Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Buyers’ Guide 2024

State of the market: Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is a type of IT infrastructure that enables users to access company systems and resources remotely, on their own devices; i.e., the organization doesn’t have to provision them with a desktop or workstation.

The VDI market was valued at USD 15.3 billion in 2022, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.4% by 2032 to reach a market value of USD 57.97 billion.
Growth has been driven by the rise in remote work (catalyzed by the COVID19 pandemic).
- Globally, over 80% of organizations have implemented some form of remote or hybrid work policy.
As the market continues to grow, we can expect VDI solutions to evolve as organizations call for more standardization and more simplicity when it comes to deployment and management of these environments.

In this guide, we’ll give you our top recommendations on how to choose the right VDI provider. We’ll also cover what features to look for in a virtual desktop infrastructure solution, the benefits and challenges of implementing one, and the future trends that you should keep tabs on within the remote desktop space.

Our Recommendations: Before we dive into the depths of EDR, here are a few recommendations that will help you decide whether EDR is the right tool for you and, if it is, how to choose the right tool for your business:

For a development, IT, or project-based environment: Go with a persistent VDI approach. This will allow your users to customize their desktops and move files and folders to their desired location so they’re easier to find whilst working on long-term projects.
For a shift-, knowledge-, or task-based environment: Go with a non-persistent VDI approach. If your users don’t need to customize their desktops, this will allow them to carry out the tasks they need to whilst saving you money (this is the cheaper of the two VDI approaches).
For security-focused organizations: Quite simply, choose a security-focused VDI solution. VDI has traditionally been about remote access with little focus on security. However, some modern, cloud-hosted VDI solutions are starting to prioritize security by adding in features such as access controls, behavioral monitoring, patch management, and endpoint protection.
For easy adoption and ongoing productivity: Before you start comparing VDI solutions, identify what devices your users are using and what tools and apps they’ll need, then pick a solution that meets those needs. You should also prioritize accessibility (look for an intuitive end-user login experience and desktop interface) and provide training to help your users get to know their new desktops.

How VDI Works: VDI server can be set up on-prem, hybrid, or in the cloud. In the past, organizations typically hosted their own virtual desktops within their own infrastructure. However, we’re currently seeing a large shift towards cloud hosted virtual desktops.

In a VDI setup, a hypervisor segments a single, centralized server into several virtual machines. Each virtual machines hosts virtual desktops, which can be delivered to end users on demand. The end user can then access the virtual desktop via a secure desktop client or browser and interact with it as though it were running locally on their endpoint. This means that users can access company resources from anywhere, via anyinternet-enabled device.

There are two main types of VDI: persistent and non-persistent:

In a persistent VDI setup, a user connects to the same desktop each time they log in. This means their changes are saved and they can personalize the desktop, which makes it popular amongst developers and IT professionals.
In a non-persistent VDI setup, a user connects to a default desktop when they log in. While the user can save files within a shared drive, the desktop doesn’t save changes the user makes locally. This makes non-persistent VDI popular amongst knowledge or task workers.

Benefits Of VDI: The main use case of VDI is to easily provision remote workers with access to company resources, at a low price point.

Because of this, the VDI implementations are typically popular amongst:

Organizations with a remote work or BYOD policy.
Organizations with shift/task workers that use the same software applications to perform a specific and limited set of tasks (e.g., call centers and retail).
Development, engineering, and design organizations that rely on a specific set of graphic-heavy applications and have high storage requirements.
Organizations that need to limit access to data based on user roles (e.g., healthcare organizations where a doctor needs access to only their own patients’ records; educational institutions where teachers need to access only their own students’ records).

