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VDI Choices: DaaS, Application Virtualization, and Enterprise Browsers
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is a technology that hosts virtualized desktop environments on centralized servers and delivers them to end users over a network. This setup, which has been popular in the IT industry for over 20 years, offers centralized management, improved access control, and the ability to use virtual desktops from a variety of devices regardless of geographic location.
But two forces are driving IT leaders to consider options beyond VDI: the rise of SaaS and web applications, which offer few benefits to virtualization, and the steadily rising operational costs of VDI, driving the need for alternative technologies. These modern options offer more scalable, flexible and cost-effective alternatives to traditional VDI, and address VDI's limitations in performance and complexity.
We'll look at the pros and cons of VDI and the main alternatives: DaaS, application virtualization, and enterprise browsers.
Benefits of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
VDI has come to prominence over the last two decades due to its ability to deliver a consistent and secure desktop experience on any device through a centralized infrastructure, allowing organizations to streamline IT management, provide greater control over access to applications and data, and offer remote flexibility.
Centralized application and desktop management allows IT to rapidly provision and patch OS and applications, ensuring all users have the tools they need without the logistical challenges of directly managing endpoint installations.As a secondary benefit, VDI keeps user and application data within the organization's controlled environment, reducing the risk of data leakage that can occur when data is stored locally.
The Limitations of VDI
While VDI is beneficial for some use cases, it also has many drawbacks.
- Large upfront investment.
Implementing VDI requires significant investment in infrastructure, including servers, storage systems, virtualization software, and network infrastructure. - Operational complexity.
Deploying VDI can be complex and requires a team with specialized knowledge and know-how. IT administrators need a deep understanding of virtualization technologies, networking, and storage. Training and help desk resources increase the overall complexity of IT operations. - Suboptimal user experience.
Users experience login delays, performance differences, and compatibility issues with peripherals like webcams, microphones, printers, etc. Along with the inherent delays in transmitting data over the network, these issues can have a negative impact on user productivity.
While VDI has its advantages in certain situations, today's alternatives to VDI may offer more flexible and efficient solutions. With 80-90% of applications in most organizations today being web-based, these organizations could potentially reduce their reliance on VDI and its associated costs by 80% or more.
Now let's consider alternatives.
Alternative 1: Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS)
Like VDI, Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) allows you to deliver virtualized desktops and applications to end users, but what distinguishes DaaS from VDI is that it is a cloud service where the hosting and management is largely handled by a third party.
What DaaS offers
Ease of deployment, scalability and dynamic pricing make DaaS a viable option for organizations considering migrating from VDI.
The advantages of DaaS over VDI are:
- Ease of implementation.
Because DaaS solutions are managed in the cloud by a third-party provider, companies don't need to invest in and manage complex infrastructure, reducing the time, effort, and cost required to operate resources. - Scalability.
DaaS allows enterprises to easily add or remove virtual desktops without being constrained by physical hardware, especially in businesses with fluctuating user demands and constantly changing workloads that may require scaling up or scaling down resources. - cost.
Organizations typically expect a usage-based pricing model, where costs scale with the number of users and workflows. Unlike VDI, there are no baseline costs as the DaaS provider manages the infrastructure for you.
These benefits have made DaaS an attractive option in recent years for businesses looking to leverage the flexibility of virtual desktops without the complexity and capital expenditures associated with self-hosted VDI.
The limitations of DaaS
DaaS has some limitations that organizations should consider.
- Limited customization: Although DaaS allows for some degree of customization, unlike VDI, which offers more control over the desktop environment, it may not address the specific needs of businesses that require highly specialized configurations and software environments.
- Data sovereignty and compliance issues: Depending on where your DaaS provider's data centers are located, data sovereignty and compliance with local data protection regulations may be concerns.
- Long-term costs: Although DaaS can reduce upfront costs, the consumption-based pricing model can lead to increased operational costs in the long term. Additionally, cost optimization is a real concern.
DaaS is a valuable solution for many scenarios, but given its limitations, what are your other options?
Alternative 2: Application Virtualization
Application Virtualization (sometimes called Published Applications) is a different approach to virtualization that does away with the full desktop experience. When a user launches an application virtualization, only the application's window is streamed from the virtualization service. This model is ideal for scenarios where users want to mix locally installed applications and application virtualization.
Similar to DaaS, virtualized applications allow users to access the applications from any device.
What does application virtualization offer?
Like DaaS, virtualized applications eliminate the need for VDI infrastructure and administrators can take advantage of centralized management for quick and seamless deployment.
Virtualized applications offer several advantages over traditional VDI:
- Flexibility: Virtualized applications can run legacy applications across different platforms and operating systems, reducing compatibility issues and increasing operational flexibility. This allows businesses to continue using essential legacy software on modern systems without major re-architecture.
