Virtual Desktop Solutions

Whether you’re supporting remote-based employees or securing personal devices with access to business applications, Virtual Desktops (also known as “VDI”) provide a scalable solution to keep your employees productive and safe.

Working with all the major Virtual Desktop technology providers, SHI’s experts are uniquely placed to help you select, deploy and manage the right solution for your organization’s needs.

Desktop Virtualization solutions that meet YOUR needs

Our experts will help find the right VDI solution for you, built to meet the needs of your workforce location, IT strategy and budgeting expectations. We will explore all available options, including:

On-Premises

On-Premises

With an on-premises VDI solution, the hardware required to host the virtual desktops is hosted either in your own data center or at a third-party colocation facility. No matter where it is hosted, your organization is responsible for purchasing and maintaining the hardware required to host the virtual desktops. In addition, your organization’s IT team is responsible for monitoring and managing all aspects of the VDI solution, including patching and upgrading the VDI software, when necessary.

Cloud-Based

Cloud-Based

When the hardware required to host the virtual desktops is hosted in the cloud using cloud-based Infrastructure as a Service solutions from providers such as AWS, Azure and Google, your organization is no longer responsible for purchasing and maintaining the hardware required to host the virtual desktops. Instead, this is handled by the cloud-based Infrastructure as a Service provider. Your organization’s IT team is still responsible for monitoring and managing all aspects of the VDI solution, including patching and upgrading the VDI software, when necessary.

Unmanaged

Unmanaged

Regardless of whether the hardware required to host the virtual desktops is hosted on-premises or in the cloud, your organization’s IT department is responsible for monitoring and managing all aspects of the VDI solution, including patching and upgrading the VDI software, when necessary. An unmanaged environment is often chosen by larger organizations with a large IT department that is able to manage and have full control over a complex VDI environment.

Managed/Desktop as a Service

Managed/Desktop as a Service

Often referred to a Desktop as a Service (DaaS), a managed VDI solution puts the responsibility of monitoring and managing the VDI environment into the hands of a third-party DaaS provider. The underlying VDI hardware and software can be hosted on your premises, at a data center provided by the DaaS provider or in the cloud. Some DaaS providers even monitor and manage the individual virtual desktops for an organization, while others require the organization’s IT department to manage the individual virtual desktops. A managed environment is often chosen by smaller organization that do not have the internal IT resources available to devote to managing a complex VDI environment.

Your path to successful Desktop Virtualization with SHI

Advice for successfully implementing a virtual desktop solution

Before implementing a new virtual desktop solution, SHI’s Senior Director of End-User Solutions, Michael McCracken, recommends you consider the following best practices:

  1. Define your business goals
    What are you aiming to achieve through implementing a virtual desktop solution? Will it give you peace of mind that you are meeting IT governance obligations? Do you believe you have a potential compliance issue? Are you targeting hard cash savings? Defining success upfront will help you achieve it!
  2. Identify key end-user groups/use cases
    Implementing a virtual desktop gets to the heart of the end-user experience. As such, you need to ensure you fully understand the requirements of each end-user group.
  3. Explore on-premises and cloud-based options
    Just as traditional workloads are moving to the cloud; more and more virtual desktop environments are also moving to the cloud. There are pros and cons to each platform and solution provider, so take the time to explore all your options before selecting a solution best suited for your needs.
  4. Take time to plan the deployment
    Planning out your virtual desktop solution deployment will ensure minimal end-user disruption and ensure the solution meets your end-users needs.
  5. Measure the outcome
    Make sure the newly deployed virtual desktop solution meets the business and end-user goals identified at the beginning of the project.

Contact us today to learn more about our variety of Desktop and Desktop Virtualization Solutions!