10 reasons why Hosted VDI is a must in Higher Education

by Sharad Achary Technical Writer

The Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) provides operators a virtualized version of the desktop interface. The desktop operating is installed under the standard deployment model on each endpoint device and accessed entirely from said device. Operators can interact with the desktop by navigating the local network, opening applications, browse the internet, and whatever an operator might do on a computer.

In a VDI solution, the desktop generated in the centralized data center play as virtual entities. It is viewed as a relationship between the virtual machine on the hypervisor and the physical server in the data center. Then the users can use their virtual desktop from an endpoint device to operate on the device as usual.

Because the endpoint device is still linked with its original desktop installed on the device, the virtual desktop entirely operates like any other application. The virtual desktop emerged as an open window that can be expanded, minimized, etc. From within the virtual desktop, the users can then open the other applications.

Benefits of VDI in higher education:

The core benefit that VDI seeks to offer is the effort and time needed to maintain an endpoint device collection which can be specifically problematic in a school environment. The following use briefly determines the benefits of VDI in school education.

Student graduation period: Students only address a specific school for a few years before leaving or graduating. You can quickly delete or create a virtual desktop in moments instead of wiping the device, collecting the endpoint, and make ready for the incoming students. An IT administrator can generate a new virtual desktop for every incoming fresher from one place and all at one time.
Bring your device (BYOD): The virtual desktop can easily be operated from any device, which gives rise to a policy of bringing your device (BYOD). Students can effortlessly access their hosted virtual desktops on their laptops, smartphones, or other devices. So a BYOD strategy can minimize the requirement of purchase, refresh, maintenance, and upgrading of endpoint devices regularly, which contributes to the savings of school money.
Facilitate for management: When upgrading the desktop software on endpoint devices, the IT team gets loaded with lots of work. They have to collect each device manually and perform the updation. And furtherly if the number of devices is enormous, it could cover an extended of weeks. Therefore VDI deployment makes it easier for the management as all the desktop iterations are updated simultaneously from the central management interface.
Improvised security: All end-user information from the virtual desktop is stockpiled centrally. Also, policies can be issues and imposed from the central management interface. Overall, using VDI resulted in an ultimate solution as the data are more compliant and securely stored.
Distant students: VDI has a specific use case for distant workers in the corporate world. They can easily log into their virtual desktop while on a client site or a business trip and access the business application they need. There are no client sites in a school environment, but the virtual desktop can be utilized for students striving to work on their assignments at home.
Custom pictures: In a business, the technology required of employees are primarily the same within a few department-certain applications to consider for. Different grade levels or majors may have entirely different essentiality of their desktop deployments in school education. VDI permits administrators to generate a ‘golden image’ that acts as a template when revolving up new virtual desktops. The IT department can generate different golden images for each significant or grade level and utilize these images to fulfill the student’s body needs.
PC and Mac environments: If the school plans to execute a BYOD policy, it can increase extra complications if the student has iOS and Windows devices, which they almost undoubtedly will. VDI permits you to merge the operating system accessed by your faculty and students. Both Windows and Mac users will still use the exact virtual desktop despite any device.
Addressing professors: In a university environment, addressing professors are not unusual these professors attend the university a semester, for a year, or even a shorter period. It is convenient for the IT department to provide a virtual desktop onto the professor’s device as a temporary worker.
Cost-effective hardware management: The bigger the school campus, the more computer systems are provided, and maintaining hardware and all these devices would already strain more budget. So settling with a virtual desktop is an ultimate option for students to use their own devices, and campuses also benefitted from hardware installment issues. So undoubtedly, VDI is cost-effective.
Electricity savings: Standard desktops indeed consume a lot of power and also produce enormous heat. So a vast amount of electricity is required to run these devices. VDI is distinct from those as it consumes significantly less power.

Desktop as a service VS Virtual desktop infrastructure:

The VDI application can also be accessed as an alternative to a VDI deployment. The application is accessed from the cloud offered as a service through a third-party company. This kind of deployment is termed a DaaS ( Desktop as a service), as it provides all the traditional benefits of VDI with a few differences.

OpEx VS CapEx: VDI is a product you purchase, deploy, and maintain in your data center. But Daas is termed as service which is offered from another company. As a result, the pricing models are different for these solutions. VDI is a capital expense. It requires a business to buy the application and some essential infrastructure to hold the application as support. Besides, DaaS is on a contribution model. The school will pay the supplier monthly or yearly, but there is no hardware requirement as the end-users can use their virtual desktop via a standard internet connection.

No requirements of IT specialists: Because of all the application management and support infrastructure that the third-party service supplier covers, you do not require any manual VDI specialists to aid the solution. If IT resources are restricted, then a better strategy would be to have a service-based approach.

Connectivity and stability: It is essential to effectively do your research on any DaaS supplier you subscribe to. With an internal house VDI deployment, you have straight control over the connectivity of your environment. But you must make sure to have an SLA (service level agreement)

Data proprietorship: With a desktop supplier, there could be a problem with data proprietorship. So make sure before signing any agreement with a service supplier, their data proprietorship policy will not go against any student privacy policies that the school possesses.

Non-persistent and persistent desktops: A wise decision you will require to conclude as an IT department is to allow the persistent desktop in your environment. A persistent desktop will permit your users to personalize their desktop deployments, change the background picture, add applications, and much more. Furtherly, this offers the users their virtual desktop, like the desktop naturally installed on the device. Therefore, it is crucial to observe that user policies and permissions will restrict the user.

A non-persistent desktop is cleared after each use. The users extract from a randomly created pool of desktops built off the golden image. The users can make alterations while it is in use. But later, logging it off the desktop will return to the state before the user’s alterations.

Each option is a feasible choice for a school setting, and you can characterize which users get what type of desktop. It may all make sense for your school to provide students a non-persistent desktop but offer administration and faculty the persistent option.

A substitute to the grind:

In the IT department, several updation is about intelligence and deploying automation to avert the human resources of the IT department from doing any manual operations. Rather than manually updating every endpoint, it is better to deploy VDI and upgrade the virtual desktops all at one time. However, the protection of resources and efficiency VDi offers an ultimate substitute to the grind.

Conclusion:

A VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure) solution is an ultimate example of its efficiency, fundamental in action, specifically in a higher educational area. By utilizing effective VDI deployment, the IT department can more effortlessly maintain the student users and even offer extra capabilities.