Considerations for a Move to Virtual Desktops
What strategic, technical, and support implications should be considered in support of a move to VDI or DaaS?
- Hybrid work environments, remote from anywhere and any device, and the security concerns that go hand-in-hand with these strategies have accelerated the move to VDI and DaaS.
- IT departments can encounter many obstacles to VDI and DaaS, many of which will be determined by your business model and other factors, including complicated shared infrastructure, inadequate training or insufficient staff, and security and compliance concerns.
- If you do not consider how your end user will be impacted, you will run into multiple issues that affect end-user satisfaction, productivity, and adoption.
- How will you manage and navigate the right solution for your organization?
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- In the world of VDI and DaaS, if you do not get buy-in from the end user, the rate of adoption and the overall success of the implementation will prove difficult to measure. It will be impossible to calculate ROI even as you feel the impact of your TCO.
Impact and Result
- The dimensions of end-user experience can be broken down into four distinct categories that will impact not only the end user but also the business: performance, availability, functionality, and security.
- Picturing your landscape in this framework will help clearly define your considerations when deciding on whether a VDI or DaaS solution is right for your business.
Considerations for a Move to Virtual Desktops
What strategic, technical, and support implications should be considered in support of a move to VDI or DaaS?
Executive Summary
Insight
End-user experience is your #1 consideration
Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)/desktop as a service (DaaS) users expect their user experience to be at least equal to that provided by a physical PC, and they do not care about the underlying infrastructure. If the experience is less, then IT has failed in the considerations for VDI/ DaaS. In this research we analyze the data that the IT industry tracks but doesn't use or sometimes even look at regarding user experience (UX).
Identify the gaps in your IT resources that are critical to success
Understanding the strengths and weaknesses in your in-house technical skills and business requirements will assist you in making the right decision when it comes to VDI or DaaS solutions. In the case of DaaS this will include a managed service provider for small to medium-sized IT teams. Many IT teams lack a seasoned IT project manager who can identify gaps, risks, and weaknesses in the organization's preparedness. Redeploy your IT staff to new roles that impact management and monitoring of UX.
IT should think about VDI and DaaS solutions
Ultimately, IT needs to reduce its complexity, increase user satisfaction, reduce management and storage costs, and maintain a secure and effective environment for both the end user and the business. They must also ensure productivity standards throughout the considerations, strategically, tactically, and in support of a move to a VDI or DaaS solution.
Executive Summary
| Your Challenge With the evolution of VDI over the last 15-plus years, there has been a proliferation of solutions, such as Citrix desktop services, VMware Horizon, and in-house hypervisor solutions (e.g. ESX hosts). There has also been a great deal of growth and competition of DaaS and SaaS solutions in the cloud space. Hybrid work environments, remote from anywhere and any device, and the security concerns that go hand-in-hand with these strategies have certainly accelerated the move to VDI and DaaS. How will you manage and navigate the right solution for your organization? | Common Obstacles IT departments can encounter many obstacles to VDI and DaaS, many of which will be determined by your business model and other factors, such as:
| Info-Tech’s Approach By defining your end goals, framing solutions based on end-user workloads, and understanding the pros and cons of what solution(s) will meet your needs, you can visualize what success looks like.
|
Info-Tech Insight
Every IT organization needs to be asking what success looks like. If you do not consider how your end user will be impacted, whether they are doing something as simple as holding a team meeting with voice and video or working with highly technical workloads on a virtual environment, you will run into multiple issues that affect end-user satisfaction, productivity, and adoption. Understand the tension metrics that may conflict with meeting business objectives and KPIs.
Voice of the customer
Client-Driven InsightDifferent industries have different requirements and issues, so they look at solutions differently. Info-Tech InsightIf end-user experience is at the forefront of business requirements, then any solution that fits the business KPIs can be successful. |
|
The enterprise end-user compute landscape is changing
Surveys are telling us a story
Questions you should be asking before you create your RFP
| How would you rate the user experience on your VDI/DaaS solution?
