What Is Infrastruttura desktop virtuale (VDI)?

A livello generale, l’infrastruttura di desktop virtuali si divide in due tipologie: persistente e non persistente.

• Persistent VDI: More Personalization, More Management
In un’implementazione di infrastruttura desktop virtuale persistente,le macchine virtuali (VM) sono “stateful”, ovvero conservano le impostazioni, le personalizzazioni delle applicazioni, i file e altre modifiche specifiche dell’utente da una sessione all’altra. Questa soluzione è ideale per i knowledge worker, gli utenti esperti e altre figure professionali che necessitano o preferiscono un’esperienza più personalizzata. Gli utenti possono inoltre utilizzare i desktop VDI persistenti in modalità offline, con tutte le modifiche sincronizzate con la macchina virtuale originale al momento della riconnessione.

While persistent VDI is great for many types of users, it does come at a cost. Instead of maintaining a pool of standard VMs, IT has to store a separate and unique VM for each user. Differences in configuration also add significantly to management and support overhead. If a user’s VM fails, they’ll expect to be able to get it back the way it was – not just get a standard-issue replacement.

• Non-Persistent VDI: Stateless Standardization
senza stato Se la VDI persistente è migliore per gli utenti (e talvolta necessaria), quella non persistente è generalmente preferibile dal punto di vista IT e della sicurezza. Il reparto IT crea un parco di macchine virtuali standard e intercambiabili basate su un’immagine master, talvolta denominata “immagine golden”, pronte per essere assegnate. Anziché dover fornire una macchina virtuale separata per ogni utente, sono sufficienti solo quelle necessarie a supportare il numero massimo di utenti in un dato momento. Qualsiasi modifica viene eliminata al termine della sessione, riportando la macchina virtuale a un’immagine desktop pulita per l’utente successivo.

While it’s possible to create standard desktop images with the applications and data required for specific personas using non-persistent VDI, they won’t remain standard for long. By comparison, non-persistent VDI makes it easy for IT to spin up an endless supply of tailored desktops for students, call center reps, temp workers, and so on, and know that any user can use any of the desktops created for their role. That’s far simpler to manage and support, and it also means that any issues that arise in a given session will be wiped clean at its end. The same holds for security: Any malware or vulnerabilities introduced during a session will be non-persistent as well, disappearing even if they’ve gone undetected.

La diffusione capillare dell’infrastruttura desktop virtuale è facilmente comprensibile, vista l’ampia gamma di vantaggi che offre agli utenti, al reparto IT e all’organizzazione.

• Anywhere, any-device productivity – Users can access their complete work environment from any location, using any connected device. With this flexibility, the organization can support mobile salespeople and executives more easily, reduce hardware costs with bring-your-own-device (BYOD), and enhance employee satisfaction with remote work policies.

• Consistent user experience – Providing a uniform desktop and consistent experience across devices and locations, VDI reduces training requirements and allows employees to work seamlessly across different offices and devices.

• Better performance for resource-intensive applications – Engineers, designers, data analysts, and researchers rely on demanding applications that can tax the computing resources of their endpoints. Instead of paying for a fleet of high-end workstations, VDI lets IT run these workloads more efficiently on powerful centralized servers.

• Centralized management – IT can manage, update, and troubleshoot every virtual desktop in the organization from a single location, greatly reducing the time needed for software updates, security patches, and user support. Operational efficiency increases while cost and downtime decrease.

• Streamlined provisioning – IT easily can spin up a new VM that new hires can access on any company-owned or personal device. IT can equip call centers, retail environments, and other task-based or seasonal workplaces quickly and efficiently with non-persistent VDI desktops.

• Cost efficiency – Even outdated or underpowered devices can run a VDI desktop. By extending the lifespan of endpoints, VDI can lower the total cost of ownership for desktop environments. Centralized maintenance and reduced energy consumption add to the savings.

• Scalability – Adding headcount? Just spin up a few more VMs. With cloud resources available on demand to run centralized desktop workloads, expanding your workforce or adapting to seasonal fluctuations has never been simpler. To scale back down, you can deprovision and wipe VMs with a few clicks.

• Security and compliance – All data is stored on the VM’s host, where it’s not vulnerable to the loss or theft of a client. Centralization also simplifies compliance with regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS by allowing better control over data access, storage, and transmission.

• Continuous business and disaster recovery – Centralized data storage and backups make disaster recovery faster and more comprehensive. Displaced users can access their virtual desktops from alternate devices or locations to resume work quickly.

• Green IT – VDI contributes to sustainability goals with energy-efficient centralized computing resources and longer device lifespans that reduce e-waste.

Come qualsiasi altra importante iniziativa infrastrutturale, un’implementazione VDI di successo richiede un’attenta pianificazione per definire l’ambito della soluzione, valutare i requisiti infrastrutturali e di personale, progettare le politiche di sicurezza e soddisfare le esigenze degli utenti nel modo più completo ed efficiente possibile.

• Will your network handle the load? – VDI relies heavily on network performance. Make sure you can provide the bandwidth and low latency needed for a smooth user experience – even for resource-intensive applications or content. Be prepared for a network upgrade.

• How much server and storage infrastructure will it take? – You’ll need both the capacity to store centralized VMs, applications, and data, and the high-performance IOPs to prevent bottlenecks. Tiered storage and solid-state drives can help balance cost and performance. VDI also requires a powerful host to run the hypervisor.

• What kind of virtual desktops will your users need? – Consider the requirements for different roles and personas, such as task workers, knowledge workers, and power users. Will all of their applications perform well in a standard VDI environment, or will some need special optimizations or configurations? Which groups will need persistent VDI desktops, and which can manage with non-persistent VMs? Considerations like these will help you choose the right VDI protocol, software solution, and hardware for your implementation.

• What’s your endpoint strategy? – Will you still need to provision user endpoints, or will you go with BYOD? What kinds of client software, peripheral support, and user experience optimizations will help your users get the best results? VDI allows great flexibility in endpoints; it’s just a matter of thinking through the right approach for your organization.

• What will the IT burden look like? – Does your current IT team have the skills and capacity to manage a VDI environment? What tools will they use? Can they build the responsive, seamless user experience essential for VDI adoption and success? Don’t forget about your helpdesk – some users might be confused about where to find their files and applications.

• How will you handle security? – Review your existing security policies and compliance needs in the context of VDI. How will you provide the required data protection measures, access controls, and encryption for both data at rest and in transit?

• Will VDI pay off for your business? – VDI can save you money, but it’s not automatic. Conduct a thorough analysis of your costs, including initial infrastructure, licensing fees, and ongoing operational expenses, and compare them with your current desktop management costs. Project your return based on factors like improved security, reduced hardware costs, and increased productivity. A clear understanding of ROI will help justify the investment so you can move forward with confidence.

Tecnologia rivoluzionaria al momento della sua introduzione nei primi anni 2000, la VDI continua a evolversi. Le soluzioni VDI basate sul cloud e Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) riducono i requisiti hardware in loco e rendono la VDI accessibile anche alle piccole organizzazioni. L’intelligenza artificiale e le funzionalità di automazione stanno trasformando la gestione della VDI, garantendo prestazioni migliori, risoluzione predittiva dei problemi e operazioni ottimizzate. Le tecnologie avanzate di virtualizzazione grafica e di accelerazione GPU consentono di supportare applicazioni ancora più esigenti dal punto di vista grafico. Sebbene possano esserci ancora situazioni in cui i desktop installati localmente risultano più adatti, le possibilità offerte dalla VDI moderna sono praticamente illimitate.