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VMware Horizon is a VDI virtualization solution that manages, deploys, and maintains user desktops in a data center. Desktop deployment with Horizon is faster, more reliable, more secure, and easier for organizations to use to deploy applications, updates, and more.
Customers adopted this solution so that their remote users could access their virtual desktops through the internet from anywhere to improve resource availability, flexibility, and productivity.
With VMware Horizon, customers can leverage thin-client technology for endpoints while deploying a robust infrastructure to support desktop virtualization. Because VDI architecture is based on bitmaps and deltas from a communication perspective, a desktop deployment is similar to a snapshot from a golden image. Compared to a traditional solution, it reduces resource consumption including storage, memory, compute, and network. VMware implemented the PC over IP (PCoIP) protocol developed by Teradici. This protocol delivers a VDI service as a remote display, which provides real-time service delivery for VDI environments or application publishing.
Another important aspect of a VDI solution is the adaptability that it gives companies. If an organization needs a desktop image with a few applications for outsourced or external workers, it can create an image with the necessary applications to provide access without potentially compromising other systems. Organizations can also enable remote access by people located in different geographical regions. This enhances worker mobility, which is vital for remote workers on the go.
A VDI solution enables you to bring your own device (BYOD), which is a popular feature because companies can support end-user devices beyond laptops or desktops. Employees have started working with different devices due to the growth of smartphones and tablets, which leads to support for novel ways of mobile working. From a disaster, theft, and loss perspective, a VDI solution brings even more security to organizations, because they can centralize their systems and better manage devices and confidential information.
Troubleshooting also becomes easier or even unnecessary. In a situation where there is a corrupted virtual desktop or other issue, the administrator can create another copy using a snapshot, or recreate the original virtual desktop image. This means that IT can quickly bring those images to employees, which improves productivity and the user experience and reduces cost.