Info-Tech InsightAsking critical use-case questions should give you a clear picture of the end-user experience outcome. |
End-user KPI metrics are difficult to gather
Security is always quoted as a primary justification for VDI/DaaS, while UX is far down the list of KPIs. WHY?IT engineers use network and performance metrics to manage end-user complaints of “slowness,” which in reality is not what the user is experiencing.IT needs to invest in more meaningful metrics to manage end-user pain:
|  (Source: Enterprise Strategy Group, 2020) |
Dimensions of user experience
The dimensions of end-user experience can be broken down into four distinct categories that will impact not only the end user but also the business. Picturing your landscape in this framework will help clearly define your considerations when deciding on whether a VDI or DaaS solution is right for your business. We will investigate how these scenarios impact the end user, what that means, and how that can guide the questions that you are asking as you move to an RFP. Info-Tech InsightIn the world of VDI and DaaS, if you do not get buy-in from the end user, the rate of adoption and the overall success of the implementation will prove difficult to measure. It will be impossible to calculate ROI even as you feel the impact of your TCO.
|  |
KPIs and metrics
What IT measuresMost business KPI objectives concentrate on business goals, whether it be cost containment, security, simplification, ease of management, or centralization of apps and data, but rarely is there a KPI for end-user experience. You can’t fix what you can’t see. Putting a cost benefit to end-user satisfaction may come in the form of productivity. This may be a central reason why VDI has not been widely adopted as an architecture since it came to the marketplace more than 15 years ago. |  |
VDI processes to monitor
Monitoring end-user metrics will mitigate the tension between business KPIs and end-user satisfaction
Metric | Description | ||
End-User | PERFORMANCE | Logon duration | Once the user puts in their password, how long does it take to get to their desktop? What is the measurement and how do you measure? |
| App load time | When an app is launched by the user there should be immediate indication that it is loading. | ||
| App response time | When the user performs a task, there should be no wait time, or hourglass icon, waiting for the app to catch up to the user input. (There is no succinct way to measure this.) | ||
| Session response time | How does the user’s OS respond to I/O? The user should not experience any latency issues when doing a drag and drop, clicking on a menu item, or doing a search. | ||
| AVAILABILITY | SLAs | When something goes wrong in the VDI/DaaS environment, how quickly can the user expect to get back to their tasks? | |
| Geographic location | When all other considerations are configured correctly, the user experience may be impacted by their location. So, for example, a user working out of Mexico and logging into a VDI may experience latency based on location compared to a user in California, for example, where the resources are stored, managed, and monitored. | ||
| Application availability | Much like app load time and response time, the only factor affecting the user experience is the back-end load on the app itself, for example a CAD or heavy resource app not properly resourced. | ||
| FUNCTIONALITY | Configuration of user desktop | Degradation in functionality is caused by improper allocation of CPU, RAM, and GPU for the tasks at hand, creating a bad UX and end-user satisfaction score. | |
| Graphics quality and responsiveness | The user should have the same experience as if on their own physical machine. A video experience should not have any lag in it, for example. MS Teams should not have latency or sound quality issues. | ||
| Predictive analysis | Continuous performance and availability monitoring. | ||
| END USER | Browser real user monitoring (RUM) | A real-time view into how the web application is performing from the point of view of a real end user. | |
| Customer satisfaction score | Survey-based metrics on customer satisfaction. | ||
“If employees are the competitive edge and key differentiator for a business, I&O has a duty of care to ensure that the employees’ digital experience enables and does not impede the value of that asset.” (John Annand, Principal Director, Info-Tech Research Group)
The case for VDI today
Is security and data sovereignty the only reason?
