Intelligent Data Centres Issue 21 | Page 69

TODAY ’ S HCI- POWERED VDI
SOLUTIONS
OFFER A HIGHLY SECURE AND AFFORDABLE
WAY TO DEPLOY THE
PREDICTABLE , YET SECURE ,
PERFORMANCE TODAY ’ S
WORKERS WILL REQUIRE .
THE EDGE he events surrounding the recent global pandemic have

T served to reinforce the need for more flexible computing options for remote workers . With remote working models now set to become the ‘ new normal ’, organisations are having to rethink their IT operations as they prepare to support a distributed workforce for the indefinite future . For many , this will mean taking a closer look at virtual desktop infrastructure ( VDI ) solutions in order to simplify how they extend secure network access for users working beyond enterprise walls .

The rise of the virtual desktop
When VDI first hit the market back in 2006 , it quickly grew in popularity . Providing anywhere access , centralised management and flexible working for users , VDI made it possible for IT organisations to initiate virtual workspaces that could be deployed to workers anywhere – and on any connected device .
The rapid growth in popularity of VDI over the next decade or so was fuelled by a number of other benefits offered by the technology : improved workflows , a single sign-on that enhanced the user experience , hardware savings and the ability to enable and support BYOD programmes .
However , while VDI saved IT teams valuable administrative and support time enabling remote users , the technology was not without its challenges . While virtualisation generated savings over time , the initial implementation required a complex and expensive backend infrastructure and weak network connections impacted the user experience when bandwidth proved a limiting factor . Plus , investing in VDI software often involved some complexities and licensing challenges .
As a consequence , early VDI technologies failed to achieve their projected market potential . But VDI is once again experiencing a surge in demand , as organisations seek out the most flexible and cost-effective way to deploy highly available services to remote users .
HCI and Edge : A technology pairing that transforms VDI
The emergence of Edge Computing in combination with hyperconverged infrastructure ( HCI ) has proved transformative as far as VDI technologies are concerned . Alongside making it more affordable and easier to deploy , the pairing of Edge Computing and HCI with
Johan Pellicaan , VP and Managing Director EMEA at Scale Computing

TODAY ’ S HCI- POWERED VDI

SOLUTIONS

OFFER A HIGHLY SECURE AND AFFORDABLE

WAY TO DEPLOY THE

PREDICTABLE , YET SECURE ,

PERFORMANCE TODAY ’ S

WORKERS WILL REQUIRE .

VDI now delivers the simple scalability and operational efficiency that today ’ s organisations need to provide services for large numbers of remote users . As the number of remote users escalates , remote HCI nodes are simply added to already deployed systems – and can just as easily be rolled back when demand for remote services drops .
Rolling out an HCI- and Edge-powered VDI solution is also proving a highly practical option for small IT teams tasked with supporting large numbers of users for the long term . Requiring no specialist knowledge , other than a few hours of training , together these technologies simplify and automate many of the time-consuming day-to-day tasks that
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