VDI: An Example Of Service Delivery

For most companies looking to begin a journey into private cloud, the process won't be like flipping a light switch. Instead, it will be a migration over time, typically beginning with a green-field data center or application deployment. One commonly successful starting point is a virtualization project--more specifically, desktops, as many customers are well into server virtualization at this point.

Using a new virtualization project as a starting point for a private cloud build out offers several advantages:

• Virtualized workloads as the focus from the outset, easing service transition
• Building a private cloud architecture as a pod design without the difficulty of integrating with legacy systems
• Ability to assess new infrastructure (storage, network, compute, software) as a whole for its capabilities of delivering a cloud infrastructure

Focusing on desktops rather than servers specifically in the context of a private cloud will help to push the concept of service delivery to the forefront of the discussion. Any migration to the cloud should have a focus on the services required and the best way to deliver those services. Business enablement should hold as much, or more, weight than ROI. The same holds true when discussing virtual desktops.

Most virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) discussions start with a list of value propositions and then focus on ROI. The reality is typically far from that. ROI can be hard to show or can require long terms to mature with VDI. VDI and the technologies that surround it offer business enablement and benefits such as flexibility, security, portability and recovery, all of which typically far exceed the ROI. In many cases, a VDI architecture will cost more but provide enhancements above and beyond what traditional desktop environment provides.