Desktop Virtualization Overview

onthenetOffice is a premier service provider in the field of Desktop Virtualization. We offer Desktop Virtualization as an alternative to a personal computer desktop environment. The virtualized desktop is unlike a physical machine. Rather than storing a desktop on a local computer, the Desktop Virtualization model stores a "virtualized" desktop on a remote central server. Users can connect to the desktop from a remote desktop client to access all of their programs, applications, processes, and data. This scenario allows users to access their desktops on any capable device, such as a traditional personal computer, notebook computer, smartphone, or thin client.

How Virtual Desktop Delivery Works

A Virtual Desktop is based on an interface that allows a server to deliver a virtual desktop to a remote client. With virtualization, users can access their virtual desktops from almost anywhere. For example, a desktop computer in the office, a PC in a remote location, or in any other convenient client. When connecting to the virtual desktop from a desktop computer at work, the user’s computer can be configured to automatically connect the user at startup. If the user is connecting to the virtual desktop from a home computer for remote desktop access, she can navigate to a web page that will connect her to her desktop. Authentication credentials will be collected and the user will be presented with the virtual desktop that is identical to her office desktop. This computing model enables desktop virtualization, encompassing the hardware and software the systems require to support the virtualized environment.

Desktop Delivery

Once the server identifies the user’s identity, her desktop environment is then delivered to her local computing system. As part of the authentication process, policies controlling the user’s environment can be applied to, for example, limit the user’s ability to upload files, or restrict access to other system components. This centralized desktop management and control of the desktop leverages the datacenter-to- desktop model to provide the virtualized desktop. Corporate data is centrally stored and managed at the data center. Data security, for example, confidential information, intellectual property, patient data, or other sensitive data is ensured. Additionally, users can gain remote desktop access to a corporate desktop and use virtual applications from anywhere, ensuring productivity.

Benefits

Desktop Virtualization offers many advantages over other models:

Shared Resources: Desktop virtualization takes advantage of the shared resources model such as by allowing each virtual desktop to operate as a completely self-contained unit with its own application programs. Overall hardware expenses may diminish as users can share resources allocated to them as they are needed rather than dedicating the resources as is common in a standard computer.

Reduced Downtime: A Virtualized desktop is hardware independent. Should a local computer fail, the computer can be replaced with another computer and the new computer can be used immediately to connect to the virtualized desktop. No restoration of data from backups is needed.

Desktop Image-Management Capabilities: A virtualized desktop can be cloned, saved, restored, backed up, and otherwise managed independent of the hardware that a user uses to connect to the virtualized desktop.

Secure Remote Access to an Enterprise Desktop Environment: Virtualization potentially improves the data integrity of user information because all data can be maintained and backed-up in the data center