What Is Desktop Virtualisation?

Desktop virtualisation defined

Desktop virtualisation separates a user’s logical desktop from their physical machine, allowing them to work remotely, securely, and flexibly, accessing their data and applications through a familiar environment. From a user’s perspective, their desktop has been digitised, stored, and made accessible online. Deploying desktop virtualisation for your business ensures that your workforce remains productive regardless of their physical location.

The virtual desktop can be secured in a cloud deployment or hosted internally, accessed through virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI).

Virtual machine vs Remote desktop

A virtual machine (VM) is essentially a software-defined PC. Remote desktop services go one step further, offering a standard desktop in addition to the experience of a VM. Understanding these nuances is key when implementing desktop virtualisation for your business.

Virtual machines

VMs offer the same kinds of resources as physical PCs. Processing power, RAM, and storage, are pulled from a server’s physical hardware by a hypervisor, allowing VMs to run specific tasks – including running remote desktops. The hypervisor then creates and runs ‘virtual machines’ that behave as a self-contained computing device.

Benefits of VMs:

• Users can run applications through virtual devices and drivers using server resources.
• Unlike a PC, hardware can be shared with others.
• VMs can undergo maintenance without interrupting the user experience.
• When compared with physical PCs, VMs offer a flexible solution at a potentially lower cost.

Remote desktop

Remote desktops offer a similar experience and provide access to the same resources as VMs, with an added component – a standard desktop. This is the critical difference between VMs and remote desktops. A remote desktop uses a familiar desktop interface to share server resources between users, which can be controlled by an internal IT policy, making it a robust form of desktop virtualisation for your business.

Benefits of a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)

The benefits of a virtual desktop are many, including secure remote access, enhanced flexibility, simplified maintenance, and centralised security. But perhaps the greatest strength of desktop virtualisation for your business is that it can bring resources physically closer together.

In the case of a virtual desktop, the resources used to process data can be located nearby—perhaps even on the same hardware as the data itself—which has the effect of speeding access and streamlining processing times. This is compared against a standard desktop, which may have to access data over an unstable connection from a server thousands of kilometres away.

Virtual desktop infrastructure can deliver an array of common computing resources to a large user base, while speeding up workflows and improving security. According to the Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop Overview, these environments allow for a more resilient and scalable IT posture.

Why we use Windows for Desktop Virtualisation

There is a vast range of VDI solutions on the market, but Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) is a popular choice for good reason. Microsoft’s offering works seamlessly with Microsoft 365 and Azure, providing a cohesive ecosystem for desktop virtualisation for your business.

WVD provides an improved user experience across identity and access, network security, data protection and compliance programs. It is also scalable and can be deployed across multiple desktops in Azure within minutes. At Orro, we specialize in tailoring these environments to ensure they meet your specific operational needs while reducing maintenance overheads.

If you are considering VDI as part of your IT Managed Services and want to learn more about how it works, we can help you navigate the complexities of desktop virtualisation for your business to ensure a seamless transition.