Updated on August 14, 2019 by Rick Emlet
In the grand scheme of things, virtual desktop infrastructure (otherwise known as a VDI) is actually a relatively “old” IT concept. Indeed, the technology in its current form has been around since at least 2006 – but in reality far longer than that, depending on how strict you are with the definition of “VDI”.
However, it’s also a concept that has recently come back into vogue in a big way, especially in the wake of Amazon Web Services’ Workspace and Microsoft’s Azure VDI solutions – both of which allow large and small organizations alike to leverage all of the latest cloud benefits. In essence, VDI technology has leveled the IT playing field, allowing smaller businesses to compete with the big boys not by way of the size of their budget, but through the innovation and creativity that VDIs have become known for.
It’s that last idea in particular that has turned virtual desktop infrastructure into a genuine revolution – and it’s one that is worth paying attention to for a number of key reasons.
What is a VDI? Breaking Things Down
On the surface, a virtual desktop infrastructure looks the same and even performs the same as a traditional PC or laptop computer. That larger appearance, however, is where the similarities begin and end.
Instead of the apps and data that businesses rely on being housed on the computer itself, they’re stored on a remote server in a data center somewhere. That information is then “served” to the end user via an active Internet connection.
In other words, it’s an opportunity to access the same data and other assets from any device on the planet with an Internet connection. At that point, the actual physical hardware side of the conversation more or less becomes irrelevant. Every computer essentially becomes your “work computer” and you can be just as productive halfway around the world in an airport lounge on vacation as you can be in the comfort of your own office.
But even going beyond the productivity gains, VDI’s help businesses in a variety of additional ways over traditional desktop environments, as well. Updating and patching is far easier, for example, as you don’t have to worry about making sure that every last piece of software on every machine in your enterprise is updated to the most recent version. The application and OS management is all handled at the data center level, meaning that once the servers are upgraded or modified, the changes are seamlessly deployed to all VDI’s in the enterprise environment. This alone results in significant benefits, as IT support and labor are traditionally two of the biggest cost factors that most businesses have to deal with.
Unlocking the Full Might of the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
This level of standardization may seem straightforward – but when you’re a small business looking to compete with a much larger company, the potential ramifications are as significant as they are plentiful.
Perhaps the major advantage of the virtual desktop infrastructure – and the one cloud services providers like Outer Edge Technology help companies leverage – is one of standardization. Consider the example of an office of three people, all of whom bought desktop computers at three completely different times. Not only are they likely set up and maintained in three different ways, but they may have three totally different sets of software running between them.
In order to support these unique machines, in-house IT personnel must be intimately familiar with each desktop. At that point, every task becomes three tasks at a minimum, instead of one in a VDI environment. Every problem becomes three problems, as all work essentially needs to be recreated time and again across the different devices.
Now, imagine how time-consuming (and ultimately costly) those same processes become if you’re talking about an office with 30 people… or three hundred.
With virtual desktop infrastructures, on the other hand, everything is much easier to support (and control) because you’re able to develop enterprise-wide standards. You can instantly give everyone access to the latest software, making sure that they always have the tools necessary to compete. You can fix a problem once and make sure that it doesn’t impact the entire group, or create a ripple effect that you couldn’t predict.
This also makes it much easier to mitigate risk from things like theft and to manage and protect trade secrets, too. If your infrastructure is standardized, so is security – meaning that you’ll have a much easier time controlling access to data and other important information if it doesn’t physically exist on many hard drives and is instead remotely accessed through a data center. And, when an employee leaves the company, access to company data can be turned off instantaneously by the company since the employee’s devices do not house any data.
All of this doesn’t just save money and effort. It also frees up the valuable time of your in-house IT people so that they can finally devote the maximum amount of their attention to moving your business forward, which is exactly how things should have been going all along.
Contact Outer Edge Technology Today
At Outer Edge Technology, we believe in the power and efficiencies that a virtual desktop infrastructure can bring to the table for an organization like yours. Indeed, trends like this are why we’ve made it a priority to help businesses design, build and manage the technology solutions which best align with their unique requirements for over a decade. We have a wealth of deep, enterprise level experience and expertise that we are able to leverage to YOUR advantage – and give you a competitive edge whenever we have the opportunity to do so.
If you’d like to find out more information about the major benefits that virtual desktop infrastructures have to offer, or if you’d like to discuss the specifics of your own situation with someone in more detail, please don’t delay – contact Outer Edge Technology today by calling 1-844-OET-EDGE or emailing info@OuterEdge.biz.
