Virtual Desktop – Required Elements for a Successful Implementation

What is VDI?

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) refers to the delivery of end-user desktop environments through centralized virtualization infrastructure.  Individual desktops are hosted on one or more servers as virtual machines, and consumed via a thin-client, kiosk, mobile device, or existing desktop hardware.

What is the value of VDI?

1. VDI can be an effective way to drive benefits for both end-users and IT administrators, including:

• Mobility – Your desktop anywhere, any time, any device
• Security – Increased physical and logical security of data
• Manageability – Consistent, centrally administered policies and service-levels
• Flexibility – Quickly spin-up test/dev environments
• OPEX savings – Reduce operating expenses through shared infrastructure and improved manageability

2. VDI is a great use-case for Simplivity Hyperconvergence

• Low latency and high performance, even during periods of peak demand
• High density of desktops per node
• Linear and granular scalability of x86 building blocks
• Rapid deployment of new virtual desktops
• Simplified infrastructure and management (lower OPEX)

Do you need the following capabilities?

• Ability to start small and scale to match demand
• Predictable performance during peak demand periods
• Favorable price vs. performance ratio
• Rapid deployment of new desktops
• High density of desktops per CPU core
• Refresh of existing legacy infrastructure
• Consolidate more desktops onto a smaller IT footprint
• Reduce operating expenses and management overhead
• Infrastructure consolidation project where VDI is part of a mixed workload
• High sensitivity to data protection for VDI management servers and persistent desktops
  
  

What about the User experience:

The success or failure of a VDI project often hinges on user adoption.  If users are plagued by constant delays, outages, data loss, or interruptions, they are likely to reject the solution and leave the organization stuck with a costly investment and little to show for it. Relevant factors for user experience include:

• Desktop performance – Especially during periods of peak demand (e.g. login storms and boot storms) when the infrastructure is flooded with traffic.
• Speed of desktop provisioning – Ability to provision desktops quickly in order to meet additional demand.
• Speed of infrastructure deployment – Ability to rapidly scale the infrastructure in order to meet additional demand.
• Resiliency against downtime – Downtime and data loss can impair the user experience and disrupt business operations

And Total Cost and Return on Investment: 

If the cost to deliver an adequate user experience is far beyond the expected returns, the project is likely to be considered a failure because of a lack of ROI. Factors that contribute to ROI include:

• Cost per desktop – A product of the overall solution cost and the density of desktops that can be supported by the solution.
• Aligning IT investment with demand – Avoiding overprovisioning by paying only for the resources you need, when you need them.
• Operational efficiency and TCO – Ability to lower total cost of ownership by saving on operational costs like time, labor, and ongoing hosting costs.

Consider Project risk and complexity: