It is pretty easy to find value statements around this method and Citrix / Vmware are spending millions educating the market on the value of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, or VDI. S0me of the values include, cost reduction, greater reach and agility, storage and license savings while retaining a decent user experience for the knowledge worker. Unfortunately VDI as it stands today, relies on complex infrastructure and multiple and often confusing license requirements.
Desktop virtualization has been around for a long time. Old Lloyd remembers the remote access / remote control methods like carbon copy, PC Anywhere. Citrix entered the game in the late eighties with an OS2 product called Winview. Customers were amazed that you could deliver windows desktop in a multi user platform that required minimal bandwidth. Customers enjoyed the benefits of windows desktop virtualization through the Citrix ICA protocol. This was ground breaking and led to Microsoft's adoption of terminal services leveraging the RDP protocol. AT this point Citrix became a value-add-on for terminal server.
VDI promises a near identical experience to the desktop without the management and refresh costs. But is that what people really need? I for one would greatly benefit from a High Definition remote desktop experience, but I dont think that is necessary to get the job done. I believe 80% of the potential virtual desktop users out there can gain instant benefits from alternative solutions.
So here are some things to consider when you are looking at virtual desktops.
1) Look at the Infrastructure requirements
Obviously a good step. How many components do you need to support the virtual desktop environment. How much bandwidth do you need? How much storage do you need? How many servers do you need for your user population? What are the high availability requirements. The important thing to consider is are you just trading spaces? The industry bloggers and analysts all agree VDI is a good thing, but infrastructure complexity increases acquisition and long term management costs. Therefore business are taking a wait and see attitude given the constraints of the economy.
2) Consider the end user device
Desktop PC refresh is a big driver for virtual desktops. Virtual desktops can extend the life of a device and business looking at devices like thin clients (some priced at under $100), mobile devices, tablets, etc. The use case defines whether the the device is mobile or fixed. The best position is to offer a solution that is agnostic to the device and renders the desktop in the best way possible given your device and location.
3) Consider the location and the bandwidth
Speaking of location, your virtual desktop experience is greatly dependent on your location and available bandwidth. Local virtual desktop deployment enjoy LAN speeds an proximity to the data center. In the wide area network, virtual desktops can experience performance and user experience issues.
4) Consider the Licensing
Licensing is probably the most compelling reason to move to virtual desktop solutions outside of device and system management. If you are deploying Microsoft applications, you typically employ a MS Server licenses, MS Windows desktop licenses, windows application licenses, terminal server licenses, Citrix licenses and virtualization infrastructure licenses. That's a lot of licenses that are typically renewed EVERY year. The fastest route to virtual desktop cost reduction is license reduction. And that does not mean illegal software practices.
5) Consider the expertise required to support
Many business are looking to outsource the virtual desktop projects because it requires a unique skill set of technical skills. It includes Network, Storage, Microsoft, Server, Database, Virtualization and Citrix experience. This is a far cry from the skill set required to support a desktop PC. Look for solutions that reduce complexity and expensive technical talent for ongoing support.
6) Consider the application
The most pervasive virtual desktop today is the actually the browser. One could argue a browser with published links can get the job done for Web Apps. Windows applications are difficult to manage in a virtual environment and therefore require application virtualization providing native application delivery. Citrix and Microsoft have done this for years, yet they continue to suffer the limitations because of the reliance on windows apps. And lets face it windows apps aren't going away anytime soon. But it is time to consider alternatives leveraging emerging web technologies. The ultimate desktop solution must provide embedded apps (native), SaaS /Web Apps and native Windows apps. The business world is slowly migrating to cloud, SaaS and Web 2.0 benefits. AS applications in the cloud become more robust with richer features, the requirement for Windows apps will diminish. If you rely on a browser for delivery, the provider must support wide browser availability regardless of the flavor.
7) Consider Web Desktops. There is an emerging presence of Web Desktops and many are free or very inexpensive. The desktops are designed and built, not licenses. Some use flash and rich web 2.0 objects. This is the future for low cost virtual desktops. Unfortunately very few offerings in this arena are ready for prime time.
8) Get a virtual desktop TODAY at Startforce.Com @ www.startforce.com
This is one of the best web desktop implementations I've seen. Startforce leverages AJAX java script and appears to be faster that a conventional desktop. Startforce uses Citrix (XenApp) and Remote App for windows application delivery, but also has the ability to stitch in web apps including SaaS and cloud services from Google, etc. This desktop meets all my requirements, but may not be for everyone.
9) Weigh the costs
List your costs for desktop refresh, licenses, hardware, networks, storage, support, etc. and span them over a 5 year period. Try to determine your average cost per desktop (status quo) and average cost per desktop virtualized.
10) Take Action
It seems like desktop virtualization projects are stalled for a variety of reasons. There are so many moving parts and integration points. Look for simplicity and avenues to get started and reap the benefits today.
