Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) refers to the use of virtual machines to provide and manage virtual desktops. VDI hosts desktop environments on a centralized server and deploys them to end-users on request. 

In VDI, a hypervisor segments servers into virtual machines that in turn host virtual desktops, which users access remotely from their devices. Users can access these virtual desktops from any device or location, and all processing is done on the host server. Users connect to their desktop instances through a connection broker, which is a software-based gateway that acts as an intermediary between the user and the server.

VDI can be either persistent or nonpersistent. Each type offers different benefits:

• With persistent VDI, a user connects to the same desktop each time, and users are able to personalize the desktop for their needs since changes are saved even after the connection is reset. In other words, desktops in a persistent VDI environment act exactly like a personal physical desktop. 
• In contrast, nonpersistent VDI, where users connect to generic desktops and no changes are saved, is usually simpler and cheaper, since there is no need to maintain customized desktops between sessions. Nonpersistent VDI is often used in organizations with a lot of task workers, or employees who perform a limited set of repetitive tasks and don’t need a customized desktop.

1. Benefits:
   1. Remote access: VDI users can connect to their virtual desktop from any location or device, making it easy for employees to access all their files and applications and work remotely from anywhere in the world.

1. Cost savings: Since processing is done on the server, the hardware requirements for end devices are much lower. Users can access their virtual desktops from older devices, thin clients, or even tablets, reducing the need for IT to purchase new and expensive hardware. 
2. Security: In a VDI environment, data lives on the server rather than the end client device. This serves to protect data if an endpoint device is ever stolen or compromised.
3. Centralized management: VDI’s centralized format allows IT to easily patch, update or configure all the virtual desktops in a system.
4.  Remote work: Since VDI makes virtual desktops easy to deploy and update from a centralized location, an increasing number of companies are implementing it for remote workers.
5. Bring your own device (BYOD): VDI is an ideal solution for environments that allow or require employees to use their own devices. Since processing is done on a centralized server, VDI allows the use of a wider range of devices. It also offers better security, since data lives on the server and is not retained on the end client device.
6. Task or shift work: Nonpersistent VDI is particularly well suited to organizations such as call centers that have a large number of employees who use the same software to perform limited tasks.