What is Virtual Desktop Infrastructure?

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure or Virtual Desktop Interface (VDI) is designed to enable access to a virtualized desktop by using virtualization technology. Virtualized Desktop Infrastructure is hosted on a remote sever and offers service of virtualized desktop via internet. It involves all components such as software, hardware, and other resources for performing virtualization of a standard desktop.

VDI offers theoretically and ideally similar experience of a physical desktop. It allows users to access the desktop from remote location and by using variety of internet enabled devices such as laptops, tablets, desktops, or smart phones. This is due to the reason that entire process of interface execution is performed at central server. VDI acts as a shadow copy of a desktop including all its documents, applications and the operating system.

For performing all its operation a VDI needs to store software applications, OS preferences, and other customized data in a cloud on a server. The main intention behind designing virtual desktops was to enable global access to desktop systems. These are used in multiple applications including planning of backup solutions and disaster recovery. In order to use virtual desktops for these applications, the data on desktop must be updated from time to time on a remote server and providing interface in the event of system interference.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure involves hosting of operating system of desktop inside a virtual machine and is designed to run on centralized server. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure is increasingly being adopted as an effective option for server based computing models by many large sized organizations.

Users can leverage Virtual Desktop Infrastructure for centralization of the desktop for offering unrestricted mobility and ease of accessing the desktop from any place and at any time. VDI is also useful for streamlining of costs and management by enabling a centralized resource of virtualized desktop.