The Anunta Technology Dossier. VDI is not one size fits all. Authored by: Sivakumar Ramamurthy, SVP, Operations, Anunta Tech.

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1 The Anunta Technology Dossier VDI is not one size fits all Authored by: Sivakumar Ramamurthy, SVP, Operations, Anunta Tech.

2 VDI is not one size fits all Desktop virtualization is increasingly seen today as a way of implementing a secure, highly available, cost effective end-user desktop infrastructure. With end-user desktops hosted on a centralized server, a consistent end-user application experience can be ensured, while making sure that security implications at client side are handled centrally, in a more effective way. It offers a solution to many issues that organizations face with their end-user desktop infrastructure. With virtual desktops, images of user desktops can be hosted and maintained on a centralized server with the same being beamed across the network onto user desktops. This immediately brings down costs associated with frequent hardware refreshes as any changes in terms of performance requirements can be handled on the server side. Virtualization also brings in the ability to provide the user desktop on a variety of client devices such as desktops, thin clients, tablet PCs and smart phones, further reducing the investments associated with enterprise mobile devices and making it easier to implement the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy that many organisations are moving towards. Anunta Take: Desktop virtualization can help you create a low OPEX standardized desktop infrastructure which lets you ensure a consistent user experience while giving maximum control over the access and usage of desktops by end users. Additionally, security implications are minimized with VDI since the chances of data loss or theft reduces with all data being hosted on the server and access control can be monitored and exercised centrally. Lastly, energy consumption is also brought down as thin clients use very little processing power and therefore have lower power and cooling requirements. Thus, a certain level of standardization can be achieved at the client side and end-user application performance requirements can better managed centrally at the server side.

3 VDI: Taking a tailored approach Given the benefits, you would expect organisations to rush into embracing VDI. However that has not been the case. In fact, the refrain that one hears more commonly is, We examined VDI but the business case did not justify it. A closer examination of most of these cases shows that organisations have often approached VDI as a solution to be implemented across the board. However, the approach might not be entirely appropriate, as application requirements and end-user functionality may vary between users. For instance, an organization could be divided into these three primary subsets: Task users: These users have a standard set of application and usage requirements which do not vary frequently. For instance, users performing back office activity such as accounts and payroll typically use applications designated for the purpose. Their application performance requirements do not change drastically and frequently. These users can access their desktops through thin clients. The desktop at the server side can be an image with virtualization further implemented at an application level. It would be more cost-effective to virtualize certain applications (Application Streaming) than provide each user individual virtual desktops. Power users: There will also be a certain set of users who use applications that require a lot of data crunching, for instance, online trading applications. These have high requirements, in terms of performance, bandwidth and availability. There is also that section of users involved in application development that need different system environments to work with. It would be a good practice to allocate a dedicated virtual desktop image to each of these users to work with. Application performance requirements for each user can then be handled at a macro level, by provisioning resources at the server side and assigning them to each virtual machine as per the requirement. Mobile users: These users can be the on-field employees, such as sales force, engineering teams or factory floor staff, travelling corporate employees. The application performance requirements may vary as well as the endpoint will also differ fort his user type. Virtual desktops can be delivered with various mobile devices like IPAD, Ultra books, Tablets etc for these type of users. Strong connectivity is key to a consistent virtual desktop experience for this set of users. The lack of it, will call for devices with a local desktop-like environment with processing and storage capabilities which can be used in offline mode and later be synchronised with the user s desktop image hosted on the VDI.

4 VDI: Taking a tailored approach This however negates the premise of data security that a virtual desktop offers. In the offline mode, data is stored locally on the end user device, and is therefore susceptible to loss or theft. This is a trade off that organizations would need to weigh-in when deploying virtual desktops for mobile devices. Having said that, there are technologies available in the market that allow protection of stored data through approaches such as data encryption. While the above are typical user patterns, there will be instances when the user definition changes such that he falls under any or all of the above categories. Let us consider a media professional working on digital effects, visualizations and special effects. There will be times wherein he needs the desktop for running performance intensive video editing applications, and others where he is working on non resource-intensive tasks such as an activity spreadsheet, or running the video editing application at a remote location on his laptop. It would then be necessary to provide a desktop experience which can (unknown to the user) scale according to his needs and offer a consistent experience, regardless of the nature of the user s device. In conclusion: It is necessary to first have a clear mapping of who the end-user is, what are his application usage patterns, and the corresponding application performance requirements. Application performance and the end-user experience will determine the client device, and it may not be a good idea to go with thin client based VDI for all end-user desktop requirements. Anunta Take: To implement VDI effectively, you need to clearly map who will use the desktop, how will he access it, and what will be his application requirements. A segmented approach to your taskforce for IT implementation will allow for an effective deployment and implementation of VDI and maximise your ROI on IT. Moving a user group with intensive application performance requirements to a thin client based VDI will be a good practice, while a further level of granularity will be required when setting up enterprise desktop access for mobile users. VDI can bring the benefits it promises, and effective business cases will result if it is implemented taking in consideration the end-user requirement and experience.

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