Workspace Virtualization vs. VDI

Server-based desktop virtualization solutions (VDI) are increasingly emerging as a tool for IT centralization and consolidation, allowing enterprises to deploy user desktops directly from the datacenter instead of managing them on physical PCs spread across the organization.

However, it is also becoming widely acknowledged that VDI does not provide significant cost savings compared with traditional PC management. In fact, the complexities of migrating desktops and managing them in the datacenter merely transfer some costs from the client to the server, and often end up actually increasing the total cost of allowing users to work.

Indeed, while there may certainly be some benefits to the fact that desktops are centrally located and managed, IT organizations have often found VDI deployment to be a daunting task. With any desktop virtualization solution, enterprises still need to own, provision and manage an OS for each user, just like they would on a normal PC. With VDI, however, these challenges are compounded by, among other things, the need to plan, set up and maintain special server hardware/software, manage bandwidth and storage capacities and re-train users to access virtual instead of physical desktops.

On top of costly and complex management and upfront costs, VDI’s promise of computing on any device, from any location, is based upon users’ ability to access their desktops remotely over the network. However, especially when there is a need to accommodate flexible and ad-hoc scenarios that extend well beyond the domain of corporate IT – such as teleworking, business continuity (disaster recovery) or effective provisioning of contractors, partners and points of sale – such uninterrupted connectivity is never guaranteed. And though locally-executed implementations of desktop virtualization are available, they can present even greater cost disadvantages over traditional PC management, by negating many more of the supposed benefits of VDI.

Combining powerful centralized management with lightweight local execution, workspace virtualization can equally be used for deploying complex and dynamic software environments – such as those required by the insurance and financial markets – or for rolling out a fast Office-on-a-stick or secure remote access solution. By focusing on what users need to do their work, i.e. the applications, rather than the operating system or back-end infrastructure, workspace virtualization makes it faster and easier for enterprises to provision users for anytime, anywhere productivity.

Because they do not have to deploy a full operating system that is more complex – and more sensitive – to a larger variety of potential breakdowns, IT organizations that utilize workspace virtualization can concentrate on providing timely, mission-critical computing resources to their end users without having to compromise on security, flexibility or functionality or make sizable investments in centralized computing resources.

In the field, the virtual workspace allows users to work either offline or online, and still be up to date with their applications and data wherever they are. It runs on top of – and leverages – the existing Windows OS on the host PC. It works fully in user mode, enabling operation on locked-down PCs. Within minutes, users can access all the applications they need and are used to working with, all launched from a handy toolbar or fully integrated into the user’s Windows UI, as if they were actually installed on the PC.

Ceedo’s lightweight approach to management allows the virtual workspace to be pre-configured, deployed and then managed remotely for the duration of the solution’s lifecycle.

Using Ceedo’s provisioning tools, IT can easily build a Ceedo application workspace with the desired applications and then wrap it into a single package for distribution to end users, with all the applications ready to launch from any removable storage device, on any Windows PC. Since there is no OS to install or configure – this process is simple and very fast.

Ceedo’s cloud-based management system, CCMS, enables the workspace clients to be remotely managed by the enterprise wherever they are, making it is possible to change policies, update, remove or install new software applications, apply patches or perform other operations. These client updates are automatically and securely delivered to the Ceedo clients over the cloud. The web-based console allows administrators to generate reports about workspace usage, including startup and shutdown times and application process activity, and to fully enforce usage policies, including authorizing and de-authorizing access for specific users or groups.