These organizations can reap the following benefits from a VDI implementation:

Seamless remote access: Employees can access their desktops from anywhere, at any time providing they have an internet connection.
Centralized management: You can manage all virtual desktops from a central platform, which can make it significantly easier for you to provision, manage, and maintain desktops, as well as make changes to the systems (e.g., updates, security configurations).
Enhanced security: Because data and applications are stored in a central server rather than on endpoint devices, VDI reduces the risk of data breaches by a) keeping company data secure even if a device is lost, stolen, or compromised; b) segregating personal and corporate data; c) making it easier to backup your data, as you only have to create one backup and you can restore it to a single server.
Cost savings: If you implement VDI in conjunction with BYOD, you save on licensing and device purchases and device upgrades. But you can still save money if you implement VDI and continue to issue company devices, because VDI environments complete all processing on the server rather than the endpoint. This means users can work on older devices and thin clients, so you don’t need to buy them the latest model.
Scalability: You can easily scale your infrastructure up or down based on how many devices you need.
Improved productivity: Is a user’s device stops working, they can sign in to the network using any other internet-connected device. This means they can still work whilst waiting for the issue to be resolved.

Common VDI Challenges: While there are lots of benefits to VDI, a VDI implementation is often a complex undertaking and there are some challenges to be aware of before you begin:

Complexity: The initial setup of a VDI deployment can be complex, because you need to set up the infrastructure and make sure it’s compatible with all the applications you’re currently using. Once deployed, managing the environment can also be resource intensive. We recommend choosing a cloud-hosted VDI solution with a unified management system that will streamline ongoing management. By choosing a hosted solution, you can leverage specialized training and support from your provider.
Learning curve: When you implement VDI, it may take your end users some time to get used to the new environment as it’ll require a few extra steps for them to access their desktops. We recommendproviding user training and looking for a solution with a simple, user-friendly end-user interface.
Security: Virtual desktops can be access from anywhere, as long as the user has a set of login credentials. This means that a credential-related breach could be really damaging to your business. We recommend implementing a strong password policy, multi-factor authentication, and endpoint protection to help combat this.
Local challenges: If you’re going with cloud-hosted VDI, it may be tricky to connect with local devices such as printers and LAN storage. You can resolve this issue by configuring your local devices so they can access the internet, but you should also implement strict security measures to prevent attackers using those devices as entryways into your network.

Best VDI Providers: Our team of cybersecurity analysts and researchers has put together a shortlist of the best providers of VDI solutions, as well as adjacent lists covering similar topics:

Features Checklist: When comparing VDI solutions, Expert Insights recommends looking for the following features:

Compatibility: Make sure your solution is compatible with all the devices your end users will be using to access the company network (i.e., both desktop and mobile devices).
In-built security: The best VDI solutions offer in-built security features that can help prevent and identify unauthorized access to your network. These may include (but aren’t limited to) user session recording, behavioral analytics, patch management, backups, and antivirus.
Scalability: Your chosen solution should be able to provision/deprovision devices as you onboard new users and users leave the organization.
Reliability: To ensure your users can be productive and always access the network, you should look for a solution with 99%+ uptime. This should be clearly stated on their website and in their SLA.
Persistent/non-persistent VDI: Before you choose a solution, make sure you know whether you need persistent or non-persistent VDI. Then, choose a tool that’s compatible with the type of environment you need. Persistent VDI tend to be a little more expensive, but this feature is key if you’re looking for customization.
Application management: You should be able to provision users with the apps they need based on their role within your company. Usually, each user will have a profile that grants access to specific apps when loading their virtual desktop (e.g., finance team are shown finance apps).
Peripheral support: Make sure the solution supports connections with peripheral hardware such as headsets, USB devices, or webcams.

Future Trends: As the VDI market continues to grow, there are three key evolutions we expect to see in this space.

First, while AI has already been used to optimize many VDI solutions, we expect this trend to continue. Future developments may include optimized resource allocation, task automation, and issue resolution—all without the need for human intervention.

Second, as cyberattacks increase in both number and sophistication, we expect VDI providers to increase their focus on security, rather than simply remote access.

And last but not least, we expect the VDI space to continue its shift towards cloud-hosted VDI infrastructure.

Further Reading: You can find all of our articles on VDI and desktop virtualization in our Remote Desktop Software Hub.

No time to browse? Here are a few articles we think you’ll like: