Your Digital Workplace Transformation Just Got Easier with VDI

The aroma of coffee permeates homes around the world as millions of employees log on to their computers to start their workdays. Although working from home is something many are still getting used to, a cup of morning joe or a favorite tea and a “hey, how’s it going” from caring colleagues is what gets them through this massive change in their traditional work style.

In many instances, remote working was rapidly implemented by companies in response to COVID-19, but there are many indications that ‘working from anywhere’ in some form is here to stay. In a 2020 Dell Technologies customer survey:

  • Roughly 20% of workforces were working remote before 2020
  • During the pandemic, this number has grown exponentially to 80%
  • ~40% of the workforce will continue to work from home, even after a vaccine is widely available

How do companies implement a more productive digital workplace?

Many organizations have turned to Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) to make remote working more seamless. Traditionally, workstations or PCs operate in an isolated fashion. However, when VDI is used, all desktops and apps are virtualized in a data center. Known for its ability to rapidly deliver secure and easily accessible digital workspaces, VDI has powered a number of different industry applications from colleges supporting thousands of students attending classes from their dorm rooms to retail customer service agents working remotely around the world.

As an example, pairing Dell Technologies Cloud Platform (DTCP) and VMware Cloud Foundation on VxRail with VMware Horizon makes it easier for companies to rapidly deploy virtual workspaces for their employees. This winning hybrid cloud combination allows IT to configure, update and deploy virtual desktops through a centralized location. The best part: VMware Horizon on Dell Technologies Cloud Platform (DTCP) can be deployed quickly – with some of the largest companies implementing VDI workspaces in a matter of weeks.

What else makes VDI on DTCP an attractive solution? We highlight the top 5 reasons below.

1. But first, secure IT

There’s one thing we can say about COVID-19 – it has caused a lot of us to look much closer at our business continuity plans. However, beyond ‘business as usual,’ there has been a lot more emphasis around cybersecurity.

What we’re finding is it’s best to limit the keys to the IT castle. With VMware Horizon on Dell Technologies Cloud Platform (DTCP), desktops and apps are managed virtually by IT rather than on individual bring-your-own (BYO) and corporate devices with varying levels of security protections. It also means centralized deployment of all applications, security updates, and virus controls for employee use.

We’re committed to helping our customers #BeCyberSmart in the age of sophisticated hackers. Giving IT the ability to centralize and manage VDI employee workspaces is a great example of better safeguarding against company threats.

2. A hybrid mentality

The future of cloud looks bright. Flexera’s 2020 State of the Cloud Report states that IT professionals plan to increase cloud spend by almost 50% this year.  It’s also clear that enterprises will operate in a multi-cloud environment. From the same study, 93% of enterprises have a multi-cloud strategy and use 2.2 public clouds and 2.2 private clouds, on average. Edge computing adds yet another form of cloud computing to the mix. Why? With the emergence of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and autonomous vehicles that can’t afford to fail, ultra-low latency data processing at edge locations becomes extremely attractive to the cloud market.

VMware Horizon on Dell Technologies Cloud Platform enables you to set up hybrid cloud environments so you can deploy and scale workloads like VDI quickly. Also, through one user interface, you can manage your on-premises and public cloud environments and burst into the cloud for seasonal demand spikes, if needed.

Automated lifecycle management is also a game-changing feature. Deep integration between VMware SDDC (software-defined data center) and VxRail Manager allows you to deploy patches and updates as they happen to ensure you are operating in the most up-to-date hybrid cloud environment.

3. The fan favorite

How many times have you logged on to your laptop and watched an application load for what seems like eternity? We stare at it willing it to go faster, as if the information is being pulled from outer space. We can’t let that happen in the workplace or employees will work around what they are provided by IT.

A VDI environment that ensures the best user experience is critical to business continuity and employee satisfaction. Factors like slow logon and excessive application load times have been found to greatly cut into employee productivity. The good news is, VMware Horizon on Dell Technologies Cloud Platform is a best-in-class VDI solution.

In a recent independent VDI testing study, VMware Horizon on Dell Technologies Cloud Platform user experience was up to 2.5x better than Amazon WorkSpaces™.¹  That means employees get work done faster so your company is one step closer to meeting its business objectives.

4. Regulations that keep you up at night

Data governance and customer privacy have become huge topics in board rooms around the world. As country-specific data privacy laws carry hefty fines, IT professionals are looking a lot closer at where data is housed and how it is processed. Centralization and control of IT environments are critical so businesses can reduce their risk.

Using a VDI environment such as VMware Horizon on Dell Technologies Cloud Platform, IT professionals can centralize user identity and access management, process mission-critical and sensitive data in the data center and monitor information usage. All of these features help to reduce corporate security concerns.

5. Preparing for tomorrow

Exciting technological advances such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and 5G promise to digitally transform the world as we know it and unleash a range of different use case possibilities across industries. The great advantage of implementing VMware Horizon on Dell Technologies Cloud Platform is that compute resources can be re-allocated to power new and innovative use cases during off-hours.

For example, resources can be allocated to perform regular employee tasks using VDI by day, and at night when those resources remain virtually unused, companies can try out new use cases leveraging machine learning or a number of other forward-looking technologies.

Wrap-Up

VDI is a great way to transform your digital workplace. Once you implement a VDI solution like VMware Horizon on Dell Technologies Cloud Platform, you’ll be able to:

  • Take a flexible, hybrid approach to cloud
  • Provide the best VDI experience for your employees
  • Secure your data and comply with regulations
  • Innovate for the future to remain one step ahead of your competition

What else are you doing to digitally transform your workforce?

¹ Based on a Cloud Evolutions report commissioned by Dell Technologies, “Virtual Desktop Performance and User Experience Comparison:  A Comparison of Horizon on DTCP, Amazon WorkSpaces on AWS, and Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop on Azure,” based on sessions reporting a 90% or greater user experience ranking using Lakeside SysTrack to simulate remote end user experience; using SysTrack to evaluate the productivity impact of remote worker sessions; and using SysTrack to simulate Zoom collaborative applications, November 2020.  Actual results may vary.