The rapid shift to flexible and remote work models has led to explosive growth and evolution in virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) platforms over the last few years.
As a tech professional myself immersed in managing endpoints and data security for global companies, I have seen VDI adoption accelerate first-hand. The COVID-19 pandemic was an undeniable catalyst with companies forced to mobilize workforces almost overnight.
IT teams had to scramble to provide quick and secure remote access to applications and resources for employees stranded at home outside the corporate firewall. This underscored vulnerabilities in existing desktop management strategies centered around fixed in-office setups. VDI provided a cloud-based alternative to transform endpoints by virtualizing desktops along with critical tools completely online.
For employees as well, VDI unlocked newfound flexibility to be productive from anywhere using personal devices. The benefits spanning cost, security and mobility made the solutions a vital digital transformation enabler.
Overview of Cloud Hosted Virtual Desktop Capabilities
At their core, these next-gen VDI solutions essentially provide desktop environments hosted on cloud infrastructure rather than local devices. This architecture shifts compute, data and application access completely online in a secure and managed fashion.
Let‘s quickly recap the multitude of advantages and capabilities that makes "desktops as a service" invaluable for modern businesses:
Enhanced Security
- With no data on endpoints, information remains protected if devices are lost or stolen
- Centrally managed by IT from the cloud rather than dispersed systems
Increased Mobility and Flexibility
- Workers can leverage personal laptops, tablets and smartphones
- Anytime, anywhere access fueling "work from anywhere" policies
Easy Scalability
- Cloud infrastructure allows seamlessly adding desktops to match business growth and employee onboarding
- Avoid overprovisioning costs associated with traditional VDI setups
Greater Reliability and Availability
- Enterprise grade redundancy and uptime from cloud datacenters
Streamlined Compliance
- Cloud providers continuously maintain compliance with regulations
Predictable Cost Model
- Subscription pricing per user basis rather than huge upfront VDI deployment outlays
This new breed of VDI solutions effectively serves as centralized and secure "workspaces in the cloud" accessible across devices. It steamlines IT management with automation while unlocking unprecedented flexibility for distributed workforces.
However, as companies navigate dozens of options it can get challenging finding offerings matching specific needs around performance, security, devices and use cases spanning general office workloads to graphics and application development.
This comprehensive guide will cover:
- The top VDI solutions in 2023 tailored to various business needs
- Detailed side-by-side analysis across evaluation criteria
- Implementation best practices from my decade as an IT consultant
- Emerging trends advancing VDI tech
Let‘s get started!
Leading General Purpose Virtual Desktop Solutions
These robust all-round VDI platforms cater to typical business productivity workloads across office suites, CRM software, analytics tools and more.
V2 Cloud: Cost-Effective Desktop-as-a-Service
Key Capabilities:
Multi-user Windows 10 desktops
Microsoft Office 365 bundled by default
MFA support and Active Directory integration
Live monitoring and 24×7 expert support
Ideal For:
SMBs and teams needing a fast and economical cloud desktop solution
Amazon WorkSpaces: Fully Managed Desktops on AWS Cloud
Key Capabilities:
Provision Windows or Linux desktops
Encrypts data in transit and at rest
WAM for managing apps and policies
Integrates with AWS cloud infrastructure
Ideal For:
Enterprises already leveraging AWS that want cloud desktops fully handled
Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop: Scalable VDI for Azure Cloud
Key Capabilities:
Windows 10 multi-session experience
Unified management across apps and desktops
Optimized for Microsoft 365 and Azure workloads
Load balancing and autoscaling
Ideal For:
Mid-size and large companies invested in Microsoft software and cloud
Personal Cloud Computers for Individuals
For freelancers, creators and remote workers that don‘t need multi-user environments, personal cloud desktop solutions provide powerful alternatives.
Shells: Cloud Computer Accessible from Anywhere
Key Capabilities:
Dedicated cloud compute resources
Automatic backups and upgrades
Accessible through browsers and mobile devices
End-to-end encryption
Ideal For:
Remote employees, gig workers, freelance designers/artists needing personalized environment
Kamatera: Ultra High Performance Cloud Desktop
Let‘s look at virtual desktop solutions purpose built for more demanding graphics workloads and compute requirements…
Specialized Platforms
While the general productivity platforms provide robust VDI for typical office use cases, more specialized alternatives cater to graphics, engineering and development scenarios.
