Desktop virtualisation can further enhance the flexibility and scalability of your cloud solution. 

We live in a cloud-based world. It is very likely that you already use Microsoft 365, Microsoft Azure or other cloud-based services in the day-to-day running of your organisation. As an existing cloud-user, you may not realise that the flexibility and scalability of your solution can be enhanced by desktop virtualisation. Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) provides an alternative to large scale, hardware resources. It instead enables users to access their secure desktops virtually, making cloud deployment fast and cost-effective.  

What is desktop virtualisation?

Desktop virtualisation enables Windows 10 desktops to be hosted either on-premises or in public clouds such as Microsoft Azure and delivered securely to end-user devices all over the world. As the Windows 10 desktop is delivered virtually, it can be securely accessed from many different types of devices. Virtual desktops can be accessed by corporate desktops and laptops, tablets, smart phones, home PCs or Macs, whilst maintaining security and the consistent end-user look and feel of a corporate desktop when using applications. 

What are the advantages of desktop virtualisation?

Here are some of the key advantages of virtual desktop infrastructure: 

Flexible workforce

Rapid-growth and acquisition

Organisations that are experiencing rapid growth, or acquiring/merging with other 

organisations, have pressure to onboard employees quickly, easily and at scale. 

Desktop virtualisation allows new employees secure and quick access to corporate 

applications and data from their existing devices, enabling quick onboarding whilst 

other migration activities are ongoing. 

Seasonal recruitment

Many organisations experience seasonal recruitment cycles where they have a short term 

requirement to increase the number of employees to accommodate demand. 

Desktop virtualisation includes the capability to rapidly expand the number of user 

sessions that are delivered. Once seasonal demand has passed, the environment can 

be scaled-back to a normal level, reducing ongoing costs. 

Contractors

Onboarding and management of contractors is traditionally difficult because they 

often work remotely and use their own devices. Desktop virtualisation helps to remove 

security barriers, as it enables the contractors to use their own devices to access 

corporate applications and data securely, without the need to deploy and manage 

VPN configurations. 

Remote employees

During the Covid-19 global pandemic, organisations were suddenly faced with the 

pressure of long-term remote working, as employees working from home require 

access to corporate applications. In Incremental’s experience, we found that 

organisations with a pre-existing desktop virtualisation solution transitioned to remote 

working more easily than organisations without this capability. Desktop virtualisation 

facilitates the transition to home working by having a pre-configured secure corporate 

desktop with all applications ready to be accessed from any device. In a post–Covid-19 

world, organisations should be prepared for future global pandemics and disruption 

with a remote working strategy. 

Security and regulation

Many organisations comply with strict security requirements and regulatory 

compliance, particularly within Financial Services, Legal and the Public Sector. 

Centralised, virtual desktops allow organisations to securely store employee and 

company data in the data centre or public cloud, instead of on local desktops. 

This ensures high levels of security and traceability. 

How can virtual desktops enhance your cloud solution?

On top of the use-cases noted above, desktop virtualisation can simplify the management of your cloud solution while enabling remote access to on-premises systems.  

VDI environments can: 

• Provide access to legacy applications. 
• Simplify management of application and security updates. 
• Supports Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). 
• Continue delivery during Datacenter (networked computer servers) exit. 
• Centralise security, data sovereignty and compliance requirements. 
• Ease application migration and refactoring challenges. 

Desktop virtualisation for your organisation

When implementing desktop virtualisation, there are two best in class solutions to choose from; Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop and Citrix Cloud. Deciding on the right desktop virtualisation environment for your specific needs can be difficult without guidance. Telefónica Tech has over 20 years of experience delivering desktop and application virtualisation projects. We help organisations by examining the challenges and ambitions for application delivery, working to implement the best solution for your requirements.