Virtual desktop infrastructure solutions have become increasingly popular for businesses looking to enhance their digital workspace while keeping costs low and security tight. As you explore different options, it’s important to understand which features can truly make a difference for your organization. 

The right VDI platform integrates with endpoint management solutions for centralized oversight of endpoints, applications, patches, security policies, and more from a single console. 

In this blog, we’ll cover eight must-have VDI capabilities to consider that are sure to boost your productivity and security.

1. Access Your Desktop from Anywhere and Any Device with Remote Access

One of the biggest benefits of virtual desktop infrastructure is being able to access your full desktop environment from anywhere. Whether you need to quickly check something from home or access critical files while traveling for work, a good infrastructure solution enables you to login to your virtual desktop from any internet-connected device. This level of flexibility is a game-changer for mobilizing your workforce.

• Look for remote access options that allow connecting through multiple protocols like HTML5, RDP, and PCoIP for wide compatibility. This ensures your virtual desktops can be accessed no matter the device or network configuration.
• Cloud-based virtual desktops especially make remote working seamless by providing single sign-on access from a web browser on any computer. There is no client software to install, and automatic updates mean the experience just works.
• Dedicated remote access clients on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Chrome OS further extend access to mobile devices for maximum flexibility. These purpose-built clients optimize the experience for smaller screens with features like adjustable on-screen keyboards and gesture controls.
• Advanced remote access capabilities, like folder redirection, sync your important documents seamlessly between your virtual desktop and other devices. This allows working seamlessly across different form factors in the same familiar environment, with files accessible everywhere.
• Multi-factor authentication support is a must for securely accessing virtual workspaces remotely. Technologies like one-time passwords, physical security keys, and biometrics help verify your identity and protect access to sensitive systems when on unmanaged networks.
• Session reliability becomes critical when working remotely outside of the traditional office environment. Look for infrastructure solutions with capabilities like automatic reconnection to virtual sessions, application suspend and resume, and roaming profiles to minimize disruptions.

Centralized monitoring and auditing gives IT full visibility into remote access activity for troubleshooting issues and ensuring policy compliance. Real-time analytics help optimize the end-user experience too.

2. Streamline Application Delivery with One-Click App Stores

Manually installing and configuring dozens of applications for each virtual desktop is a nightmare that bogs down IT teams and users alike. Look for a VDI platform that features self-service application stores for streamlining software delivery. 

These digital marketplaces let you browse and install approved applications with just one click. New versions are also automatically updated in the background. 

This simplifies the process of setting up virtual desktops and ensures your users always have the latest versions of required programs at their fingertips. Less time tinkering means more time for productive work.

3. Supercharge Performance with Graphics Acceleration Technologies

For graphics-intensive roles like design, engineering, or video editing, raw performance is critical. You’ll want a VDI platform that supports hardware-accelerated graphics technologies like NVIDIA GRID or AMD Radeon PRO to enable buttery-smooth visuals. 

These allow your virtual machines to tap into the power of dedicated GPUs on the backend for all the benefits of working locally, from speedy rendering to seamless multi-monitor support. Accelerated 3D graphics are a must-have for enabling creativity and ensuring tasks don’t bottleneck on inferior software rendering.

4. Improve Collaboration with Virtual Desktop Sharing

Modern work often requires showing colleagues your screen. Look for VDI solutions that enable seamless virtual desktop sharing directly from within the remote session. This lets coworkers follow along as you demonstrate processes, review designs together in real-time, or collaborate on documents without leaving the comfort of your virtual workspace. 

Integrated screen sharing is far more convenient than alternative options like file sharing afterwards or explaining over the phone. Seamless sharing removes friction from teamwork and speeds up decision-making.

5. Simplify Management with Automated Desktop Operations

At scale, manually managing hundreds or thousands of virtual desktops becomes completely untenable. You need automation to simplify routine tasks and keep operations running smoothly. 

A robust VDI platform should offer features like template-based provisioning, scripting, policies for configuration control, and centralized monitoring dashboards. These enable IT to quickly roll out standardized desktop environments, easily push out changes across all machines, and proactively catch issues before users are impacted.

6. Boost Security with Desktop Isolation and Controls

Isolating sensitive workloads and applying granular access policies is crucial for maintaining security and compliance in regulated industries. Advanced VDI solutions allow segmenting users into isolated desktop pools with customized control over internet access, removable storage permissions, and more. 

They also integrate with existing identity frameworks for strong authentication and authorization. These capabilities prevent data leakage, block threats, and simplify auditing by giving IT administrators visibility and control over every aspect of the virtual desktop environment.

7.  Reduce Costs with Flexible Hosting Options

VDI deployments require a significant upfront investment in hardware that can strain budgets. Look for flexible hosting models that let you run virtual desktops both on-premises and in the public cloud. 

This hybrid approach enables scaling costs up or down as needed by shifting workloads between your data center and cloud providers. It also provides business continuity by keeping a copy of your environment offsite in case of local disruptions.

8. Simplify Management Further with Unified Endpoint Management

As work becomes more distributed, you need unified tools for managing all endpoints, whether physical or virtual. This consolidation streamlines administration by removing the pain of using multiple-point products. With everything in one place, you maintain visibility and control no matter where work gets done. Unified management gives IT maximum efficiency for supporting today’s hybrid workforce.

Final Words

Choosing a VDI platform with the right set of features can unlock immense benefits for your business in the areas of workforce productivity, cost optimization, and security. Be sure to evaluate how solutions stack up across remote access, application delivery, performance, collaboration, automation, isolation controls, hosting flexibility, and unified management. The eight capabilities covered here represent must-haves for maximizing your investment in virtual desktop infrastructure technologies.