Provisioning VDI from the Cloud
Now that desktops live in the data center, things have changed dramatically for admins and users alike. In order to ease everybody into the new world of VDI, Citrix CTO Simon Crosby urges companies to roll out pilots before taking the plunge into full-blown, enterprise-wide implementations. One good way of doing that, in his estimation, is by delivering virtual desktops from the cloud.
"In general, acquiring a reasonably large number of servers to deliver desktops to your user base imposes additional resource requirements -- space, cooling, and capital outlays for the enterprise," Crosby declares, adding "that may be beyond what they want to do, so the notion of hosting virtual desktops in the cloud is very attractive."
This way, he suggests, it is possible to develop a cost-efficient proof-of-concept by simply going to a cloud provider, bringing up your data, renting a VM by the hour and turning it off at night after the users go home. "So I personally think that virtual desktop infrastructure will have a strong element in it which is related to the cloud," he says.
Even though he admits there are some "challenges" involved in this approach, Crosby assures us that Citrix is working hard to get cloud computing vendors equipped to deliver desktops as part of the "broader go-to-market."
For companies just getting started in desktop virtualization, Citrix is offering an Express Edition of XenDesktop 4 that includes 10 free licenses. It’s available here.
Question: Do you think it is widely feasible to provision VDI from the cloud at this point?
Posted by Bruce Hoard on 04/14/2010 at 12:48 PM