Flaneer Cloud Workstation: Optimized for Creative Applications
Key Capabilities:
Graphics cards and vCPU options for media workflows
Fast remote visualization protocols
HD video playback and multi-monitor support
Suite of preloaded creative tools and apps
Ideal For:
Animation studios, VFX teams and video production houses
Microsoft Dev Box: Cloud Development Environment
Let‘s examine the key players in this segment:
Flaneer
I have personally advised engineering teams in migrating CAD and simulation workloads to Flaneer during a digital transformation project. The combination of CPUs optimized for visualization coupled with high speed networking makes interactive workflows possible even remotely.
It shines for creative use cases as well given the spectrum of graphics cards and vRAM configurations available on demand. Media production teams can leverage the cloud platform to burst render intensive video projects.
Flaneer does this while maintaining enterprise grade security and compliance being hosted on AWS datacenters. This proved vital for product companies working in highly regulated domains like medical devices.
Microsoft Dev Box
Purpose built for coders, Microsoft Dev Box creates cloud-hosted sandboxed environments for developers. It comes preloaded with the entire gamut of popular languages and toolkits like .NET, Visual Studio, C++, Java, Node.js and more. Additional services like Azure Database and GitHub integration aids spinning up proof of concepts rapidly.
The auto shutdown and custom policy safeguards make DevBox easy for IT teams within larger enterprises to manage as well. Developers get the flexibility without needing elevated production infrastructure access.
Comparing Leading Solutions Across Key Criteria
Let‘s dive deeper to contrast the various VDI options across core aspects like security, device support, scalability and pricing. This matrix analysis will help determine alignment with specific requirements.
Security and Protocol Comparison
| Platform | Encryption | Permissions | Protocols | Compliance Certs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V2 Cloud | AES + TLS | Role based | HTML5 | ISO 27001 |
| AWS WorkSpaces | KMS + TLS | Identity based | PCoIP, WorkSpaces Streaming | SOC, PCI DSS, HIPAA |
| Azure Virtual Desktop | BitLocker | Conditional access | RDP, MSFT Teams | Over 90 compliances |
| Shells | Zero-trust model | Strict resource based | WebRTC | SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR |
Access and Device Support
| Platform | Windows | Linux | Mac | iOS/iPadOS | Android | Supported Browsers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V2 Cloud | ✅ | ✅ | Apps available | Apps available | Safari, Chrome, Edge | |
| Microsoft WVD | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Native client | Native client | IE11+, Safari, Chrome, Edge |
| Shells | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Via SwiftLink app | Via SwiftLink app | Chrome, Firefox |
Scalability and Global Infrastructure
| Platform | Scalability | Load Balancing | Regions/Data Centers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon WorkSpaces | Elastic, pay-as-you-go | Built-in | Available in 14 AWS regions currently |
| Azure Virtual Desktop | Autoscaling tool | Microsoft optimized | 54 Azure cloud datacenter regions |
| Flaneer | Adjust compute resources without rebuilding | Round robin | Hosted on AWS datacenters. Available wherever AWS is deployed |
Cost and Pricing Models
VDI solutions provide immense cost efficiency, especially when adopting cloud hosted options rather than maintaining on-prem infrastructure. The subscription models allow better aligning expenses to business activity and teams.
| Platform | Pricing Model | Cost SavingsExample (for 1000 users) |
|---|---|---|
| V2 Cloud | Per named user per month | Up to 50% savings vs traditional VDI |
| Amazon WorkSpaces | Per active user per month | Up to 60% savings in Total Cost of Ownership |
| Microsoft WVD | Per user per month + Azure consumption | Up to 30-40% lower TCO compared to physical desktops |
As the matrices indicate, a broad spectrum of capabilities and configurations exist making it feasible to find platforms tailored to use cases.
Next let‘s discuss best practices once options are selected to ensure smooth onboarding.
Recommendations for Successful Implementation
Migrating workflows fully into virtual environments enables digital transformation but also brings change management considerations given shifts in end user experiences, provisioning processes and network architecture.
