CIO Quick Pulse
*
Converged Infrastructure: Making VDI Implementation Successful
Converged Infrastructure:
Making VDI Implementation successful
Many IT organizations have pursued a homegrown approach when it comes to Virtual Desktop
Despite the promises of VDI, many IT
Infrastructure (VDI), but a recent survey indicates a
organizations have deferred during the past several
shift toward converged solutions as they grapple with
years for reasons ranging from concerns about
implementation performance issues and a lack of
end-user performance issues to perceptions of
skillsets required for optimum deployments.
implementation complexities.
VDI enables IT to centralize provisioning and
Sponsored by:
Overcoming complexity
The majority of current VDI implementations in
management of desktop applications and user
the IDG Research Services survey were “build your
accounts, with the ability to control sensitive data
own” initiatives that undoubtedly required trial and
and to separate the user’s company and personal
error. But there is an apparent shift underway with
desktops while ensuring a consistent experience. As
about 30% of current VDI implementations deployed
the quantity of various end-user devices continues
on converged infrastructure solutions and 41% of
to proliferate across the enterprise, many IT
respondents indicating they prefer a converged
organizations are turning to VDI to meet user needs
solution approach for new VDI solutions.
without compromising compliance, security, and
availability.
As IDC analysts noted in a 2014 reporti,
“Scaling a centralized virtual desktop environment
IDG Research Services recently surveyed
(or what many in the industry call virtual desktop
director-level and above executives at companies
infrastructure, or VDI) is a complex endeavor that
that are currently interested in, planning, piloting,
requires intimate knowledge of how the software
or deploying VDI solutions. Improving security, IT
interacts with the servers, storage, and networking.”
efficiency, end-user satisfaction and increasing
However, as the virtual enterprise has expanded
end-user productivity across locations are the
through the use of virtualized servers and cloud,
most important drivers behind VDI deployment in
the potential for VDI to enable secure, anywhere,
their organizations, according to 77% of survey
anytime access from diverse devices has become
respondents. In addition, 74% cited gaining more
more compelling. Converged infrastructure
control over operational costs, and the same amount
solutions simplify the purchase process, streamline
indicated the ability to support a variety of devices
provisioning, and lower the deployment risk of VDI
with fluctuating requirements.
with preconfigured, purpose-built systems.
“In our experience, enterprises that follow a
converged solutions approach get a leg up on VDI
implementation challenges and avoid ‘VDI stall,’”
according to Jay Cuthrell, director within the Global
Office of the CTO at VCE, an EMC Federation
Company.
CIO Quick Pulse
*
Converged Infrastructure: Making VDI Implementation Successful
Five Most Important Factors When Evaluating VDI Solutions
Critical
Very Important
2%
7%
Somewhat Important
5%
4%
54%
Ability to meet
security and
compliance
requirements
39%
47%
2%
Q5. How important are the following
when your organization is evaluating
VDI solutions?
Base: 57 qualified respondents
44%
Centralized control
and visibility
53%
16%
2%
7%
Performance
at scale
37%
Not Very Important
2%
39%
18%
28%
End-to-end
accountability
and support
Simple
upgrades
44%
Simplifying VDI implementation
The issue of VDI stall may indicate that it is much
easier to succeed with VDI pilots and small-scale
implementations as opposed to broader rollouts that
require scaling out.
“Many VDI deployments start with a proof of
concept (POC) of fewer than 100 virtual desktops,”
the IDC analysts observe. “Configuring systems for
these POCs is not terribly complex and rarely pushes
the servers, storage, or networking to their limits.
This can lead many organizations to a false sense of
accomplishment.”
Surveyed organizations seem to be struggling
53%
Nonetheless, more than two-thirds of survey
participants cite these achievements:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Improved availability
Increased flexibility and utilization
Enhanced ability to meet security and
compliance requirements
Simplified backup
Simplified management
An improved user experience
Bypassing challenges and complexity
The survey results indicate that VDI traditionally
had been a “build it yourself” project for IT groups.
the most with performance issues and the lack of
But VDI implementations can be simplified and costs
needed skillsets and knowledge, which are the top
can be reduced through utilization of converged
challenges associated with VDI implementation.
infrastructure.
About two out of five organizations surveyed indicate
“Converged infrastructure enables IT to rapidly
they have not achieved reduced operating expenses
deploy proportional infrastructure resources of every
and have not reduced IT labor as a result of their VDI
type (compute, network, storage, and advanced
implementations, although slightly less than half in
data services) while reducing operational overhead,”
those groups had not anticipated such benefits.
according to another IDC reportii, which analyzed the
CIO Quick Pulse
*
Converged Infrastructure: Making VDI Implementation Successful
Sidebar head
sidebar copy
the most successful. Developing fully configured
converged infrastructure solutions represents a major
undertaking that is costly and requires committing
substantial resources.iii As a result, some vendors
provide customers with “reference architectures” that
essentially provide them with a best practices manual
on how to compile their own converged solutions.
An example of a fully converged solution
is VCE’s Vblock System 540, the industry’s first
converged infrastructure system with all-flash
media storage, that is engineered, manufactured,
maintained and supported as a single system suited
for scale out applications such as cloud, big data,
mobile, and social. The system is preconfigured
with best-in-class components: Cisco compute and
networking, VMware server virtualization, and EMC
XtremIO flash storage. Organizations can increase
business value that 16 VCE customers achieved by
processing power or add storage capacity through
deploying VCE Vblock Systems.
VCE Technology Extensions that are pre-engineered,
IDC reports that all 16 “generated substantial
business value by consolidating their IT
infrastructures with Vblock” with an average return
pre-tested and validated in a factory environment to
reduce deployment time and risk.
“When customers receive their Vblock System,
on investment of 518% and a payback period of
they can run production VDI on it out of the gate,
7.5 months.
which saves effort and cost,” according to VCE’s
The converged approach
The converged infrastructure approach
Cuthrell. Skilled industry experts can accelerate
business value and manage risk through quality
execution and proven deployment, migration, and
includes identifying the appropriate scalable
management services, rather than the trial and error
converged infrastructure and VDI software, along
process of do-it-yourself implementation.
with a range of services from assessment through
As the IDG Research Services survey illustrates,
planning, design and integration. For example,
organizations are beginning to shift away from
VCE provides a VDI Integration Service that
that do-it-yourself approach as they seek to
installs and tests VMware Horizon View or Citrix
maximize benefits and eliminate the trial and error of
XenDesktop software on VCE infrastructure during
homegrown implementations.
the manufacturing process.
There are different approaches to converged
infrastructure, but Vblock Systems have been
For more information on the benefits of fully configured converged infrastructure solutions,
please go to www.vce.com.
SOURCES
i Brett Waldman, et al, “The Benefits of Scaling Virtual Desktops on Converged Infrastructure,” June 2014. IDC.
ii Richard L. Villars and Randy Perry, “The Business Value of VCE Vblock Systems: Leveraging Convergence to Drive Business Agility,” May 2015. IDC.
iii “Converged Infrastructure Systems Comparative Assessment: VCE Vblock Systems vs. Reference Architectures,” January 2014. Topline Strategy Group.