I wrote a blog a few days ago that I wanted to modify because I didn’t get it right. \u00a0First of all, please note that everything I write here are my own thoughts and not those of my employer.<\/p>\n
This article is about Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), end user computing, Desktop As a Service (DaaS), or whatever you want to call it. \u00a0Its very relevant to many organizations today and there are a lot of great solutions and people very vested in it. \u00a0Is this the year of the virtual desktop? \u00a0It is to some people! \u00a0To other people, it was 4 years ago and what’s the big deal? \u00a0But to some organizations, its not going to happen ever because there’s no use case.<\/p>\n
What problems VDI solves<\/strong><\/p>\n Let’s think about the problems VDI solves. \u00a0It gives us our enterprise environment remotely and allows Desktop support to control the image that workers get. \u00a0That’s what it does, not the problem it solves. \u00a0The problem it solves is giving us our enterprise applications anywhere. \u00a0You see, many of us could care less about having our mandated enterprise environment. \u00a0When I worked for my formal employer, the first thing I did when I got my corporate issued laptop was to promptly erase their blessed image install the whole thing from scratch. \u00a0Wipe it out, get rid of employer stuff and put Linux on it. \u00a0Then I was in control. \u00a0Then I’d worry about getting the apps on that I needed and used and not everything else that I didn’t need.<\/p>\n Desktop support probably didn’t like that, but I never called or used them and they never called or used me. \u00a0I got the apps I wanted and whenever I gave a presentation, I never had a little window at the bottom prompt me that my computer needed to reboot in 10 minutes to install some extremely important updates. \u00a0We lived separate happy lives.<\/p>\n Desktop support is not evil. \u00a0They need to control the operating system image to ensure the applications could run and run securely. \u00a0Plus they aren’t catering to people like me. \u00a0They’re catering to people who just want to get things done and not mess with things like I do. \u00a0 So when you look at what VDI is today, its extending Desktop Support’s control into a virtual image. \u00a0I think this is great! \u00a0Then I can run my own image and whenever I need my corporate apps, I can log into a VDI image. \u00a0Perfect.<\/p>\n Why VDI is temporary for most Enterprises<\/strong><\/p>\n But, VDI in most cases is a patch, or a temporary solution to getting today’s legacy applications to enterprise users. \u00a0Here’s where it works very well: \u00a0If you have an application that was written for Windows XP or Windows 7, then creating a virtual desktop to serve those apps can be very effective. \u00a0But applications have changed. \u00a0Most of my applications I use are web based. \u00a0I still use Excel, \u00a0and PowerPoint, but I store those now in Box<\/a> that my company provided me as a secure place to put them. \u00a0(Think: DropBox for corporations)<\/p>\n My Desktop support is now application support. \u00a0They make applications available to me and I can use whatever device I want to access them. \u00a0 They now have even greater control: \u00a0When my corporate support team updates our configuration tool that I use to create build of materials (BoM) for my customers, they control upgrades and revisions. \u00a0I never have to do it on my laptop. \u00a0Even if I liked the old way better, I have no control. \u00a0Application support now has more control than ever and ensures no one is running older apps. \u00a0Its great! \u00a0(You may have seen people complain against the new Facebook layout in the past. \u00a0Nothing they can do, because its not an app they run on their desktop)<\/p>\n Applications continue to migrate this way. \u00a0No one is continuing to build the next great desktop application. \u00a0They’re looking to make applications that run anywhere on anything. \u00a0Even Microsoft Office runs on my iPad!<\/p>\n In fact, if you look at it: \u00a0Desktop support (newly rechristened as : Application support) is actually getting more control while I feel like I’m getting more control! \u00a0What a great arrangement for two type-A personalities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Skipping VDI\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I thought\u00a0about\u00a0this a little bit over the last few years but it wasn’t made super clear to me until about 2 weeks ago.\u00a0\u00a0I happened upon a visit to a little known school district in the mountains of Utah.\u00a0\u00a0Davis County\u00a0<\/a>school district<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0is the most advanced public school district I have ever seen.\u00a0\u00a0I was blown away.\u00a0\u00a0We started out talking about their applications and data center plans.\u00a0\u00a0Mark Reid, the IT director, and several of his coworkers have been at the school district for the last 30 years.\u00a0\u00a0Its a testament to see what the power of vision and long standing partnerships can achieve.\u00a0\u00a0From the very beginning they’ve been writing their own applications to deliver IT services to the district.<\/p>\n Unlike many of the IT shops that I work with, Davis County employees a staff of developers that churn out their own applications for the school district.\u00a0\u00a0From payroll, to financial, to grades they are doing it.\u00a0\u00a0In fact, they even have an application\u00a0myDSD<\/a>\u00a0that allows you to log in from the web or even on your iPhone or Android to check grades, notify if your child will be absent from school, and pretty much anything else you might need from a school district.\u00a0\u00a0Wow.\u00a0\u00a0 I bet your school district doesn’t have anything like that.<\/p>\n The applications speak to each other through different software layers and protocols but they all come back to an Oracle RAC cluster.\u00a0\u00a0This is where all the data is consolidated and backed up. They’ve already got Office 365 for the students out there.<\/p>\n During our meeting, one of the people in the room asked if Davis County School District was thinking about VDI.\u00a0\u00a0Before Mark could answer, I already knew:\u00a0\u00a0They didn’t have legacy apps.\u00a0\u00a0There was no reason to deliver a virtual desktop.\u00a0\u00a0All the applications could be accessed from the web or iOS\/Android clients.\u00a0\u00a0You see, if you already have apps that can live anywhere, you don’t need to serve a special desktop image.<\/p>\n