Unidesk

Why Unidesk for VD?

If you're not using layering technology to deploy and manage your virtual desktops, you're missing the chance to save your IT organisation money and gain time back for yourself. Without layering, you're sure to hit these five pain points as you scale Citrix XenDesktop® or VMware Horizon View™.

Unidesk makes VDI simple, powerful, and more enjoyable

unidesk img 02Package & Deliver All Applications

Any application can be packaged and delivered as a layer - even applications that cannot be virtualized.

unidesk img 03One Gold Image Across All Desktops

Applications are delivered independent of the OS, leaving one pristine gold image to patch and update for all desktops.

unidesk img 04Full Personalization with Desktop Repair

Give users full customization - including user-installed apps - without blowing the storage budget or relinquishing control.

unidesk img 05Reduce Storage Requirements by 70-90%

OS and app layers are shared, enabling persistent or non-persistent virtual desktops on a tiny storage footprint.

 

VDI Pain #1: Application Virtualization Complexity

Application isolation tools like VMware ThinApp and Microsoft App-V were not conceived for general application delivery. If you try using them to deliver all apps, you will find:

  • A single application may require 8 hours or more to package
  • Many applications cannot be packaged at all
  • Isolated applications cannot cross-communicate
  • Packaging is hard, requiring Level 2/3 IT expertise

With new layering technology:

  • Applications can be packaged in less than 15 minutes
  • All applications can be layered
  • Layered applications communicate as if they were locally installed
  • Packaging can be done by PC administrators or Level 1 IT staff

VDI Pain #2: Too Many Windows Images

You shouldn't have more than 1 gold image of Windows. Yet, some organizations spend time maintaining and patching many images because:

  • Apps that cannot be virtualized get embedded in the image
  • Different images are created to avoid unnecessary licensing costs
  • More images are created for different pool and group configurations

With new layering technology:

  • All applications can be layered separately, keeping Windows clean
  • Memory, CPU, and other VM settings can be assigned independently
  • One Windows OS layer can be used for all desktops

VDI Pain #3: Persistent Too Costly, Non-Persistent Makes Users Unhappy

Persistent desktops that save all customizations? Or non-persistent desktops that start fresh every time? Both have had their drawbacks:

  • Persistent desktops use too much costly shared storage
  • Persistent desktops are hard to patch and update
  • Non-persistent desktops lose user changes, impacting productivity
  • Non-persistent desktops with profile management add administrative and I/O overhead, and don't save user-installed applications

With new layering technology:

  • Persistent and non-persistent desktops use minimal storage - up to 85% less than full clones
  • Persistent and non-persistent desktops are provisioned from the same Windows layer for simple image management and patching
  • Persistent desktops keep all user changes, and can be repaired in minutes with layer snapshot and rollback technology
  • Profile management is no longer needed. All settings, data, and user-installed applications are saved in each desktop's User layer

VDI Pain #4: High Storage Costs and Poor I/O Performance

Storage has long been one of VDI's biggest challenges. Legacy solutions have had their share of problems:

  • Persistent desktops with full-sized clones are too costly
  • Cloned desktops lose all customizations when they are recomposed
  • Older storage doesn't deliver sufficient IOPS

With new layering technology:

  • Layering reduces persistent desktop capacity needs up to 85%
  • Desktops retain all customizations through patches and updates
  • Layering lets hybrid storage cost-effectively solve the IOPS problem

VDI Pain #5: Too Many Management Tools

VDI is supposed to be easier to manage than physical PCs. But without layering, you'll be cobbling together many point tools, making VDI harder and more time-consuming.

  • Cloning and provisioning tools only address image management
  • Application virtualization only addresses application isolation
  • Profile management and user layering only address personalization
  • With all of these separate consoles, you'll still have problems #1-4

With new layering technology:

  • One holistic management platform is more powerful
  • One complete management console is easier to use
  • One proven management solution ensures VDI success

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