This week we welcome back Ralph Presciutti as our guest blogger. Ralph is a CIO Partner in Tatum
Virtual Desktop Interface (VDI) has been an evolving technology whose time has arrived. Virtual desktops allow the user’s desktop (including all installed software and files) to be decoupled from the physical hardware that it typically runs on.
The user’s desktop is delivered to a variety of different devices that are capable of supporting a web browser – including PCs, tablets, smartphones, etc. The VDI is delivered as a managed service from a central location that can include the enterprise data center or a variety of Cloud environments. Users connect to their desktops over private networks or secure internet connections. Unlike Terminal Server technology that has been around for years, VDIs allow users to build persistent desktops that are customized in whatever way the user would typically customize their own desktops on a their physical machine. Depending on the VDI technology used, VDIs can provide the user’s with all of the functions and features that would typically be installed on their local desktop.
From a technology viewpoint, VDIs allow desktops to be centrally managed and administered. All software updates, patches, scans, etc. can be performed without the need to physically touch the user’s computer. This provides for both better service levels to the user community and the ability to access the complete functionality of your desktop from a variety of system types regardless of location.
From a business viewpoint, VDIs allow for the fast and effective means to make the necessary desktop modifications that are required to implement new projects and add the system functionality that promotes competitive advantage. Additionally, the effort and cost to make desktop changes enterprise wide are greatly reduced in terms of time and dollars.
VDIs can facilitate integration post-acquisition. Tatum recently helped an organization through an acquisition process where users of the acquired company – who were spread across a wide geography – needed to be migrated to the new corporate systems. Typically this would involve the modification of each physical computer – a process that might normally take weeks or months to complete. Using VDIs, users at the acquired company were able to switch to the new corporate desktop within minutes of when the legal paperwork was signed. In this instance it was as simple as having users point their browsers to a new site that delivered their new desktops and all associated functionality. VDI was truly a “game changer” from both a technical and business viewpoint.