| Technical capability | |
| AVAILABILITY | VDI is a better fit than DaaS in organizations that have limited or unreliable internet connectivity. |
| FUNCTIONALITY | Application flexibility: Resource-intensive applications may require specific virtual desktop configurations, for example in-house GIS apps, CAD, and gaming software requiring specific GPU configurations. |
| SECURITY | Data protection is often stated as a need to maintain an on-premises VDI solution, ensuring sensitive and highly privileged data does not travel across the internet. |
| AVAILABILITY | While some cloud providers will allow you to bring your OS licensing along with a cloud migration, many subscriptions already include OS licensing, and you may be paying additional licensing costs. |
| SECURITY | VDI makes sense if security and control are primary business KPIs, the IT resources are experienced virtual infrastructure engineers and administrators, and funding is not a hindrance. |
| PERFORMANCE | When processing power is a functional requirement, such as CPU, GPU, and storage capacity, VDI offers performance benefits over a standard PC, reducing the need to deploy high-powered PCs to end users. |
“Though the desktops are moving to the cloud, accountability is not.” (Gary Bea, Director of Consulting Services and Technical Operations, Goliath Technologies)
The case for DaaS
Any device anywhere: key benefits of DaaS
| Technical capability | Challenges | |
| AVAILABILITY | Delivers a consistent user experience regardless of location or device. | Info-Tech InsightThe total cost of the solution will be higher than you anticipate, and management is complex. Additionally, your ability to set your conditions and controls is limited. Info-Tech InsightDepending on your technical abilities and experience with cloud services, you will likely benefit from professional third-party services, technical services, and consulting, which can be critical when deciding if DaaS can fit into your current IT architecture, processes, and security posture. |
| SECURITY | Enhances security posture by eliminating your client VPN and keeping sensitive data off the endpoint device. | |
| FUNCTIONALITY | Onboard and offboard users quickly and securely. | |
| FUNCTIONALITY | Provides centralize workspace management. | |
| FUNCTIONALITY | Scale up or down on demand with a consumption- and subscription-based contract. | |
| FUNCTIONALITY | Significantly reduce operational overhead compared to managing a traditional VDI deployment. |
Technical capability comparison
X as an endpoint client
From an end-user experience perspective, what makes sense in terms of usage and cost?
Thin Client
| Desktop as a Service
| Thick Client
| Device as a Service
| Web Client
|
Security: on-premises versus cloud
Security decisions based on risk tolerance
- What is your risk tolerance? When deciding between VDI and DaaS, the first consideration is whether the business is better served with an on-premises or a cloud solution.
- Low risk tolerance: Considerer data sovereignty, complex compliance requirements, and data classification. For example, at the Pentagon, DoD requires heavy compliance with security and data sovereignty. DaaS cloud providers may be in a better position to respond to threats and attacks in a timely manner.
- Low risk tolerance: If the business mandates security tools that cannot be deployed in cloud solutions, VDI is a better solution.
- Low risk tolerance: Smaller businesses that don’t have resources with the expertise and skill set to handle security are better served in cloud. Security operations centers (SOCs) are more likely to present in large corporations.
- Low risk tolerance: When patching requires customization, for example in legacy applications, the ability to test patches is impacted, which may cause possible complications or failures.
- High risk tolerance: For cloud-based solutions, patching is taken out of the IT team’s hands, and testing is done against the complete cloud solution.
Info-Tech Insight
What is the better security posture and control plane? Clarify your stakeholders’ objectives, then see if VDI is an adequate solution.
Security needs for VDI and DaaS
- IDENTITY AND ACCESS MANAGEMENT — MFA, authorization, provisioning, SSO, identity federation, data owners, workflows, role-based access control (RBAC), user lifecycle management
- ENCRYPTION — TLS 1.3, and 256-bit, endpoint encryption, file encryption, AES, PKI, BitLocker
- DATA LOSS PREVENTION — Centralized policy management, sensitive data detection, HIPAA, GDPR
- ANTIVIRUS & PATCH MANAGEMENT — Group policy management, AV exclusions, anti-ransomware, keylogger mitigation
- DDoS protection — HTTP, UDP flood mitigation, content delivery network, always-on services
- ENDPOINT DETECTION & RESPONSE — Detect and react to advanced active attacks on endpoints
Activity
Define the virtual infrastructure solution for your end users
- Define and build your value hypothesis/proposition
- What is the business case? Who is championing the investment?
