VDI
VMware Updates Horizon, Adds More Cloud Support
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 08/24/20
VMware
has launched a new version of its flagship virtual desktop infrastructure
(VDI) platform with the introduction of Horizon
8.
VMware
Horizon 8 is designed to help IT organizations more efficiently
manage and scale virtual desktop and application delivery across
public and private clouds from a single control panel. The company
said that new capabilities would include:
-
More
hybrid and multi-cloud deployment options, covering Google Cloud
VMware Engine, Horizon on VMware Cloud on Dell EMC and Horizon on
Azure VMware Solution.
-
New
instant clone capabilities previously only available in pricier
editions of Horizon 7. This kind of provisioning helps IT directly
provision "instant" clones without requiring a parent
virtual machine, thereby freeing up memory resources and increasing
the number of desktops possible per host, reducing costs.
-
New
RESTful APIs, to help IT in automating capabilities of Horizon 8,
including monitoring, entitlements, and user and machine management.
-
Optimized
support for Microsoft Teams video and audio, and continued support
for Zoom and Cisco WebEx, to deliver a better user experience from
virtual desktops.
-
The
ability to publish Linux applications directly from a Linux server
in the Horizon platform, reducing the costs associated with licenses
from other operating systems.
The
company said that Horizon 8 would help IT "deliver more secure
virtual workspaces," by letting them establish and verify end
user identity with built-in multi-factor authentication and enabling
conditional access policies for virtual desktops and applications.
IDC
Research Manager Shannon Kalvar said in a press release that
"unifying physical device management (including PCs, Chromebooks
and phones), digital workspace creation/operations and client
workspace security into the overall platform is an attractive
proposition for customers that are already invested in it."
The company also released several additions to its VMware Workspace ONE, its digital workspace platform.
Pittsburgh
Technical College,
a private, non-profit in Pennsylvania has been using Horizon for
several years, according to CIO William Showers. "When we made
the decision to transition all on-campus activities to a virtual
environment as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, our biggest
challenge was navigating how to keep the family atmosphere of our
tight, single-campus location alive and well online. VMware's digital
workspace solutions played a key role in helping us do that." He
explained that Horizon has allowed faculty and students to access
collaboration tools and high-computing programs, such as immersive
3D-graphics datasets, from their virtual desktop to teach and learn
remotely. "The process for accessing these tools is the same as
before--the only thing that has changed is the user's location. I'm
certain that if we hadn't made the investment in VMware Horizon, this
transition would not have been as seamless, and we would have found
ourselves playing catch-up when the pandemic hit."
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.
