“One size fits all” is not a tenet applicable for branch office deployments. Branch office deployments vary based on number of users, type of applications, available WAN bandwidth, and IT infrastructure.
A recent ESG survey shows that 92 percent of customers are interested in replacing the laptops/PCs of their remote office employees with virtual desktops running in a central location. VMware, working with partners such as Nimble Storage, provides a variety of approaches to tackle VDI with their Branch Office Desktop solution. One way to deploy is the centrally-hosted desktop environment and the other is using a locally-hosted desktop solution kept in sync using VMware Mirage. Either way, you want to make sure the storage you choose is optimized for your specific deployment model.
With the centralized desktop hosting model, the storage not only needs to be cost-effective, but also deliver high performance. This is where Nimble shines with optimizations for both read and write operations. In addition, built-in snapshot-based data protection allows you to dramatically improve business continuity.
In the case of the locally-hosted desktop environment, the primary storage factors in play are cost, ease of deployment and use, as well as supportability. Nimble’s CS200 series offers cost-effective, dense performance for these environments in a 3U form factor. Systems come tuned out of the box with only a few easy steps to go from plug-in to operational. Finally, proactive wellness features enable the relay of comprehensive system telemetry data to Nimble HQ that is analyzed in real-time to identify potential problems at the branch location. In case of a support incident, the system can be serviced remotely the majority of the time.
Additionally, in the locally-deployed VDI solution, Nimble Storage used for branch office desktops can serve as a replication target for the primary datacenter. That way critical data can be replicated and protected in case of a disaster at the primary site. Similarly, critical data such as local persona and user files can be replicated back to the primary datacenter.
To learn more about how Nimble and VMware are working together to simplify branch office deployments, please refer to the following resources:
Best Practices Guide for VDI »
Nimble Storage Solutions for VDI Environments »
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