- Scalability: Virtualized applications are easy to scale because additional instances can be deployed quickly from a centralized management console. This scalability is crucial for businesses with fluctuating demands, as application resources can be adjusted quickly without major investments or downtime.
- Management and maintenance: Application virtualization centralizes software updates and maintenance, simplifying the management process. IT can deploy patches and updates to one central location instead of to individual desktops, ensuring consistency across the organization and reducing the administrative burden.
These advantages make application virtualization a compelling alternative to traditional VDI, offering greater flexibility, cost-efficiency and scalability while maintaining or even enhancing security and management capabilities.
The Limitations of Application Virtualization
Application virtualization also has some drawbacks:
- Compatibility issues: Not all applications are suitable for virtualization. Some complex software, especially software that relies heavily on hardware integration (such as graphical or CAD software), may not work well or may be incompatible with virtualization platforms, resulting in limited functionality or reduced performance.
- Administrative overhead: While application virtualization reduces IT administration in some ways, it can also add complexity. Managing application virtualization deployments in addition to managing the OS and applications installed locally on the endpoints can increase the administrative burden on IT staff.
- Network Dependency: Like any form of virtualization, application virtualization is heavily dependent on network connectivity. Poor connectivity or low bandwidth can cause latency issues that impact user experience and productivity, especially for data-intensive applications.
Alternative 3: Enterprise Browsers
VDI, DaaS and application virtualization still have their drawbacks, so we explore another option: the enterprise browser.
An enterprise browser is a specialized web browser designed specifically for use in corporate environments to enhance security, manageability and productivity across an organization. It works just like a typical browser, but also integrates directly with corporate management tools and policies, allowing IT to control browser settings, manage application access and enforce security policies.
Enterprise browsers help employees access the web safely and efficiently, while providing the tools they need to monitor usage, block malicious websites, and ensure corporate data is protected while online.
What enterprise browsers offer
Enterprise browsers offer several advantages over VDI and the other alternatives mentioned above. Compared to VDI for accessing SaaS and web applications, enterprise browsers Reduce costs by up to 80% or more It also enhances productivity, improves user experience, and is Secure By Design.
Let's explore all the advantages of enterprise browsers compared to other options:
- Reduces the cost and complexity ofVDI infrastructure: Traditional VDI requires extensive server infrastructure and hosting costs, plus bandwidth, storage and maintenance. In contrast, Enterprise Browser shifts the workload to the endpoint browser and enables efficient cloud-based management.
- Reduced Licensing Costs: Unlike VDI solutions that incur significant costs for platform licenses and additional licenses for operating systems and endpoint agents, an enterprise browser can significantly reduce these costs by reducing the need for VDI by 80-90 %.
- Enhanced Security and Workflow Optimization: Enterprise browsers enable IT and security teams to secure the environment while implementing appropriate controls for application access and data protection. At the same time, enterprise browsers optimize and automate common workflows, providing true productivity gains for users.
- Audit: The enterprise browser enables IT and security departments to audit critical web application activity and provide detailed insights combined with user identity to ensure compliance and assist with incident resolution.
- Optimized User Experience: The enterprise browser does not require a virtualization layer to access applications, resulting in fast performance and frictionless performance. The user experience is similar to other browsers such as Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, making it easy for users to switch.
The Future of Enterprise Browsers: Island
Island, the enterprise browser, is designed to enhance enterprise security and compliance while improving manageability and user experience.
Here are some key aspects of Island that distinguish it from VDI and alternatives:
- Enhanced Security: Island comes with built-in security features that protect browser components and implement advanced defenses against common threats, thus strengthening your organization's overall security posture.
- Compliance and Control: The browser allows for strict enforcement of compliance policies directly through its interface, ensuring all browsing activity adheres to corporate standards and regulatory requirements.
- Seamless Integration and Management: Island easily integrates into existing IT infrastructure and allows for centralized management of browser policies, updates and security protocols, simplifying IT administration.
- Reduced infrastructure and costs: By potentially replacing or replacing a variety of tools, including VDI and DaaS, VPN and ZTNA, RBI and password managers, Island reduces the cost and complexity associated with maintaining multiple security and access solutions.
- Enhanced User Experience: Island offers a clean, performance-first browsing experience with a familiar user interface. It comes with built-in productivity tools like an AI assistant, password manager, and clipboard manager to increase efficiency and user satisfaction.
- Reduced Licensing Costs: Reducing reliance on traditional VDI and related platforms significantly reduces costs associated with software licenses and operational expenses.
- Effective monitoring: IT and security teams can leverage advanced monitoring capabilities that provide detailed insight into web activity, along with tools to ensure compliance and resolve incidents quickly.
Island's Enterprise Browser is ideal for organizations looking to securely streamline access to the web and applications without the complexity and high costs associated with traditional virtual desktop infrastructure.
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