What is a Virtual Desktop? - Evolve IP

Increased digitization of processes, growing need for data security and applications availability, greater competition in the IT space, and pressure from a mobile workforce are driving interest in virtual desktops. According to Research and Markets, the “global desktop virtualization market is projected to reach US$28.345 billion in 2022 increasing from US$6.276 billion in 2016 at a CAGR of 28.57%.” But what is a virtual desktop, and why is this technology gaining momentum?

What a Virtual Desktop Entails

A virtual desktop provides anywhere access to the user’s individual desktop environment (the icons, wallpaper, windows, folders, toolbars, widgets, etc.). Yet the actual data and applications are stored remotely on a central server, rather than the specific desktop workspace or computing device.

Separating the desktop operating system, applications, and data from the hardware, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) offers a robust, secure, and affordable solution. The software creates the desktop images, stores them on servers, and transmits them to client devices over a network.  Many vendors, both large and small, provide virtual desktop solutions; many businesses also partner with a managed service provider to provide virtual desktops as part of a hosted solution.

With a VDI solution, the IT department can efficiently deliver a consistent, individualized desktop solution while maintaining control, through the cloud, and improving end-user support. Many companies turn to virtual desktops to save on IT labor and cut PC hardware and software account costs.

At the same time, desktop virtualization can help your employees to be more productive. With on-demand desktops available anytime, anywhere, and on any device, people can work whenever and wherever they want — all they need is an Internet connection and a VDI-enabled device.

Although the underlying physical hardware (such as CPU, memory, networking, and storage) is shared, each enterprise user is isolated and protected from application crashes and operation system faults caused by other users’ activities.

Why Virtual Desktop is a Popular Solution

Adequately deploying and managing the VDI and network does require expertise. Some users may also express concerns about losing their autonomy and privacy via shared resources. However, there are several advantages to using a Virtual Desktop. These include:

• Consistent access — Users can access virtual desktops on their existing PCs, tablets, laptops, and mobile devices.
• Scalability — Adding resources to existing desktops, or getting a new desktop up and running, is quick and easy.
• Mobile agility — Effectively support employees working remotely or on a mobile basis.
• Focused troubleshooting — IT managers are freed from needing to “touch” each desktop when adding or removing users, fixing problems or delivering new applications.
• Centralized security — Security is enforceable across all users, regardless of their device, as the company apps and data are confined to the centralized data center.
• Business continuity — Employees continue to have access anywhere as the VDI’s geographically redundant data centers ensure services remain available regardless of conditions at your particular location.

Per Market and Research, the SMEs segment is poised to grow the most in the VDI market. For many startups, the adoption of desktop virtual technologies can be more cost prohibitive. Yet Evolve IP can help any size organization access cost-effective and energy-efficient desktop virtualization solutions.

Evolve IP’s hosted Virtual Desktop Infrastructure delivers full control over the virtual desktop environment to the customer, while the infrastructure (hardware and virtualization) is managed by Evolve IP. VDI delivered as a service provides the best of both worlds, 24×7 monitoring and management with 100% customer control and licensing.