VDI for SMBs?

Since about 2010, small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) which does not suddenly had more options to rethink their traditional operating system and desktops for their businesses. With the large influx of tablets and smartphones, virtual desktops became a much more viable choice for these businesses. Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) became a popular choice within the financial industry, which allow them to keep their highly confidential data off their laptop. For them, the cost is minute as compared to the loss if they lose their laptops and the data.

But is it perfect for SMBs which do not have large capital. Let’s weigh the pros and cons. One of the good thing about VDI is that it has a flexible cost model. You can pay according to how much you use. Providers of VDI like VMware and Citrix say their system can save between 30% and 50% of the current cost for IT admins to manage, upgrade and support. One of biggest selling point for VDI is that it provides the flexibility to work anywhere on any connected device, increase business agility. Besides, VDI also increases the security with no data stored on the devices, but on the cloud, allowing access anytime and anywhere. The drawbacks of VDI include the disadvantage that it will not work offline and historically VDI’s performance has been slow and has poorer user experience compared to the traditional laptops. Also, VDI is considered relatively new in the industry, thus SMBs which do not have proficient IT support on their own might find themselves rely too heavily on vendor support.

Regardless of the pros and cons, VDI or Desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) will be very interesting to watch in the coming few years, especially for SMBs. And of course, putting almost all data on cloud require a leap of faith for businesses, VDI has many upsides for businesses and offers more flexibilities, allows them to allocate more money on their core businesses. 

Sources:

Top 12 Pros and Cons of Virtual desktops, thedaasler, http://thedaasler.wordpress.com/2011/04/06/top-12-pros-and-cons-of-virtual-desktops/

The Benefits of Virtual Desktops, Phil Hochmuth, http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/12/desktop-virtualization-software-business-intelligence-hochmuth.html