There are many reasons why implement VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) and easier Business Continuity Management is one of them. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure is an very old approach towards computing, you might recall old mainframe systems era, when users has been connecting to big mainframe systems using thin-clients and terminals. However back then, networks was slow, and users has been typically in a next room to a mainframe system or using dial-up connection to mainframe system and only text console commands.
- IBM System z10 mainframe
Today, networks are fast and desktop PCs are very powerful, too powerful for most of a tasks we want them to do, so a lot of computing resources, storage and memory goes to waste. And that is why Desktop Virtualization got born. In an environment with virtualized desktop infrastructure, desktops are running virtualized in a datacenter and users are using just a thin clients to connect to their virtual instances in a datacenter over LAN, MAN and even WAN connection.
As desktops run virtualized in a datacemter, better efficiency is achieved through consolidation, many virtual desktops can run on one server, and multiple host servers can be clustered to deliver more resilient infrastructure able to handle peaks and server failure as virtual desktops can be restarted on a new hosts after server failure.
As Server Virtualization has simplified Disaster Recovery solutions, Desktop Virtualization makes Business Continuity Management easier. With desktops running in a datacenter, it is easier to protect users data against theft, viruses and loss – all these risks needs to be mitigated in comprehensive Business Resilience and Business Continuity Management strategy.
You can protect users data with centralized anti-virus solution, protect users data using your Backup & Recovery procedures and solutions, same way as you backup your servers, and also increase your Business Resilience through simplified Disaster Recovery and cheaper, more efficient Business Continuity Management strategy. In a legacy environment with physical desktops running operating system locally on a computer, to protect against site failure, or other threats that might affect users access to their desktops, you need to set-up warm or cold site with desktops, and these desktops are typically unused and consume space in another office building.
And we are not talking how are you going to make sure, all these primary desktops or laptops are backed-up, and protected against data theft. With Desktop Virtualization, all your desktops are running in a datacenter and users data are protected using normal server backup procedures, and with storage mirroring/replication it is easy to set-up warm site, where you have prepared cluster and in an event of a disaster in your datacenter, your desktops gets recovered from your Disaster Recovery site.
If a disaster strike on one, or more of your offices, you can motivate your employees to work from home using their own workstations and laptops – as business critical data are still protected against viruses and theft in your primary or disaster recovery datacenter, or you can start “bring your desktop to work” initiative in a cold site office, saving you significant investment on equipment of a cold site office that might never be used if a disaster don’t strike.
Recently (16th of June 2011), there has been a strike of employees in a transportation industry in Prague where I live, many companies had to close for that day, since their workforce has not been able to get to work or work from home. However companies who already take advantage of Virtualized Desktop Infrastructure, made their employees work from home using their own desktops, these companies had a significant advantage against their competitors, because their operations continued during a strike – however in a limited manner, these companies has been better off then their competitors, who has not been working at all.
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