Demystifying Virtualization for Enterprises

It is no secret that the business benefits of Virtualization changing the game for enterprise IT. Companies are moving to virtual, cloud computing and hybrid systems to improve productivity and simplify processes. Flexible working, improved information security, streamlined collaboration, and any app on any device, anywhere - the numerous benefits of this technology are sending businesses around the globe down the virtual route. Virtualization is a powerful tool that business leaders cannot afford to delegate. As new technology developments remove the remaining barriers to adoption, Virtualization is breaking out of the IT department and takes its place in the boardroom.

Virtualization isn’t new to the enterprise agenda. However, as recently as 2013, the lack of an effective solution for high performance graphics in a virtual environment meant that sectors including architecture, engineering, manufacturing and product design weren’t able to take advantage of the benefits of Virtualization. All that changed with the introduction of NVIDIA GRID. IT managers can now assign the optimal amount of graphics horsepower and deliver a customised graphics profile for each user. Every virtual desktop has dedicated graphics memory, just like a local machine, so users always have the resources they need to launch and run their applications at full performance. Companies which have successfully deployed NVIDIA GRID include Audi, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Statoil and international architecture and design firm Populous.

One major benefit for power users like engineers is they no longer have to waste long periods of time waiting for data-heavy models to load into their local systems, or worry about whether they’re working on the right version of a certain file. In a virtual environment, collaboration is simplified and data easily available.

Virtualization is also helping workers to be more mobile. In the past, employees were shackled to their workstation, their productivity measured by the hours they spent at their desk.

However, today more and more employees are demanding a more flexible approach and employers seeking to attract the best talent must comply or lose out to more forward-thinking rivals. Trends like bring your own device (BYOD) and the ability to work from any location at any time are therefore becoming the norm.

Virtual desktop infrastructure is a great way to deliver this style of working, but in the past, it's only been viable to those workers using applications that don't rely on complex graphics or video rendering. Power users like engineers and designers had no option but to remain chained to their workstations. GRID has changed this, delivering the graphics power needed for heavy CAD and design workflows virtually, to any device, anywhere and with no compromise in the user experience.

As new technology developments remove the remaining barriers to adoption, Virtualization is breaking out of the IT department and takes its place in the boardroom

But these days it’s not just power users who need graphics. The number of applications that require graphics acceleration is growing and Windows 10 is set to rewrite the rules for the graphics horsepower required by mainstream applications. Increasingly, companies are also making heavy use of video for applications such as HR trainings and internal communications. Add in video conferencing and that’s a lot of graphics happening on a business virtual desktop. Even for those users working with mainstream productivity applications, a virtual solution without great graphics is no longer enough.

NVIDIA has responded to this demand by expanding its product stack to include products and management tools specifically designed to maximise density and provide IT managers with unprecedented control over their virtual resources.

With this final pieces of the technology puzzle now in place, Virtualization is proving to be one of the most compelling end user computing models available for enterprise today. For those organisations not wishing to fall behind the pace of innovation, it’s a matter of when, not if, they embrace it. The advantages delivered by desktop Virtualization are perfectly in line with the objectives towards which every successful organisation strives: reduced costs, streamlined administration, and data security and worker satisfaction. With such compelling benefits driving adoption, it’s inevitable that virtual IT infrastructures will become the norm amongst trend-savvy businesses.