Is Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Dead?
It is common knowledge that the last three years have changed the landscape of the working environment. The demand for remote access to companies’ technology has increased dramatically and 6 in 10 employees now work from home. Many companies bet their future on Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). Is this still a safe bet for your company? The question that needs answering is: “Can you easily access your business applications and email while working remotely AND continue to work efficiently?”
Frequently, I consult with business customers who have NOT experienced the ease of access and efficiency since their company migrated to a VDI environment. As a Legal Technology Consultant, I hear the struggles that law firm clients are experiencing daily to perform work remotely. A primary reason for this is law firms typically have a combined environment for their business applications. They may have some applications (i.e. practice management, case management, document servers) residing on-premise in their office(s) and ALSO have a VDI environment where other applications, like Microsoft Suite, reside in the cloud. The combined environment of on-premise and VDI creates the following challenges for users:
The need to log into two separate environments, one for on-premise applications and the other to access VDI.
The user experience is cumbersome and confusing as to which environment they’re working within. In addition, some users have VPN to these applications, but complain of slowness and “getting kicked out” of the VPN environment.
Audio and video conferencing does not work efficiently in a VDI environment.
At Element, we understand these challenges and help our clients move towards a model that enables our clients to easily access their on-premises and cloud-based business applications via a browser using MFA and SSO. Users are able to log in one time in the morning, open their favorite browser (EDGE, Google Chrome, or Firefox) and click the applications they want to bring to their laptop or desktop. It’s really that simple! If you’re tired of VDI and seeking an alternative, contact us to discuss options for you.
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