Sizing a Virtual Desktop Solution: What are the VDI Requirements?

Are your users getting a VDI experience that’s fast and delightful? If not, you might need to resize your virtual desktop solution (VDI) requirements. 

You might find a lot of compelling grounds to deploy VDI, as it is a desktop virtualization solution that gives remote access by hosting multiple users on the parent virtual machine. It requires fewer resources and lowers maintenance needs as compared to a physical desktop. Further, it doesn’t limit you to one device, so you get greater mobility. Furthermore, it reduces the risk of data loss. 

But still, it’s not like everything is on the right path here. As you invest a lot in that technology, you need to ensure that your users are not suffering from an ill-fitting VDI environment. Because every company’s IT infrastructure is different, making it worthy for users is a tough call. The wider your IT environment, the more alignment you need with the VDI goals. 

size vdi solution

Components of sizing VDI  

The action of right-sizing your virtual desktop environment is like having more cooks in the kitchen altering recipes around you to meet their goals. But how would you ensure that your customers like it? Ensuring all the ingredients of the recipe are perfectly added, isn’t it? The same has to be done in the case of VDI sizing. 

When sizing virtual desktops, there are a few computing requirements, such as RAM, CPU, and disk size (capacity). These components are directly related to the layered features of the virtual desktop infrastructure and need to be configured as per the user’s needs.  

This blog will give you an overview of each component within a virtual desktop environment. 

  • Random Access Memory (RAM) 

RAM is a significant constraint that drives the overall cost and performance of the physical hardware in terms of VDI deployment. It is imperative to understand that VDI performs at its best with the same amount of RAM as a physical desktop. Thus, you get a better user experience with comparatively less RAM. 

Physical desktops consume higher RAM for background actions. Many applications consume a lot of memory; therefore, they utilize any available memory even when they are not running. This is not the case with VDI, as you can get unnecessary applications and background actions shut down. 

Another thing to consider in VDI requirements is that every job profile has a different RAM usage. For example, BPO employees will incur comparatively less RAM than those working on complex financial analyses. In most VDI scenarios, RAM also affects the price of virtual desktops and increases licensing fees. 

  • Central Processing Unit (CPU)  

For any cloud environment, the CPU is the key component that gives you a similar VDI experience, just like working on a physical workstation.  To size the VDI solution, having the right processing power and core count is necessary. 

A CPU pool is considered oversubscribed when virtual desktops utilize a higher physical core than you configured. This oversubscription occurs when the infrastructure is shared among several users assigned to a host VM. But the question arises: how much oversubscribing is too much? 

From a processor standpoint, utilization averaged only 5–15 percent, which means that only a certain amount of oversubscription can support the workload needs of each individual virtual machine. Oversubscribing of CPU to some extent is necessary as it ensures that the resources are not wasted and maximizes virtual machine density on the host. But, configuring a higher number of vCPUs than required on a limited core might not be a good idea. Otherwise, the users could face a performance fall. 

Therefore, the VDI provider upgrades the cloud environment, so you are not stuck using old-aged CPU hardware. You should choose a managed VDI provider that keeps you aware of their oversubscription policies. 

  • Disk Space  

Disk space, also known as storage space, is the room available to allocate the users’ applications and data. The virtual disk stores and holds all the software and applications that end-users use. It directly impacts the performance of virtual desktops. Therefore, it’s the vulnerable component of the VDI. 

While you size VDI, it is always best to keep a close eye on the disk space consumption. If the disk has less space, it can cause performance issues with overall VDI performance. On that note, one should provide enough disk space for the operating system for the VDI to perform at its best. 

By allocating the required disk space, the VDI provider can easily offer added storage to you by integrating it into your virtual desktop environment.  

Choose a VDI configuration based on your business requirements 

Every business has different configuration requirements. What fits into the business model of law firms might not work in the VDI model of a BPO. To ensure that you are choosing the most suitable configuration, you should keep the following things in mind. 

  • Ensure that you can scale up or down to meet your dynamic desktop needs after the subscription.
  • Analyze your needs and then choose a pre-packaged configuration solution. 
  • Check if the VDI provider offers customized configuration. 

We understand that you need to be ready to meet the needs of tomorrow. Thus, Ace Cloud Hosting lays grounds for customized configuration to support business needs. Let’s see what they are: 

  1. Business Plan

The business plan comes with 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, and 50 GB storage.
This configuration is well-suited for medium-level users such as consultants and market researchers who need to work on office applications like data entry and command-line interfaces, MS Word, and static web pages. You can also get personalized applications installed by us. 

  1. Power Configuration

As the name suggests, this power configuration provides desktops with 4 vCPU and 8 GB of RAM (50 GB). This type of configuration is ideal for employees who work in web development, software development, designing, CPA, content creation, and more. Any employee who works on large data sets can opt for this configuration of virtual desktops.  

View Ace Cloud Hosting VDI Plans & PricingVirtual Desktop Pricing 

Looking for a customized experience? Get your virtual desktop environment personalized by ACE 

Above were the pre-decided packages provided by us. Ace Cloud Hosting also delivers custom packages to users with specific VDI requirements. Users who need higher computing power and may work on graphic-intensive applications fit into the custom configuration category. It is ideal for users performing big data analytics or rendering 3D applications.  

You can get your desktops configured according to the CPU, RAM, and storage you want in your virtual desktop to have a productive user experience.  

Get in touch with our solution experts to identify which configuration will suit you the most and get it designed by our experts. Our experts are available round the clock to answer your query and guide you through every step. 

Experience a 7-Day VDI Free Trial: Explore Virtual Desktop Infrastructure with No Cost

About Julie Watson

Julie is a dynamic professional with over 16 years of rich experience as a VDI and Application Hosting expert. At Ace Cloud Hosting, she humanizes disruptive and emerging remote working trends to help leaders discover new and better possibilities for digital transformation and innovation by using cloud solutions with an enterprise-class security approach. Beyond work, Julie is a passionate surfer.
On the weekend, you will find her hanging out with her family or surfing around the North Shore of Oahu.

Find Julie Watson on:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

ace-your-tax-season-2024-Offer
Copy link