The VDI Delusion: Why Desktop Virtualization Failed to Live Up to the Hype, and What the Future Enterprise Desktop Will Really Look Like

For many years we ve been hearing that the future of the desktop is going to be VDI. Clearly that hasn t happened. Server virtualization has been wildly successful, so why not VDI and desktop virtualization? It started when VDI vendors made wild promises in the mid-2000s. Some of them were true, some were a stretch, and some were just plain misleading. The VDI Delusion digs into these into these claims, taking a technical look at some of the common myths around desktop virtualization. It also examines practical reasons why many VDI pilots and proofs of concept fail to go full scale or just plain fail completely. Of course there are many good reasons to use VDI, which are also covered in this book. Brian, Gabe, and Jack aren t actually VDI haters they just don’t like it when it s used inappropriately! They outline practical, concrete reasons for using VDI and other server-based computing solutions in addition to all the poor reasons people try and fail. The middle portion of The VDI Delusion examines why desktop virtualization is so difficult in the first place, and what organizations really want out of it. Taking a look at Windows desktops and how they re virtualized forces users to come up with a definition of a desktop that goes beyond a a Windows image, a laptop, or any other device. So is the PC dead? Is the keyboard and mouse dead? Is the desktop dead? Or is a desktop is really a collection of applications, data, and settings? Many of us know that Windows can be virtualized to deliver applications, data, and settings as a service, but now it s joined by mobile apps, SaaS, and web apps, and strained by users that want to do anything anywhere, anytime, from any device. These new technologies have many advantages while adding new challenges. Windows used to provide the framework for unifying apps, data, and settings. Now, how do we unify the delivery of apps, data, and settings when there are multiple kinds of apps (including legacy Windows applications) based on different platforms being delivered to different form factors? As delivering legacy Windows applications as a service is perfected, IT will learn how to manage apps, data, and user identity without the monolithic Windows framework to contain everything. The VDI Delusion discusses what approaches are out there right now and what challenges still remain. Is the PC really dead? What s the future of desktop computing? What role will Windows play? The final chapters of this book address all of these questions. Tabel of Contents 1. Why Are We Here? 2. The Promise of VDI 3. The Reality of VDI 4. Why Do VDI Projects Fail? 5. Desktop Virtualization Is More Than VDI 6. What Are You Trying to Solve? 7. Understanding Windows 8. What Is a Desktop? 9. How Do We Make Windows Do This? 10. Moving Beyond Windows Applications 11. Putting It All Together 12. The Future of the Desktop Brian Madden, Gabe Knuth, and Jack Madden are the team behind BrianMadden.com, BriForum, and ConsumerizeIT.com. BrianMadden.com receives millions of visitors a year, and is known for technical and independent information and opinions about desktop virtualization, VDI, and application delivery. BriForum is the industry s premier independent conference, held each year in Chicago and London, and ConsumerizeIT.com was launched in November 2011 to cover the consumerization of IT, bring your own device, and mobility. The VDI Delusion is the product of decades of combined experience writing, thinking, consulting, and speaking about desktop virtualization, server based computing, and application delivery.