VDI stories on BrianMadden.com

Ah VDI... You are what this site is all about, right? VDI, which originally stood for "Virtual Desktop Infrastructure," was a term originally invented by VMware in the mid-2000s. VDI officially describes a type of desktop virtualization where a desktop runs as a virtual machine in a datacenter, and then the user connects via a thin client or remote desktop software on a laptop to the virtual desktop via some kind of remote display protocol (RDP, HDX, PC-over-IP, etc.).

Unfortunately in today's world, a lot of people use the term "VDI" interchangeably with "desktop virtualization." But actually VDI is only one type of desktop virtualization. (Other types of desktop virtualization include Microsoft Remote Desktop, Client Hypervisors, and OS Streaming.) Some people have tried to lessen the confusion by not using the term "VDI" at all. (For example, Gartner calls it "hosted virtual desktops, or "HVD.") But the sad reality is that many people continue to use the term "VDI" and "desktop virtualization" interchangeably.

But not us! We agree with Gartner in this case. All of our articles about VDI are only about the specific flavor of desktop virtualization where the user's desktop is running as a virtual machine on a hypervisor in a datacenter. For some textbook definitions, check out remote desktop connection broker, host-based virtual machine, and desktop virtualization at SearchVirtualDesktop.com.