Whether you are knee deep or in the beginning phases of your Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) or End-User Computing (EUC) project, you have probably encountered what most Architects and Engineers do as they push through the rabbit hole of the project. After a smooth start to creating desktop pools and wowing at the magic of Linked Clones, the project has come to gridlock and the design principles have been compromised to accommodate for applications with requirements so rigid that under traditional deployment methods they do not fit into the upside down, backwards shift End User Computing often brings.
Part of the challenge is many of us are infrastructure folks that get assigned these tasks and tend to focus on the core infrastructure technology. We start thinking about spinning up 1,000 Linked Clones on a high-end hyper-converged platform or hot tiering storage array. Implementing vSphere as the orchestra, vCenter as the pulpit, and conduct a symphony of automated workflows that took teams of people to manage in the past. All of this without having to change out of my sweats, much less touch a physical computer.
Amidst the sweet sounding cellos of an Xtreme I/O or the harmony of my Nutanix, I begin to hear the whine of my end users. I need Visio; I need Photoshop; I need my CAD tools; I need my developer tools. I am also finding that the folks who have been installing applications, more or less, click ‘next’ and ‘finish’ as long as there is no deviation in that order. My career is coming full circle now, installing desktop applications for end users. If only I had known beforehand the challenges I would face!
In an ideal world, it is best to build your VDI requirements within an overarching EUC strategy. These issues are one of the most common reason that a VDI projects stalls. Resource constraints can normally be resolved by throwing money at problems. Sometimes an applications can downright not work in a non-persistent, linked clone environment. The proposition I make is that before we start with VDI, let’s start with a strategy and build rock solid requirements. In the end, we need users to be able to access applications in order to do their job.
Look at auditing those applications to discover…
- What is my applications strategy?
Define a process to qualify an application based on your use case and application delivery tools. Start with your primary method and see if the application can fit within it. Be ready for frustration. Think outside the box and have a diverse portfolio of application deployment solutions to assist. - What is the licensing and what is available? Always look for central/volume/site/concurrent usage licensing models. If you cannot find them that does not mean you are at the end of the road. You will just have to ensure you have a strategy to deliver the application to your users. With the advent of Horizon View RDSH hosted applications, Horizon Workspace, and App Volumes, there are several options beyond the traditional ThinApp or go home approach you previously had with VMware products.
These first two pieces are very important to project success in my mind because if you can have these two questions answered, you should be set for smooth sailing.
First, evaluate and determine what models of delivery you would like and what you need. Your needs will be based off of your application audit. If you have a critical application that has a license that ties to a MAC address, then you might want to consider exploring a hosted applications solution. Second, assume one tool will not get the job done. Some applications can be re-directed without issue, some will have to have a level of isolation that only ThinApp can offer, while some will only work if hosted on a server. Be prepared to be diverse. If you want your EUC solutions to be flexible, you have to be, too.
After you have sorted through what you have to deliver and what tools you can utilize to create a solution, don’t be afraid to ask yourself “Is it possible and feasible based on the resource and cost constraints within your environment?” The thought that anything is possible is for idealists and artists. Be pragmatic and honest with reality. You are an engineer not a philosopher. It is completely possible that the current EUC capabilities tied with the application’s constraints make the application, and therefore its users, less than ideal candidates for your EUC solution. It is not always easy to accept but sometimes no is the answer. That said, with a smart and imaginative mind you will often find a way to make it happen. I do not care for persistent desktops but a persistent individual is often the best weapon when working through a VDI deployment.