Though centrally executing and managing desktop images offers many benefits to both IT and end-users, the potential impact on the network and other underlying data center infrastructure should not be overlooked. VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure) solutions centralize entire, personalized end-user desktop operating environments so that they can be efficiently accessed, managed, and protected from a single location and delivered via the network. In theory, these solutions allow organizations to reduce operational costs, improve service levels, and satisfy compliance and information security requirements—all while maintaining a seamless end-user computing experience. ESG research respondents reported significant early use of, as well as interest in, VDI technology: 21% of respondents said their organization currently has some form of VDI initiative (in the form of an active production or test implementation. VDI early adopters surveyed by ESG included two network-related issues in the top five challenges they claim to have experienced since deploying the technology. Specifically, 26% of organizations indicated that poor performance (i.e., application response time) has been a problem, while another 25% identified increased network bandwidth requirements as a pain point. Businesses that have deployed VDI for specific use cases are seeing great success. For example:
- One customer ESG interviewed was able to eliminate the need for another data center for outsourced developers in India. Instead, they chose to implement VDI and maintain control of their intellectual property while still keeping the developers productive.
- Another health care organization reduced a lengthy logon process from minutes to seconds. This ultimately equated to turning wasted time into billable time.
VDI is not for every end-user, but it does make a compelling fit for specific roles in an organization. ESG also finds that as VDI is rolled out, users want access from home and remote offices. As you plan your VDI deployments, consider the impact it will have on the LAN and WAN. With that said, we are now seeing successful deployments in the thousands that are delivering great user experience and having minimal impact to the network—you just have to plan for it.
