The Growth of IT Security

Manufacturers should increase engagement to foster loyalty

• By Charles P. Williams
• Feb 05, 2014

The Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) market is growing fast so much that industry analysts predict it will be worth over $5 billion within the next three years. Why did this take so long to arrive? After all, virtual desktops have been around since the 1990s.

In reality, the infrastructure, cost and security issues weren’t insignificant, and back then, perhaps it was too radical of a concept. Now, over a decade later, the world has moved on. Consumer devices are blurring with corporate equipment, and cloud computing is now pervasive, all while the IT approach is more user-centric by looking at how to extend on premise investments, deliver better service, increase engagement and foster loyalty.

The public sector is jumping on the VDI-bandwagon as hospitals, councils and education establishments realize how to leverage their IT assets more efficiently and prepare for current and future initiatives, such as Digital by Default. To illustrate this, industry research has shown that over half of local councils have adopted cloud computing within the last five years. As organizations increasingly turn toward remote, mobile and BYOD working environments and more users run multiple operating systems and devices, the complexity and costs of managing the IT infrastructure have increased drastically.

The time is right for managers and directors to reap cost savings, remove hardware dependency and delivery a 21st century network to employees by focusing on the following key areas:

Mobility

VDI brings flexibility and mobility at a fraction of the cost by offering users mobile access to their desktop wherever they are on the globe and on whichever device they are using. Virtual servers seamlessly deliver applications and virtual desktops to any computer or mobile device. Remote desktop technology forms the backbone to an organization’s BYOD infrastructure, allowing effective management of BYOD devices, apps and access privileges across the network. At the same time, network security is maintained at the highest level.

By mobilizing your business processes, you can achieve higher productivity and improved buy-in from employees.

Network Security

IT cost and network security is a major concern for every organization as data privacy has come to the forefront of business practices.

A VDI environment allows businesses to use cutting-edge technologies to secure networks from online threats, intrusions and data crashes. Higher levels of security measures are incorporated to create a secure and reliable infrastructure. Installing updates and security patches, as well as implementing disaster recovery methods, becomes easier.

Agility and Productivity

Another significant advantage of VDI is the introduction of agility into business processes. A VDI enables the instant deployment of applications and dynamically updates them. By integrating business processes, you can create highly intuitive solutions.

2X Software’s new Application Server XG v11, a Citrix alternative, is a powerful way for large organizations to easily implement and manage a private cloud infrastructure by focusing on providing cost-effective virtual desktop and application delivery. It is easy to implement, maintain and provides a high-level of support, all at a fraction of the cost of its competitors. Setting up virtual desktop and application delivery is simple, using a “wizard-based” setup.

It offers enhanced enterprise scalability, allowing more concurrent users to work within the same farm with Sites Management, while enabling multiple administrators with different roles to simultaneously interact within the system through Role Based Administration. With 2X ApplicationServer XG you can deliver virtual desktops and Windows applications hosted on hypervisors, such as Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix Xen, VMware vSphere and more, to any remote, mobile or desktop device and grant access by username, group, IP or MAC address.

This article originally appeared in the February 2014 issue of Security Today.