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Is this a good desktop virtualization strategy?
We have a small office of about 15 people, with 7 people that consistently work out of the office. We’ve been having trouble syncing files between their portable and desktop machines, and are looking for a better solution. A couple of people have mentioned the idea of using virtualized desktops on the laptops, so that the employees are essentially working on their desktop machine from a remote location. Would this strategy work? What do you recommend?
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3 Answers
This strategy works extremely well depending on the applications you are running, the availability of internet access, and the security requirements that need to be addressed.
Ideally it is advisable to setup a test environment to see how the applications you use work in this environment before a co. wide rollout. Another option is also to use terminal services from either Microsoft or Citrix. This is also a good option for inhouse staff as well, it makes monitoring and maintaining PC environments a lot easier because updates, patches and fixes can be applied once to the virtualized environment instead of to each system individually plus you can also test new software deployment prior to rollout out company wide.
I am making a few assumptions but if the main concern is keeping files in sync between the laptops and desktops I recommend the following options...
1. Make sure all documents are stored in a central location (local file server or collaboration website such as SharePoint)
2. Assuming these are Windows laptops, utilize the built-in offline files functionality to synch folders/documents from the file server or utilize SharePoint document management features to check-in/out documents for editing.
In either case you have one location for documents that is accessible whether in or out of the office.
Jay
Based on the pain point your described, the need is to centralize your data assets. I would recommend an VPN solution that allows your road warriors to access a central file server or SharePoint repository remotely. This solution can also be used to provide RDP access to their office desktops, which is handy for managing resources in the office that require special permissions on their office desktops, like firewall rules, etc. VPN solutions can range from simple IPSEC affairs to easy-to-use SSL arrangements that can be accessed via your company's website.
Desktop virtualization abstracts the user's interface from the desktop hardware and centralizes its storage, making it easier to manage deployment, but, to be effective, it must still rely on a seperate centralized file repository to manage your business data assets.
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