Virtual Desktop as a Service: CloudJumper vs Nerdio

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure / Desktop as a Service

Virtual desktop service and solutions from CloudJumper (now part of NetApp) and Nerdio fall into a broader category of solutions including Virtual Desktop as a Service (DaaS) and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).

Virtual Desktop as a Service (DaaS) is a service provider solution that hosts workloads in the cloud and provides apps and operating systems which can be accessed by a remote endpoint device. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is a type of desktop virtualization whereby desktop workstation or server operating systems run on virtual machines. Using DaaS and VDI, the user engages with the operating system and applications on an endpoint device while having a similar experience of running them locally.

CloudJumper (NetApp Virtual Desktop as a Service)

NetApp’s Virtual Desktop Service (VDS) simplifies and automates provisioning, deploying, managing, and optimizing virtual desktops in any cloud environment. It is SaaS delivered. The global control panel helps to easily manage virtual desktops in all phases of the desktop lifecycle.

NetApp VDS supports Remote Desktop Services (RDS) on public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid environments. It functions well with all cloud service providers like Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and Amazon Web Services. It also supports Microsoft’s Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) on Microsoft Azure.

The open REST APIs make any cloud environment interoperable with any endpoint devices. This facilitates easier remote working from anywhere and any device. As all the data and software are stored on cloud, they are highly secure. Even if the user loses their endpoint devices, their login can be disabled and can be provided with a new login. This ensures there is not data theft or loss. It also allows continuity of workflow and business. Thus, it proves to be cost effective.

Meets Business and IT Challenges

1. Simplify and automate deployment of VDS to help in faster provisioning of workspaces along with real-time data, software, and your applications. This helps you to:
   • Deploy your employees at the earliest which increases their productivity.
   • Synchronize real-time data, software, and your application happens effortlessly and efficiently.
   • Reduce cost incurred in manual configuration.
   • Manage users, provision resources, and apply policy changes across the desktops effectively.
2. Automate virtual desktop management to help in seamless data orchestration, resource allocation, and workload movement. This helps you to:
   • Reduce the complexity in managing the VDI solution stack across users, devices, applications, and infrastructure.
3. Scale up or scale down virtual desktop capacity to optimize it to meet the increase or decrease in the desktop requirement across multiple global cloud environments. This helps you to:
   • Nullify the productivity loss incurred due to sudden increase in workforce.
   • Save costs by decommissioning the desktops when there is decrease in workforce.
4. Combine application management and runtime sessions for user identity, server authentication, data files, databases, storage, profiles, and user and / or departmental configurations according to policy.
5. Integrate VDS with NetApp Cloud Data Service that provides robust shared storage, data protection, optimization, and compliance.
6. Provides high availability of PaaS elements that helps to maintain consistent performance, uptime, and security.
7. Provides scalable cloud services like Azure NetApp Files and Cloud Volumes Service.
8. Provides right-sizing tools to optimize VDS based on virtual desktop requirements to achieve maximum performance at minimum cost. Resulting in savings of up to 50%.

Nerdio Manager for WVD (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure)

Nerdio Manager for WVD enhances the native components of Microsoft. It does not replace them like other virtual desktop solutions. It automates and simplifies deployment, management, and scaling of WVD resources.

With its powerful and intuitive UI, it facilitates large scale WVD deployments and ongoing user management. It takes only 2 hours to deploy WVD with its wizard-driven deployment. You can automatically migrate from your existing WVD Classic to the new WVD ARM.

It allows you to create images from multiple sources like Azure marketplace, shared image gallery, and existing session on a host VM or a custom image. You can schedule for automatic update and pack images. You can schedule and automate recurring image deployment to host pools without any administrator intervention.

Meets Business and IT Challenges

1. Auto-scaling feature helps you to save up to 75% on Azure compute and storage costs. This is achieved by:
   • The host pools that are flexible to grow and shrink based on your demand.
   • The auto-scaling algorithms based on CPU, user session, and time-of-day.
   • The power management and auto-provisioning capability saves both compute and storage cost.
2. Optimize on your Azure cost as it allows users to:
   • Power desktops on and off without needing access to Azure portal.
   • Tag the required resources for cost allocation between departments.
   • Create a dynamic single-user desktop host pool for individual one-on-one non-pertinent VDI desktops.
   • Use ephemeral OS disks to improve performance.
3. Monitor real-time minimum and maximum costs with the auto-scaling feature. This helps you to:
   • Know the exact Azure costs before deploying VMs.
   • Compare static and dynamic pool costs.
   • Know the minimum and maximum expenditure to create and configure a new dynamic host pool.
4. Effortlessly and efficiently manage:
   • Desktop images and hosts as it helps in:
     • Reducing the complexity and time involved in creating and maintaining desktop images and update session hosts.
     • Importing existing VMs as desktop images.
     • Reimaging hundreds of session hosts instantaneously.
     • Creating new desktop images using Azure marketplace.
     • Cloning and maintaining multiple image versions.
   • Users and sessions as they help in:
     • Gaining complete visibility of current user activity and host utilization.
     • Monitoring active and disconnected sessions.
     • Shadowing or controlling active user sessions with user consent.
     • Performing bulk operations on active user sessions.
   • Role-based access with multiple well-defined roles.
5. Provide high data residency, security, and compliance with all-PaaS packaged Azure applications. It helps you to:
   • Run WVD in your own tenants.
   • Allow third-party vendors to access your environment.
   • Deploy your Azure subscription in the region of your choice.
   • Secure data in your own Azure subscription.
6. Complete automation avoids the need for PowerShell scripting for deployment of WVD.
7. Simple and powerful UI enables your help desk to manage all aspects of WVD.

Conclusion

Virtual desktops are becoming the need of the hour to manage your diversified workforce efficiently and effectively. They increase productivity with easy and flexible accessibility of resources. The cloud-based deployment provides a host of features to make it cost effective and secure.