Here are best practice guidelines for rollout based on lessons learned advising Fortune 2000 CIOs on VDI adoption:
Kickoff with Thorough Assessments
Map out precisely which user groups rely on which applications and tools day-to-day across Windows, Linux and Mac environments if applicable. Any specialized software needs? Particular data repositories or network drives accessed? These inputs help appropriately size and customize platforms.
Validate Options via Free Trials
Most vendors offer free trials for hands-on evaluation. Assess ease of onboarding, available computing configurations, tool installation, productivity experience and more. Measure speed and latency for a factual benchmark.
Initiate as a Small Pilot
Rather than directly transitioning the entire workforce, start with rolling out virtual desktop access to a select job function for feedback testing. Examples could be your Marketing group comprising both creative designers and content producers working across multiple project filerespos and apps.
Evaluate Licensing Costs
Account for the reality of repurchasing some software licenses if tools don‘t allow multi-user remote access via existing licenses. Factor any additional licensing expenses into cost analysis.
Enable Single Sign-On
Rather than an entirely separate credentials system to further manage, ensure VDI supports integration with identity providers like Okta for smoother access. Leverage existing Active Directory and policies for continuity.
Train Employees on Evolved Experiences
Make sure transition guides, tutorials, townhalls and docs thoroughly demonstrate updated workflows, accessibility across devices, advanced features, how data gets synced and saved. Reduce friction with cultural and mindset shifts brought by digital transformation.
While the post so far provides a comprehensive overview of the best VDI solutions today, rapid innovation is the hallmark of cloud-hosted technologies. Let‘s glimpse what frontier advancements will further boost virtual desktop capabilities over the horizon.
Cutting Edge Technology Advancing VDI
AI-Driven Operational Automation
Platforms are building integrated artificial intelligence capabilities for everything from predictive autoscaling to self-healing ensuring uptime and optimizing system configurations automatically for changing needs. This makes running at scale smoother despite complex dependencies.
Deeper Cloud Storage Access for Limitless Scale
With exponentially growing content libraries from 4K video to rich 3D world datasets, native integration with virtually unlimited cloud object stores rather than limited local storage futureproofs VDI accessibility and performance as needed for data-intensive digital workflows.
Multi-sensory Experiences Using AR/VR
Visualization refinement with high resolution Retina displays and Ultra HD output takes immersiveness up a notch. New specialized use cases leverage augmented reality and virtual reality to drive next-gen collaboration across dispersed teams. The emergence of real-time rendered fully virtual 3D workspaces herald unprecedented possibilities as well to redefine remote productivity.
The Future of Cloud Hosted Desktops is Bright
As per projections by Gartner, the total addressable market for cloud-hosted desktop and application services is expected to touch nearly $5 billion by 2025. This indicates massive headroom for growth as more mainstream adoption happens across SMBs and enterprises.
And beyond replacing traditional desktop uses, innovative applications can open entirely new opportunities:
- Startups building agile metaverse experiences optimized for access via virtual desktops rather than expensive specialized hardware
- Architects and contractors hosting building information modeling (BIM) data on cloud workstations for seamless site-to-office workflows
- Film production teams leveraging cloud native capabilities for security with massive media asset libraries
The permutations are endless when complementary technologies converge. What remains undisputed however is that the core value proposition of flexibility, mobility and centralized management that VDI solutions offer make them indispensable digital transformation workhorses for future ready organizations.
Key Takeaways
This extensive analysis of the top VDI solutions across seven major offerings today reveals:
- General purpose options like V2 Cloud and Amazon WorkSpaces are ideal for mainstream enterprise productivity use cases
- Specialized platforms cater to graphics and compute intensive applications needs for creators and engineers
- When evaluating choices, study technical capabilities mapped to precise workflows beyond just cost considerations
- Implementation best practices spanning small test pilots to training employees are vital for smooth user adoption
Businesses investing in cloud hosted digital infrastructure exemplified by modern virtual desktop platforms today, find themselves best positioned to continually evolve operating models and empower workforces into the future. Unconstrained by physical technology limitations, the only way forward is up.
So which solution stands out most to help drive your digital innovation dreams forward? Would be keen to hear your feedback and questions in comments below!
