What Is Desktop Virtualization and How to Select It

What is Desktop Virtualization

Desktop virtualization is a technology that allows you to run and manage desktop environments on a central server rather than on individual local machines.

In essence, desktop virtualization separates the desktop operating system and applications from the physical hardware, enabling a more flexible and scalable approach to desktop management.

Types of Desktop Virtualization

Having mentioned above that desktop virtualization mainly has three types Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), Remote Desktop Services (RDS) and Desktop as a Service (DaaS). And following is a brief introduction to the three types.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

VDI is an on-premises solution where virtual desktops are hosted on servers within the company’s data center. It lets you access enterprise computer system from almost any device.

VDI uses server hardware to run desktop operating systems or other software programs such as Windows or Linux on VMs, which are hosted on centralized servers in physical data center.

Remote Desktop Services (RDS)

RDS is a Microsoft technology that allows users to remotely access and interact with a Windows desktop environment hosted on a remote server.

It is particularly useful for providing centralized application hosting, enable remote access for users, and supporting various client devices.

Desktop as a Service (DaaS)

DaaS is a cloud-based service where a third-party provider hosts virtual desktops, offering a scalable and flexible solution for businesses.

It can move the computing resources to the cloud, making they accessible, scalable, and secure.

Difference Between These Desktop Virtualization Solution

They may sound just in the same, but they operate differently actually. Here are some differences among them.

Deployment Model

• VDI

VDI is typically deployed on-premises, which means the infrastructure is managed and maintained by the enterprise, within its own data center. And the enterprise has full control over the VDI environment.

• RDS

RDS is typically deployed on-premises or in a private cloud. It is more cost-effective than VDI because it allows multiple users to share the same server resources.

• DaaS

DaaS is a cloud-based service provided by a third-party vendor. The infrastructure is hosted in the cloud, and the service provider manages it. What’s more, the service provider handles all aspects of the infrastructure.

Cost Structure

• VDI

VDI requires a significant upfront investment in hardware, software, and infrastructure. Following will put funds in maintenance, upgrades, and IT staffing.

• RDS

RDS involves both upfront investment in licensing and hardware, as well as ongoing costs for maintenance, support, and potential cloud services.

• DaaS

DaaS operates on a subscription-based pricing model, typically billed monthly or annually based on the number of desktops or usage.

Security

• VDI

Security is managed in-house, allowing enterprises to implement specific security protocols and compliance measures. Enterprises have full control over security settings, data storage locations, and compliance with regulatory standards.

• RDS

Security is managed through a combination of several key components and administrative practices. It mainly include Group Policy, monitoring tools and regular management.

• DaaS

Security is managed by the DaaS provider, which may offer advanced security features as part of the service, but enterprises have less direct control. And security is often a shared responsibility between the provider and customer.

Benefits of Desktop Virtualization

You may raise questions that why to choose desktop virtualization and what can I get if choosing desktop virtualization. There are three advantages of desktop virtualization that can prompt to use desktop virtualization.

• Strong security. In desktop virtualization, the desktop image is abstracted and separated from the physical hardware used to access it, and the VM used to deliver the desktop image can be tightly controlled by the enterprise department.
• Simple administration. Desktop virtualization can make your team have an easier way to manage employee computing needs. Desktop virtualization are managed centrally which can help enable management with a single console, this significantly simplifies the management work.
• Cost-effective. Many virtual desktop solutions allow you to shift more of your IT budget from capital expenditures to operating expenditures. Enterprises can use less expensive thin clients instead of high-powered PCs. Also centralized management reduces the need for on-site IT support.

How to Choose Desktop Virtualization Solution in Market

What factors need to consider when we choose a desktop virtualization solution? Following are some examples we may put into consideration.

✦ Performance Requirements

For users' experience, ensuring the desktop virtualization solution can deliver a smooth, responsive experience for end-users, particularly when running resource-intensive applications or multimedia content. Also it can provide a better experience over low-bandwidth connection.

✦ Security Requirements

For data protection, looking for features like encryption, multi-factor authentication, and secure access policies to protect sensitive data.

Ensuring the desktop virtualization solution supports your industry’s regulatory requirements with built-in compliance features.

✦ Cost

Calculating both the initial setup costs (hardware, software licenses) and ongoing operational costs (maintenance, support, scaling).

Considering the total cost, including infrastructure, management, support, and potential downtime costs.

Above are some points we need to consider when to choose one solution, and then here are some recommendations provide you some platforms, each with their pros and cons. You can just choose one as needed.

Microsoft Hyper-V

Microsoft Hyper-V is a native hypervisor developed by Microsoft to create and manage virtual machines on Windows systems. Key features include creating multiple VMs on a single physical host, resource allocation, supporting nest virtualization.

Hyper-V is commonly used for server consolidation, development, testing, and disaster recovery, providing a virtualization solution that is integrated with the Windows platform.

But it has some disadvantages, for it has a limitation in host, can only have 64-bit hosts and if your primary OS crashed, then it eventually crashed all virtual machine.

Red Hat Virtualization

Red Hat Virtualization is a Red Hat Enterprise-Linux-based virtualization solution.This platform can manage your entire virtual infrastructure. Key features include a remaining VM operation even host fail, providing flexible storage options, integrating seamlessly with other Red Hat products.

Red Hat Virtualization can easily create multiple isolated virtual machine within Linux and it could scale system with several new virtual machines, what’s more, it supports Windows OS.

However, it’s performance is not stable and if you want to handle it you will spend more time on it.

Citrix Workspace

Citrix Workspace is a comprehensive virtualization platform that enables organizations to securely deliver desktops, applications and data to end-users. Users can access and work on files from their mobile devices, and it provides users a consistent experience across different deices and locations, also it offers personalized feeds and notifications.

Citrix Workspace has so many pros, for example, it supports multiple operating systems, and it integrates with various cloud service.

But it has high costs in licensing fees and infrastructure investment, and also it may experience latency issues.

Secure Your Desktop Virtualization Solution with AOMEI Cyber Backup

With the rise of virtualization, ensuring data integrity and protection across virtualized desktops is critical. That’s where AOMEI Cyber Backup comes into play—a robust backup software designed specifically to safeguard virtual machines (VMs) within your desktop virtualization solution.

AOMEI Cyber Backup is a comprehensive backup solution tailored for virtualized environments, including those utilizing desktop virtualization solutions. It offers an intuitive interface and powerful features that simplify the process of backing up and restoring VMware ESXi and Hyper-V virtual machines.

Following are some usage step to quickly backup VMware ESXi VMs through AOMEI Cyber Backup.

Step 1. Access to AOMEI Cyber Backup web client, select Source Device, click VMware to Add VMware Device. Then Add vCenter or Standalone ESXi to add a host. And then click ... to Bind Device.

Step 2. Create Backup Task: Navigate to Backup Task and Create New Task. Then select VMware ESXi Backup for Backup Type. After that, set the Task Name, Device, Target, Schedule, and Cleanup according to your need.

Step 3. Click Start Backup and choose Add the schedule and start backup now or Add the schedule only.

Step 4. When your backup is completed, it’s easy to restore your virtual machine to another place when a disaster strikes. Navigate to Start Restore, you can change restore location here to create a new VM or restore virtual machines to another datastore/host.

Conclusion

Having recommend three platform, all these can hit the goal to get desktop virtualization. Also, there are other platform help you to achieve the goal, you can just follow your needs to choose a desktop virtualization solution to simplified management and enhanced security. And if you care more about security, you can try AOMEI Cyber Backup, it’s a free, easy, centralized enterprise solution for VMware, Hyper-V, Windows PCs, Windows Servers, and MSSQL Server.