- Identify the project management team and stakeholders.
- Set goals to be achieved based on value.
- Identify KPIs and metrics to measure success.
- Identify use cases and personas
- Identify possible user friction (e.g. emotional, cognitive, interaction).
- Understand current infrastructure shortcomings/capabilities (e.g. network, security posture/tolerance, staffing needs, qualified technicians, end-user devices).
- Articulate use cases into functional and nonfunctional requirements
- Separate must haves and nice to haves.
- Categorize requirements into identifiable functionality capabilities.
- Review your outputs and identify “gotchas” using the MECE (mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive) principle.
Related Info-Tech Research
 | Modernize and Transform Your End-User Computing Strategy Phase 3.2 of this research set covers virtual desktop infrastructure. |
 | Implement Desktop Virtualization and Transition to Everything as a Service Follow Info-Tech’s process for implementing the right desktop virtualization solution to create a project plan that will help ensure that you not only choose the right solution but also implement it effectively. |
 | Cloud Strategy Workbook Use this tool to assess cloud services (desktop-as-a-service). |
| Desktop Virtualization TCO Calculator This tool is designed to help you understand what desktop virtualization looks like from a cost perspective. |
Bibliography
Anderson, Joseph. “Five Ways VDI Will Grow in 2022 Thanks to Hybrid Work.” StratoDesk, 28 Feb. 2022. Web.
Bowker, Mark. “Are Desktops Doomed? Trends in Digital Workspaces, VDI, and DaaS.” ESG, May 2020. Web.
“The CISO's Dilemma: How Chief Information Security Officers Are Balancing Enterprise Endpoint Security and Worker Productivity in Response to COVID-19.” Hysolate, Oct. 2020. Web.
King, Val. “Why the End-User Experience Is Not Good for Your Remote Workforce .” Whitehat Virtual Technologies, 2 Dec. 2021. Web.
Perry, Yifat. “VDI vs DaaS: 5 Key Differences and 6 Leading Solutions.” NetApp, 26 Aug. 2020. Web.
Rigg, Christian. “Best virtual desktop services 2022.” TechRadar, 20 Jan. 2022 . Web.
Seget, Vladan. “Key metrics to consider when assessing the performance of your VDI/DaaS environment.” vladan.fr, 19 April 2021. Web.
Spruijt, Ruben. “Why Should You Care About VDI and Desktop-as-a-Service?” Nutanix, 28 Jan. 2020. Web.
Stowers, Joshua. “The Best Desktop as a Service (DaaS) Providers 2022.” business.com, 21 Dec. 2021. Web.
“Virtual Desktop Infrastructure(VDI) Market 2022.” MarketWatch, 5 Jan. 2022. Web. Press release.
Zamir, Tal. “VDI Security Best Practices: Busting the Myths.” Hysolate, 29 Nov. 2021. Web.
Zychowicz, Paul. “Why do virtual desktop deployments fail?” Turbonomic Blog, 16 Dec. 2016. Web.
About Info-Tech
Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.
We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.
What Is a Blueprint?
A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.
Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.
Talk to an Analyst
Our analyst calls are focused on helping our members use the research we produce, and our experts will guide you to successful project completion.
Book an Analyst Call on This Topic
You can start as early as tomorrow morning. Our analysts will explain the process during your first call.
Get Advice From a Subject Matter Expert
Each call will focus on explaining the material and helping you to plan your project, interpret and analyze the results of each project step, and set the direction for your next project step.
Unlock Sample Research
Modernize and Transform Your End-User Computing Strategy
Establish a Communication and Collaboration System Strategy
M&A Runbook for Infrastructure and Operations
Build a Digital Workspace Strategy
Stabilize Infrastructure & Operations During Work-From-Anywhere
Considerations for a Move to Virtual Desktops
2020 Enterprise Collaboration Tools: Market Trends and Buyer’s Guide
Simplify Remote Deployment With Zero-Touch Provisioning