(Updated for July 2017): To connect all your different apps and data repositories in one super-secure, high-performance platform that’s easy to use, VDI, or Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, might be your answer. Employees can send emails, use timecards, access shortcuts and do everything else they need to get their jobs done in one place from any device. And since business data never leaves the platform, many security risks simply vanish.
Here are three examples of how VDI solves business problems for companies in different industries:
Example 1: Businesses that use contractors
Companies that outsource can face a dilemma: either supply contractors with devices that are owned and managed internally or have contractors use their own devices and deal with all the different security protocols for each type of device. With VDI, a company lets its contractors use their own devices to access the secure company platform. Now the IT department can get out of the device management business and focus on activities that can build the business.
Example 2: Call center
Before the PC revolution, many people in offices worked on green screens rather than desktop computers. Today, some businesses are wondering if that wasn’t a better way to go — do we really need an actual computer for every workstation or might a “dumb terminal” do the trick? For companies like call centers that have employees working different shifts at the same workstation, VDI improves administration, security and maintenance, and streamlines data control. Employees simply log into the main data center at the beginning of each shift.
Example 3: Healthcare
Doctors want to be able to walk around with tablets instead of laptops or paper folders when they see patients. The tablet is lightweight and you can’t beat the touchscreen for convenience. But it’s risky to store patient data on tablets because the tablets can get lost, stolen or accidentally left behind. With VDI, doctors use their tablets to access a secure platform that has all the patient data. No data is actually stored on the tablet, so there’s no risk to client confidentiality if the tablet goes missing. VDI also automatically adjusts to the resolution of each viewing screen, making it easy for doctors to stick with their device of choice.
Who else might benefit from VDI?
Other businesses that can benefit include those that are growing rapidly, opening new locations, haven’t yet fully embraced the cloud or are still using client-server style applications that have not been re-written for the cloud.
VDI is also a good fit for organizations that have internal developers or software solutions that are frequently updated. Making major updates and testing software compatibility is much easier with VDI because developers don’t have to test and validate the software on different hardware configurations.
Still, it’s important to be aware that VDI requires best-in-class IT. Since all of your data is in a single data center that everyone connects to, that data center needs to be optimized and managed. You need tight security, high-performance storage, and powerful and redundant servers and networking. But you don’t have to buy it. Here are five examples of businesses that do well with Desktop as a Service (DaaS).
Leapfrog works with clients to take the complexity out of IT while making it more secure. That’s why we like VDI. It provides a centralized, super-secure platform that’s operating system and device-agnostic, and it’s completely customizable. It’s easy for us to scale up or down for our clients, and adding more cloud services for them is a breeze. Plus, the traditional headaches associated with BYOD disappear — internal IT teams appreciate that. If you’re interested in finding out if VDI might be a good fit for your organization, please let us know. We’re glad to talk to you about it and answer any questions you may have.
If you liked this post, don’t forget to subscribe to FrogTalk, our monthly newsletter.
