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.