Note that the scenarios in which VDI brings security and increased manageability to the table all have one thing in common: isolation. What's Old Is New
VDI as we know it today is not completely novel. Early provider MyWebOS debuted in December 1999 as a free Web-based provider of a simulated desktop environment that included word processing, e-mail and other software; it's since evolved into an online SaaS provider. Other early VDI players, like Bungo.com and Cyrus Intersoft, weren't so fortunate: Each took its turn in the ring but either couldn't compete or was simply ahead of its time. Terminal services and related hosted application platforms survived because they addressed a more immediate need in the marketplace, not to mention that deploying physical desktops has become routine, and therefore perceived as "easier" and "cheaper."
So why now for virtual desktops? It's not only that the server virtualization push has made the concept more palatable. The technology is also solidly vetted out, and more vendors are vying for your virtualization dollar.
VMware is the big name here, and the company has used its celebrity to create the VDI Alliance, an assembly of virtualization and thin-client market powerhouses, to take enterprise virtualization to the next level. Success with server virtualization, and its Virtual Infrastructure 3 product, has granted VMware greater leverage in marketing virtualization's utility.
Still, VMware isn't the only game in town, and it isn't the only one forming alliances. Virtual Iron Software has struck agreements with Provision Networks, storage vendor Compellent Technologies and distributor Tech Data Corp. to target the midsize market with its VDI system. Virtual Iron Enterprise Edition and its Virtualization Manager includes tools, such as LiveMigrate, LiveMaintenance and LiveCapacity, aimed at making VDI easier for smaller shops lacking virtualization specialists, and the company is touting lower costs than VMware—80% lower, to be specific. That's music to the ears of midsize companies seeking a less costly point of entry.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
