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Remote work isn’t going anywhere. The pandemic brought a seismic shift in everyday living, and for many businesses that includes working from home. That, however, isn’t always as easy as simply firing up a computer on the couch and logging onto a home WiFi network. If workers are to access company assets from outside the security of a company’s own networks, certain protocols must be followed to keep every worker and asset protected. That’s where Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) enters the conversation.
VDI allows authorized users to securely connect to a company’s systems remotely through an internet connection from just about any device and location. The key word here is securely, and that’s why so many companies have chosen to implement VDI. But, is the VDI expense really worth it? We want to take a closer look at VDI cost factors and considerations.
What It Takes to Implement VDI
You’ll need to consider more than just immediate dollars and cents when figuring out the real cost of VDI. You may have some upfront costs directly from the VDI provider as you get started, but you’ll also have to think about the following:
Number of Users
How many employees will actually need to use VDI? Consider the cost of each license needed and the time and work needed to install VDI for each user.
Who Will Maintain Your VDI?
Where does the responsibility for maintaining and updating your VDI lie? And what is their salary and experience? Do you have a technology management representative with these capabilities?
What are the Operations Costs?
How much will VDI cost to run and maintain in terms of operation? Meaning, will the specialized servers needed add significant energy costs? And are you ready to make room in your budget for the fast SSD or nVME disks and potential GPU accelerator cards required?
Will Your Current Devices Cut It?
Are your existing devices — the computers and phones your employees bring home — able to properly run your VDI of choice while still retaining high performance? Or will you need to make an upgrade there as well?
These are the key points to factor in when deciding whether VDI is the right solution for your business. You’ll ultimately be paying more than just the upfront licensing fees when you bring VDI into the mix. It’s a good idea to evaluate the capacities and budgets your business has for VDI before you make the move.
Learn More: Top 10 Remote Work Tools to Improve Employee Productivity
Why VDI is Worth It
As technology and security evolve, so do cybercriminals. It’s a never-ending race to keep ahead of their latest methods of attack. Sophisticated cyberattacks against your networks are always a possibility, and you’ll want to ensure anyone who is accessing your data and assets remotely is authorized to do so and won’t inadvertently let a criminal inside.
Cyberattacks can be devastating to businesses and individuals. It’s crucial to implement every defense you can, and VDI can help. The upfront costs and operations expenses likely won’t be as high as the price you may pay if a cybercriminal gets into your systems and wreaks havoc, which could be ruinous. So, right there you have ample potential cost savings on your side.
A Reputable VDI with Microsoft Azure
No matter which VDI provider you go with, they must be reputable and have the capabilities to mount a thorough cyber defense. We like Microsoft Azure for such features as 24/7 server monitoring and alerting, two-factor authentication, an overall good user experience and more. Azure is a good complement to our 4S approach in technology management: Strategy, Security, Solutions and Support.
We’ve put together an informative guide about Microsoft Azure. If you’d like to learn more, please click the link below to access your free copy today.
