A virtual desktop is an operating system and accompanying applications that are hosted on a server and made accessible to an endpoint – typically a remote endpoint – as if it was running locally on the endpoint. Virtual desktops are typically accessed through client software installed directly on an endpoint, and whose job it is to allow the user to interact with the remote virtual desktop – present it on the screen, providing input using a local keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, and peripherals.
Virtual desktop clients are available for a wide variety of devices, including PCs, tablets, smartphones and other devices.
In certain cases, the virtual desktop is implemented locally as a virtual machine (VM), on the same machine from which it is accessed – typically a PC. The main use case for running a desktop locally as a VM is to create multiple desktops on one host PC.
Providers of virtual desktop solutions include Citrix, Oracle, VMWare, Microsoft, and others.
There are a number of reasons why virtual desktops are used:
- Virtual desktops are used as a replacement for a physical desktop, in cases where there is no justification to provide an employee with a physical machine to host his work applications – typically when an employee needs only occasional access to his work applications. In such cases, a virtual desktop can be provided on an unmanaged PC – typically the employee-owned PC.
- Some companies determine that it is more cost effective to replace a high-performance PC with a cheaper thin client that can only interface a virtual desktop hosted on a remote server.
- Other companies perceive virtual desktop as a means to more cost-effective when managing IT because OS and other software updates are easier to manage.
- Virtual desktops also provide a means to ensure that that company data is isolated and secured on the company’s servers or cloud, and not on the endpoint itself. As a result, the threat associated with a lost or stolen laptop or mobile device is greatly diminished. And because virtual desktops are easier to update, then patching the OS and applications is easier to do, which also contributes to better security.
