Customer perspective: why understanding use cases is so important in VDI

Raechelle Clemmons, CIO at Unidesk customer Menlo College, just published a new blog titled "Virtual Desktops: Persistent, Non-Persistent, or…Both?" where she did a great job explaining why an analysis of use cases should be Step #1 in VDI design.

Menlo College is using the combination of VMware View and Unidesk to deploy a mix of persistent desktops (desktops that keep all user customizations through logouts, reboots, and IT patches) and non-persistent desktops (desktops that discard user customizations after each logout and revert to a "pristine" state) that will eventually replace all the PCs currently used by faculty, staff, and labs. Raechelle says she and her IT team were surprised to find use cases they initially thought were non-persistent turn out to be persistent. Menlo College isn't alone.

We recently completed a survey in which we asked organizations with VDI projects their biggest VDI-related concern. The #1 answer - close to 70% of respondents - was "offering virtual desktops that end users will accept (personal, flexible, etc)." Clearly, IT is challenged with satisfying end users - especially knowledge workers - who need persistent virtual desktops capable of preserving profile settings, data, and user-installed applications. You could thick-provision desktops for every user and manage them like physical desktops. But you won't get the operational cost savings you were expecting VDI to provide, and the storage costs alone will likely stall the project.

We've blogged at length about how Unidesk desktop layering technology enables IT to deliver persistent desktops that offer all of the storage efficiencies and single image management benefits of non-persistent desktops. But it's great that our growing customer base wants to speak for themselves.

Last week we announced that State of Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities is virtualizing 1,500 desktops (98% of its total) for all use cases including their knowledge workers. Like Menlo College, Ohio DODD is using the combination of Unidesk and VMware View. On March 22nd, we are hosting a webinar with VMware titled "98% Virtualized: Ohio DODD's Innovative Approach to VDI Success" in which Ohio DODD's Information Technology Manager Kipp Bertke will discuss this very topic. Click here to register.

What have you learned when studying various use cases for your VDI environment? Any surprises?