Attendees learn how to make VDI Better at VMworld 2010

What a difference a year makes! At VMworld 2009, we gave demos of our pre-Beta software on air hockey tables in the VMworld Virtual Pavilion. A handful of attendees saw how desktop layering technology enables Unidesk to transcend profile management with 100% personalization; package and deliver any application (even the ones application virtualization can't); provision and patch Windows itself; and cut VDI storage use up to 70% - all in one solution.

This year at VMworld 2010, we demonstrated in our own booth why customers are rapidly adopting Unidesk 1.0 as the VDI management companion to VMware View, Citrix XenDesktop, Pano Logic, and other VDI access solutions.

Video screens provided animated messaging supporting our "VDI, Better" theme, with the 2 lower screens also serving as extra demo stations. Combined with the big monitor in front, we had 3 demo stations in total. And we needed them all to meet demand, as you can see from this picture taken after the Expo opened:

We asked the IT professionals and solution providers who visited our booth what made them stop. Some heard about us from partners such as Fusion-io, INX, Pano Logic, and VMware. But the most common answer was "I saw 'VDI, Better' and wanted to know what you do." Whether they were from law offices, colleges, health care companies, government agencies, insurance companies, financial institutions, or other organizations trying to implement VDI, they all reported the same challenges:

• User experience: "For VDI to really succeed, we need to give our end users a virtual desktop that will look and feel like their own, and sustain their profile settings, applications, plug-ins, data, and any other customizations they make."
• Cost: "We can't afford to create persistent virtual desktops for every user because the storage costs are too high, and we don't get any of the OpEx benefits of single image management."
• Complexity: "We've been led to believe we need profile management, application virtualization, O/S provisioning, and storage deduplication in addition to our connection broker if we want to extend VDI to more than just task workers. Which category does Unidesk fit in?"

That's why we configured the Unidesk booth with 3 demo stations! Without exception, everyone wanted to see how one management solution - paired with their favorite broker - could help them overcome their biggest VDI hurdles.

If you missed VMworld (or missed us), you can still see the demo. Those of you who are short on time can opt for the Quick 4 minute version. If you have more time, check out the full 30 minute version. Or, join the many organizations who are now piloting Unidesk, and request your free evaluation.

Last year we said "we can't wait until VMworld 2010 when we’ll be out of stealth, off the air hockey tables, and on the exhibit floor." Mission accomplished! Now, we can't wait until VMworld 2011 - when we'll be back with a bigger Unidesk presence!

-Tom Rose
Unidesk CMO