Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Infrastructure of virtual desktops As well as why to implement VDI? TADetails

What is VDI

Traditional approach to use of IT services in the organization means their placement on the highly reliable and protected servers in DPC and access to them with the PC of users. Often user PC appears the weakest link. It led to emergence of the terminal services allowing to centralize a working environment of the user in DPC and to provide access to it using the terminal client from corporate network, or on the Internet. However terminal services had a number of restrictions, for example, the impossibility of creation of completely isolated environment and VDI technology (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure — "infrastructure of virtual workstations") was natural development of these solutions, having allowed to lift the majority of limits. If to speak a simple language about VDI — that is virtualization of a workplace and placement it in DPC with providing flexible and centralized operation.

Unlike services of terminals, in similar infrastructure each user gets access to the personal desktop PC from any authorized device, thereby increasing flexibility of a desktop system. IT departments can use all complex of advantages of centralization, including centralized operation by workloads of desktop PCs and ensuring continuity of business.

One of main advantages of VDI is significant increasing the level of security of corporate data. Certainly, VDI not absolute medicine, but in comparison with traditional PCs is a big step forward. Management of the park of virtual work places is significantly simpler and more convenient — the head of department of computer systems of the Center of engineering competences of Technoserv company Roman Bobryshev explains. — And what is important, today application of VDI allows to reduce housekeeping overheads of the user jobs.

VDI also provides easier backup. Administrators can block an image and prohibit use of external devices. With the images and data which are stored in a server framework, backup can be executed is centralized on servers or storage devices, but not on client computers.

Process of distribution of patches and updates becomes simpler as you need to update only an image, but not each physical computer. Besides, you can use desktops on different platforms and devices: from desktop PCs to thin clients and the mobile^[1].

After VDI is implemented, all customer needs come down to remote connection of a desktop.

Why it became profitable to implement VDI

VDI offers numerous advantages, generally in the form of the simplified control of computers and reduction of equipment costs. It, in turn, can lead to decrease in capital costs and operating costs. At the correct implementation, some organizations report that VDI reduced the cost of each workplace for value to 40%.

As it was already mentioned, the basic reason of low demand of VDI in last years is a high cost of ownership in comparison with traditional PCs. This factor in most cases outweighed all potential technology benefits of this solution.

However, for last years the situation in the market considerably changed: significantly the computing power of the standard server grew, the cost of high-speed solid state drives fell considerably, and emergence of hyper convergent solutions allowed to refuse use of the traditional DWH making a considerable part of costs. All this led to increase in density of placement of virtual machines on the server and to decrease in specific cost of a workplace to competitive indicators" — Roman Bobryshev notes. — It is possible to refer significant increase in readiness of infrastructure of customers to number of the other factors promoting implementation of VDI in general — it concerns also the increased capacity of communication channels and other level of a maturity regarding management of IT services and data. Here it would be desirable to pay attention that at clear technology advantages and less explicit financial, the companies often make mistakes in calculations, independently being engaged in the analysis of expediency of implementation of VDI solutions. For example, disregarding some technology features or possibilities of flexible licensing of different solutions. It is that case when it is worth addressing specialists with wide experience of such analysis and calculations.

Some organizations accepted VDI for increase in flexibility for end users. It not necessarily means economy of means. If your enterprise should react quickly to changes in business, such as creation of branch or quickly to change a location in case of emergency emergence, then use of VDI can be the good choice.

What business will suit VDI?

Speaking about optimal scenarios of implementation, it is rather difficult to select any industry specifics. Generalizing, one may say, that VDI is ideal for the companies with a large number of jobs of office type, such as contact centers, educational classes and the enterprises where many workers carry out similar tasks with the standard set of applications.

As one of the most striking examples of the last time it is possible to give implementation by Technoserv of VDI in the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation where the project is implemented in several stages. At the moment virtual infrastructure for 5 thousand jobs, and in plans expansion to 10 thousand and is created further. It is possible to note the increased interest in VDI from the companies of the financial sector and retail. However it would be incorrect to limit applicability of VDI only to office tasks.

Thanks to intensive development of technologies, for example, such as Nvidia vGPU allowing to ensure a full-fledged work with CADCAM//PLM systems many design offices paid attention to VDI. It is possible to speak with confidence that recently the technology became very relevant for the industry — Roman Bobryshev gives an example.

Success of VDI requires adequate networks, servers and storage systems

Kind of well the concept of VDI, it not without some reefs did not sound. How many times you spoke by phone and heard the answer from service of clients: "Sorry, I have a problem of access to your records. My computer slowly works today"?

The main problems with VDI include network transmission capacity, power of the server and adequate storage. Users of VDI cannot work in a standalone mode, and they will not be able to perform the work if the network or the server are unavailable. The IT service should provide fast network or WAN connection to provide virtual desktops and data to clients in real time, and servers should be able to march in step. Some organizations also need high capacity for placement of the images necessary for VDI if users demand numerous options of the user desktops.

Creation of the infrastructure necessary for support of VDI if it is absent so far, can be the expensive procedure and it needs to be taken into account at initial planning of any implementation of VDI. One more element — the cost of licenses of client access to virtual desktops which can cost from $25 to $100 for a workplace, depending on the producer and the selected solution.

