Five Reasons to Consider VDI in 2016 update from December 2015

When VDI technology was introduced, it may have been a technology before its time. However, the ubiquity of the cloud adds the flexibility, performance and cost savings that organizations were looking for—but didn’t necessarily find—in VDI in the past. Indeed, there are lots of good reasons for evaluating VDI technology now, and lots of companies that are doing just that.

“The global cloud-based VDI market is projected to witness substantial growth over the forecast period owing to increasing need for fast and reliable computing solutions,” states the report “Cloud-based VDI Market Analysis, Market Size, Application, Analysis, Regional Outlook, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2015 to 2022,” from Grand View Research. “The market is poised for growth attributing to the rising need for companies to control their operational expenses. In addition, increasing end-user demand for remote access may catapult demand over the next few years. Evolving end-user computing strategies is also estimated to be an emerging market trend.”

Companies that are on the fence about VDI, or those that don’t have it on their radars at all because of past experiences and/or conceptions, should consider the following five reasons for going the desktop virtualization route, notes Brian Miller, systems architect at professional services and integration company Adapture Technology Group.

1. VDI enhances business continuity and disaster recovery capabilities. “If an entire facility is completely destroyed by a catastrophe, the virtual desktops at that facility can be accessed from a disaster recovery site,” says Miller, a VMware Certified Professional who helped write the Adapture reference architecture for VDI.

2. The technology improves business agility. “VDI makes it possible to deploy thousands of laptops and desktop computers in less time and at a lower cost compared to traditional deployments,” he says. “This can be essential in situations where time-to-market is crucial.”

3. VDI simplifies management. “The virtual machines that make up each virtual desktop are hosted on a centralized server, making it easy for admins to carry out updates, policies and other administrative tasks,” notes Miller.

4.  Virtual desktop infrastructure increases employee satisfaction and productivity. “A virtual desktop’s user interface and layout doesn’t change,” he says. “Thus, the end user won’t have to struggle with a steep learning curve whenever he or she is forced to use a backup device. “

5. VDI reduces end user downtime. “When a device fails to load, there’s no need for the user to wait until it gets repaired,” says Miller. “The virtual desktop can be accessed from any backup device remotely, so the user can resume work right away.

VDI isn’t the right technology solution for every company, but it’s one that companies today—challenged by rising costs, constant change and end users’ expectations for anytime/anywhere computing--should be watching.

This content is underwritten by HPE, NVIDIA and VMWare