This post was authored by Rebeca Kinslow, Content Marketing Team
Recent analytics found that before COVID-19, 75 million U.S. employees (about 56% of the non-self-employed workforce) had jobs that are compatible with working from home. Amidst a global pandemic, there’s no doubt that 2020 will be marked by a great shift to working remotely.
IT teams are feeling the pressure of being responsible for onboarding significant numbers of employees to remote workplaces and faster than ever before. Getting workers onboarded with virtual desktops and apps (VDI) is new to many, and it’s okay if you don’t have it all figured out yet.
We asked our customers what their best tips were for working remotely using VDI. Check ‘em out:
1. Plan first, act second
When something needs to get done quickly, our first instinct is to act. However, to make VDI deployments a true success, companies need to invest in taking the time to step back and evaluate what their users really need. Our customers said to focus on:
- Gathering information on end-user profiles, storage requirements, location, and connectivity
- Setting a project timeline expectation (with Nutanix it can be just days!)
- Using Nutanix to help fast track installment and scale VDI to requirements
2. Get chummy with your workload, but never stop testing
In order to accurately plan for capacity decisions, make sure you’re familiar with your workload. Run consistent VDI health checks, monitor usage, and perform live testing during business hours. Make sure the basics are functioning well and that the environment is healthy, efficient, and performing at its best.
Running your VDI on Nutanix helps you achieve these goals by actually doing a lot of the work for you. Nutanix HCI provides a self-healing platform that prevents data loss and cyber threats with native security features, and reduces the time spent on management by up to 66% by providing a simpler, more integrated environment. See how BART’s switch to Nutanix enabled them to focus on delivering services, not managing their datacenter.
3. Communication is KEY
Successful VDI deployments have focused on communication on the technical and non-technical side of VDI. While you should have a robust communication platform that all employees know how to use to teleconference, you should also ensure that you include the right folks in discussions to strategize the future of your VDI.
4. Focus on the end-user experience
Customers agree across industries that VDI deployments must ensure an end-user experience that is top-notch. To achieve this, they recommended creating a training video or cheat sheet so that users can refer back to it when they need. Addressing “How do I…” and “Why can’t I…” questions that are likely to come up was a shared best practice. Watch Vijay Luthra, Senior VP Global Head of Infrastructure Services at Northern Trust speak about how his financial services company reduced VDI support tickets by 80-90% by switching to Nutanix.
Keep in mind that each industry will have their own end user priorities. For example, Delaware Valley Community Health recently onboarded 75% of their healthcare employees to remote work as a result of COVID-19. By focusing on the provider experience, they prioritized slashing login time from 3 minutes to 19 seconds, and secured a disaster recovery time of six minutes. Read more about Delaware Valley Community Health’s tech modernization initiative here.
5. Don’t forget to look on the bright side!
There are several benefits to remote working. While we’re saving time avoiding traffic jams (NO ONE misses the stress of sitting in bumper to bumper traffic!), we’re also gaining time with family and loved ones. We have companies that are working day in and day out to make sure the technology necessary to survive and thrive exists... and so much more! A positive mindset always helps.
For more information, check out these resources:
- Nutanix FastTrack for VDI
- The Definitive Guide to VDI on Hyperconverged Infrastructure
- VDI & Application Virtualization with Citrix XenServer & Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Platform
Don’t forget to sign up to join XTRIBE to be a part of all our fun and helpful customer challenges and receive rewards for participating!
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