Nevertheless, the exception of duplication of data can pass a long way in the direction of reduction of requirements to storage, as a rule, for 70 and more percent. It also does more viable use of solid state drives (SSD) for VDI images. While solid state drives, as a rule, have lower capacity, than traditional disks, they also use less resources that can lower requirements to power supply and cooling in a data processing center.

How to implement VDI

As it was already told, there are two main aspects — technology and economic. First of all, the companies which became interested in technical advantages of VDI need to estimate economic feasibility of implementation. Comparison of implementation cost and service of VDI with the cost of ownership of the park of physical PCs during similar term is the cornerstone of assessment. And here it is extremely important to consider correctly all subtleties connected with lifecycle of a workplace in the companies about which we will talk below.

In parallel, development of technical requirements to the solution is made – first, it is necessary for assessment of a basic possibility of implementation, and secondly, the functionality and scale of the solution directly affect result of economic evaluation. After making decision on further study of the project, the prototype of the VDI solution on which in the test mode the required functionality is fulfilled is created, if necessary requirements are transformed, applications, etc. are improved. This stage can occupy of one month and more, and it strongly depends on a current status of infrastructure. It is the most correct to create a prototype based on any structural division, or branch.

Our experience, working off of the solution on a prototype allows to detail as much as possible technical requirements which will form the basis of the full-scale project including engineering design and implementation. If works at the first and second stage took place well, then and start of the solution in operation should take place rather smoothly. Not quickly, but simply: it is, actually, about migration of employees in new infrastructure — Roman Bobryshev specifies.

Implementation of VDI requires planning and tests

Before immersion in full-scale implementation of VDI, look at departments of your organization or a business unit and select that which best of all is suitable for VDI. Remember that VDI is not suitable for any user or business function. Employees for whom computing power is necessary or who demand local storage will not benefit from implementation of VDI.

Begin with a pilot project and control work of the end user. The satisfaction of users will become an important factor in success of your project. If the solution does not meet expectations of users, it risks to be postponed or will refuse it.

VMware and Citrix are leaders of VDI of the market, but it should be taken into account also other vendors which, perhaps, will approach to in your environment better. When you estimate possibilities of VDI and will narrow the choice, look at scalability and flexibility — in case you decide to expand implementation in the future.

It is quite simple to scale from 50 to 100 users, but everything can become complicated at bigger quantity. If your pilot project is successful and you want to expand it, but your solution is badly scaled, to you, perhaps, it is necessary to start everything anew with other architecture or the solution — and, in fact, with one more pilot project.

VDI is admissible only if it provides a functional or pecuniary benefit for your organization where cost, as a rule, is the biggest factor. Count initial and long-term expenses, including elements of licensing, storage and network infrastructure. If you already narrowed the choice to several preferable vendors, use also their planning tools.

Even more to reduce costs on IT, use the VDI automation equipment which optimizes deployment, distribution and updating. If you use, for example, Hyper-V, Microsoft provides library of scripts with Windows Server 2012 R2 and also cmdlets of Hyper-V for Windows PowerShell online. VirtualizationAdmin.com is also useful source of information on the automation equipment. Try HP Sizing Tool, tools for Microsoft App-V and VMware Workstation and many other things.

Alternatives: cloud and desktops as service

Mobile users of ultrathin notebooks or tablets want to use all opportunities these devices so that they are ready to bring own employments. VDI can become a problem since it is necessary to force these users to get far off access to a virtual desktop of Windows.

For these specific users, your organization can consider a question of the translation of the application in a cloud, having subscribed for the software as service (SaaS) or virtualization of applications which it is possible then to start on any device or the platform. VMware Horizon Workspace, a part of VMware Horizon Suite, is one of options to provide the mobile staff of VDI.

Other opportunity consists in the remote solution VDI also known as Desktop-as-a-Service. With DaaS, you place virtual desktops in a cloud, or locally in a private cloud, or through there is nobody third-party provider. The benefit from use by the third party comes from removal from IT of a part of responsibility for maintenance background technologies, such as balancing of loading, providing resources and the solution of network problems. Instead, it can focus on customer service, virtual desktops and applications.

How much transition to VDI will cost

It is necessary to understand that the cost and a payback period of the solution depends on many factors individual for each company. Quantity, cost and age of the used PCs, quantity and FOT of service staff, the preferred producers and required functionality, existence of the equipment and the licenses admissible for reuse in new projects — all this influences the cost of the solution. But in general, at implementation of infrastructure of VDI, it is possible to speak about decrease in total cost of ownership a workplace from 15 to 25% and a payback period about 2-3 years.

In your organization it is possible to address for detailed calculation of implementation cost and a payback period of VDI to (do%2031%20iyulya%202018%20g.) to specialists of Technoserv company.

Read Also

• Virtualization. Classification and scopes
• Directory of systems and projects of Virtualization
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI, Infrastructure of virtual desktops)
• Hyper convergent infrastructure (Hyper-Converged Infrastructure, HCI) Basic article
• Hyper convergent infrastructure (Hyper-Converged Infrastructure, HCI) (market of Russia)
• Hyper convergent infrastructure (Hyper-Converged Infrastructure, HCI) world market
• How to unroll a hyper convergent system in the small company
• Convergent infrastructure (world market)
• NFV Network Functions Virtualization Virtualization of network functions
• DaaS Desktop as service
• Hardware virtualization
• Five steps to successful consolidation and virtualization
• 10 main events in the market of virtualization in 2011
• Virtualization: 10 major events of 2012