Will BYOD Revive The Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Technology?

If you’ve already attempted a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) implementation project for your company and it didn’t go well, worry not. Now “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) is breathing new life into the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Technology.

A survey conducted by the Forrester Research indicates that employees are ready to spend their own money on devices — many have already accepted BYOD trends.  There’s always a reason why they are interested in client virtualization technology, it’s more about the “employee workstyle flexibility” than cost and efficiency.

The study also suggests that If the senior management team of the company anticipates a long-term dependency on the Windows desktop—say, 5 years and beyond, then they might want to consider one of a half-dozen virtual desktop solutions – “For most large organizations, virtualizing Windows applications to support BYOD would be very likely a medium to long-term solution.”

Today i have listed some of the best “Virtual Desktop Infrastructure” or “VDI” vendors:

Citrix XenDesktop  – Citrix XenDesktop enables mobile workstyles by empowering IT to deliver Windows desktops and apps as mobile services. Users can self-select apps from an easy-to-use “store” that is securely accessible from tablets, smartphones, PCs, Macs and thin clients. Only XenDesktop delivers a native touch-optimized experience with HDX high-definition performance over mobile networks. XenDesktop is built on the new Avalon platform that offers simple management, fast deployment, support visibility, and a cloud-ready architecture.

Citrix VDI-in-a-Box – Citrix VDI‑in‑a‑Box makes the benefits of desktop virtualization available to businesses of all sizes. Simple, easy yet affordable, this all-in-one VDI solution has been purpose-built to simplify and streamline virtual desktops—so you get a production-quality solution while instantly lowering your costs and improving security.

TCS Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) – Tata Consultancy Services’s VDI solutions help reduce desktop management costs with the simplification and standardization of server hardware and client access devices. It helps: Reducing the time and effort for new desktop provisioning, Managing the IT security and vulnerability at the desktop level in a distributed and globalized environment, Providing customized solutions to the end customers in place of canned solutions that are less flexible, Maintaining patch compliance for desktop operating systems and applications, Providing secure remote access to outside vendors and contractors.

Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) – Microsoft VDI allows users to seamlessly access their rich and full fidelity Windows environment running in the datacenter, from any device. Microsoft VDI is powered by  Windows Server 2012.

Wipro Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)  – a next generation hosted end user computing solution that will enable IT organisations to deliver a significantly enhanced and productive end user experience to any device, while reducing costs and improving security. The solution is built on Cisco and NetApp FlexPod infrastructure based on Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) technology.

vWorkspace by Quest – With vWorkspace, it’s not one or the other. You can deploy a blended model – pairing the appropriate technologies to users based on their unique needs while keeping the average cost per virtual desktop to a minimum. Take advantage of vWorkspace Hyper-V Catalyst Components in order to deliver significant storage savings and fast provisioning. Load balancing and integrated user-experience monitoring help to ensure the best virtual desktop performance for all of your users—regardless of endpoint device or platform.

VMware Horizon View  – Deliver a personalized high fidelity experience for end-users across sessions and devices. Enable higher availability and agility of desktop services unmatched by traditional PCs while reducing the total cost of desktop ownership up to 50%. End-users can enjoy new levels of productivity and the freedom to access desktops from more devices and locations while giving IT greater policy control.

Tech Mahindra VDI Solution  – Tech Mahindra has a set of comprehensive and cost effective VDI offerings which are at par with the best in the industry. Tech Mahindra’s VDI solution stack is capable of delivering a comprehensive, full-featured VDI experience.

Bottom Line: What’s your current Desktop strategy?