's OS. Continue Reading
An overview of Dell's line of thin clients
Dell Wyse thin clients, including the Wyse 3030 and the Wyse 7040, are quality VDI endpoint options. Each boasts some unique features. Continue Reading
5Remote display protocols-
How to get virtual desktops to users
VDI planning is all for naught if IT doesn't have the right remote display protocol to actually transmit the virtual desktops to users. The major players in the VDI market, including Citrix and VMware, offer up remote display protocols. Citrix has HDX and VMware offers Blast Extreme. But the market also has some open source options and third-party players to keep an eye on.
The ins and outs of remote display protocols
A remote display protocol is a key cog in the VDI machine. It is responsible for actually transmitting the images of the virtual desktops to the users. Continue Reading
Remote display protocols 101
IT pros should get more familiar with remote display protocol technologies before they move to virtualized desktops. Continue Reading
The battle for the remote display protocol market
Choosing a remote display protocol used to be a big decision, but Microsoft, Citrix and VMware's protocols all measure up to the demands of today's desktop and application virtualization technologies. Continue Reading
VMware blasts into the remote display protocol realm
Find out why VMware Blast Extreme is a market leader in the remote display protocol world and what situations are best to use it in. Continue Reading
In-depth view of Citrix HDX
HDX is a collection of technologies that serves as Citrix's remote display protocol, enabling IT to deliver virtual desktops and apps to its users. Continue Reading
Remote display protocols go open source
IT can use an open source remote display protocol to keep the costs of VDI moderate, while providing a consistent user experience. Continue Reading
What third-party remote display protocols are out there?
A third-party remote display protocol can offer key features Microsoft's built-in client can't. VDI shops must remember that every option is not created equal. Continue Reading
Start the conversation
0 comments