Windows 10: Your PC Is Headed For The Cloud
Windows 10 could well be the trigger that will drive the growth of cloud-based virtual desktop integration. Here's why.
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Past Windows licensing and infrastructure deficiencies have held back the widespread use of virtual desktop integration (VDI). But many of those hurdles are dissolving with the introduction of Windows 10.
Microsoft, for example is reported to be streamlining the virtual desktop licensing process. Previously, licensing was performed on a per-device basis. This caused headaches for IT, as well as unexpected licensing expenses, due to the fact that many employees rely on more than one device to perform their work duties. Windows 10 enterprise licensing will happen on a per-user basis in order to help IT streamline licensing and forecast overall licensing costs.
At the same time, advances in WAN optimization and an overall increase in options for connecting to cloud service providers have gotten us to the point where latency and reliability can be properly maintained. For the first time, we have the ability to deliver virtual desktops reliably -- from the cloud -- that look and act just like local installs.
On the following pages, we aim to help IT administrators and decision-makers understand that cloud-based VDI is a valid option using the infrastructure that's available today. For many, the right time to shift from local OS installs to a cloud-based architecture is when a major OS upgrade occurs. The time to start thinking about -- and planning for -- your Windows 10 upgrade strategy is now, and you should not overlook cloud-hosted VDI.
We've outlined some of the benefits your IT department could leverage with a cloud-based virtual Windows 10 desktop solution. If you come up with additional pointers or questions, please let us know in the comment section below.
Not a great deal is known about how Microsoft will officially handle its virtual desktop license pricing strategy. But observers are optimistic that the company will look to attract IT departments that are interested in leveraging a virtual desktop solution, either internally or housed in cloud provider's network. If the virtual desktop licensing model is on a per-user basis, rather than per-device, this will go a long way to lowering costs and smoothing out unexpected licensing expenses for IT.
All indicators point to cloud service provider interest in offering virtualized Windows 10 desktops. Many are preparing for customers to roll off their local OS architecture and onto a cloud-managed OS. Most of this interest has to do with the belief by cloud providers that Microsoft is going to rework its broken service-provider VDI licensing strategy to make licensing cost-effective and less problematic. For IT, an increase in competition among cloud providers means expanded options, improved service, and aggressive pricing.
With Windows 10 desktop virtualization, the usability and ease with which a user can move between keyboard/mouse and touch interfaces will take a huge step forward. That's because Windows 10 is not built with only the keyboard and mouse in mind. It also functions very well with a touchscreen interface. This is a distinct shift from Windows 7, which most of us are still using in the enterprise today.
The beauty of desktop virtualization is the fact that it's not anchored to a single piece of hardware. Depending on user needs and security limitations, virtual desktops can be as portable as any other cloud-based application. Cloud providers also commonly have more points of geographic presence to further the OS portability, from a network latency perspective. This is a requirement for today's highly mobile workforce.
IT administrators who have never leveraged a cloud-based virtual desktop environment are missing out when it comes to the manageability of the OS, particularly when it comes to distributing the right solution to end-users. Cloud service providers are likely going to increase ease-of-use and deployment options when Windows 10 VDI is ready to roll out into production. The ability to provide identically uniform OS and applications to an employee with a few clicks of a mouse will cut down considerably on current localized images, which often require manual processes by IT support staff.
One key benefit of anything that is cloud-based is the fact that it can scale up or down with relative ease -- and without pricey hardware expenditures that go along with supporting an application server in-house. The same can also be said for a virtualized Windows 10 architecture. In addition to the usual scalability benefits inherent in SaaS and server-focused IaaS, Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) offers flexibility in terms of being able to run multiple OS instances on a single user endpoint. So, if you're currently tasked with supporting multiple laptops per user, a cloud-based OS can scale to offer unlimited desktop instances using a single hardware endpoint.
WAN optimization and cloud connectivity options have likely come a long way since your last major desktop OS refresh project. Because of these advancements, a new Windows 10 rollout may be the ideal time to virtualize the OS and hand off lower-level management to a service provider you trust. Concerns about latency and network redundancy can safely be removed from the list of virtualization concerns if the project is planned well enough to account for the level of service required and to anticipate growth.
In many ways, it's not going to be a breakthrough Windows 10 technology that will drive the growth of cloud-based VDI. Instead, Windows 10 should be thought of as the trigger for facilitation. Infrastructure components, in terms of latency and redundancy to the cloud, have long been the most common technological barriers to entry, not the desktop OS itself.
As many of these infrastructure issues have been addressed inside organizations and out to the cloud, the timing could not be more ideal for a desktop OS refresh. That being said, Windows 10 licensing remains a key factor to its success in the cloud space.
Considering the level of interest that service providers have taken in their potential to manage Windows 10 desktops for enterprise organizations, it would seem that most are optimistic that licensing will be cost-effective this time around. If that's the case, we will be in a perfect storm where technology and economics meet in the world of cloud-based VDI.
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