The recent COVID-19 crisis is a prime example of why contingency plans are so critical in a world that seems increasingly vulnerable to disrupting events. It also shows just how little time you may have to implement a plan. In a world today that operates at the speed of digital on a normal day, even the best laid plans are hard to implement when everything is trending all at once. As Mike Tyson said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”
The Challenges of Deploying Enterprise Desktops for Remote Workers
Many companies, school systems and other types of organizations had only a few days to implement a work from home strategy for their employees as federal and state governments began issuing guidelines. And truth be told no one had a remote worker plan that could meet the urgent, required scale. There are a number of strategies available, most have blaring shortcomings.
- Employees can use their personal computers of course, but this means no standardization of device. This makes it difficult for internal IT to troubleshoot and secure them. Adherence to security policies is virtually impossible and software licensing and tracking is a nightmare.
- Some companies went to a great amount of expense of ordering enterprise laptops. In most cases these units will only be used for a fraction of their product cycle. Backorders delayed deployment target dates in some cases and the issues with how to manage and secure these devices residing off premise became a real challenge.
- Other organizations are choosing Remote Desktop solutions, but this often requires users to share the RD session hosts and VMs. When sharing resources between multiple users takes place, administrative rights are not entirely secure. This also complicates access to home network resources, such as printing.
The Advantages of a VDI Solution from HPE
So exactly what is it that your employees need at home? They don’t need a computer, just their desktop, the same desktop they have grown accustomed to while working on-premises all of these years. That is what VDI solutions are all about, ensuring your users have their desktop and necessary applications at their fingertips so that they have the same predictable experience every time they log on. VDI is an ideal solution for a number of scenarios such as:
- Work from home policies on a permanent or temporary basis
- Road warriors that must work from a variety of remote workspaces
- Mergers and acquisitions
- BYOD programs
Here are 8 advantages of VDI over other remote work technologies, including:
- Desktops and applications can be quickly deployed
- Each user receives a dedicated computer experience without the headaches of hardware
- Desktops and applications can be quickly deployed
- Updating and patching of operating systems and applications can take place centrally
- No risk of data loss if a device is lost or stolen
- Data is streamed over an encrypted connection
- Internal IT retains control of storage devices allowing for centralized backup and protection
- All HPE VDI solutions are fully compliant with major government and industry regulations
VDI also provides significant ROI. IDC published a whitepaper in 2015 showing that every $1.00 invested in migration to a centralized virtual desktop yielded $4.51 in return. That equates to an ROI of 351 percent!
How HPE Makes Rapid Deployment of VDI Easy
HPE has a comprehensive portfolio of VDI solutions to help organizations service their ever-expanding remote work forces and meet the unique demands of these remote workspaces. Their digital workspace solutions are built to deliver secure, efficient access to applications and data regardless of location for all types of industry and government organizations. HPE’s VDI architectures not only features its industry leading ProLiant and Synergy server technology, but integrates with two best of breed virtual solutions providers, Citrix and VMware.
HPE has preconfigured, ready to go VDI solutions built with ProLiant Gen 10 servers that can be rapidly deployed to support SMBs and enterprises alike and scale out to support hundreds of knowledge workers one server at a time. These servers contain pre-built configurations designed to support a variety of workloads and use cases.
Another option is HPE Synergy. HPE Synergy is the first platform architected from the ground up as a composable infrastructure designed to reduce operational complexity. HPE Synergy provides fluid pools of resources (Intel Xeon-based compute, storage, and networking) that are provisioned on-the-fly and custom-fitted to the specific needs of applications. Admins can manage all compute, storage and fabric pools through a single interface and all solutions are designed for both Citrix and VMware environments. The Synergy platforms are available as turnkey solutions in 3 formats:
- Small Starter Kit suited for 600+ knowledge workers with 8 bays of compute
- Medium Starter Kit suited for 1,200+ knowledge workers with 16 bays of compute
- Large Starter Kit suited for 2,000+ knowledge workers with 26 bays of compute
Recently, HPE announced a higher-performing VDI solution to support power users working remotely called HPE Moonshot that features the new ProLiant m750 Server Blade technology. Contact us directly to learn more about this cutting-edge solution.
Enable the Mobile Workforce with HPE VDI Solutions
The ability to adapt to rotating workspaces and environments as a result of this global pandemic is but one example of agility that organizations need today. It’s an extreme example, but one that has made us all deal with a new reality. There is nothing agile about hardware. Only virtual solutions can provide your users with desktops that are completely secure and fully optimized for productivity. Let one of our VDI subject matter experts at WEI show you how HPE VDI solutions can deliver the agility, manageability and security you need in this new paradigm.
NEXT STEPS: Contact us to learn how to get started with HPE's rapid VDI deployment solutions, we're here to help!
