Description

This curriculum spans the equivalent depth and breadth of a multi-workshop technical advisory engagement, addressing the same cost modelling, infrastructure trade-offs, and operational decisions faced during real-world VDI deployments across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments.

Module 1: Assessing Total Cost of Ownership in VDI Deployments

Decide between persistent and non-persistent desktop pools based on user profile complexity and storage cost implications.
Calculate long-term storage expenses for user data and OS images, factoring in deduplication efficiency and snapshot overhead.
Evaluate the cost impact of integrating profile management solutions versus relying on roaming profiles.
Compare the capital expenditure of on-premises hardware refresh cycles against subscription costs for cloud-hosted desktops.
Include helpdesk labor costs in TCO models when estimating support burden for image updates and user troubleshooting.
Model licensing costs across multiple vendors, including Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop Access (VDA), RDS CALs, and third-party VDI platforms.

Module 2: Infrastructure Sizing and Resource Allocation

Determine CPU and memory overcommit ratios based on actual user workload telemetry, avoiding vendor-provided averages.
Size network bandwidth for peak usage scenarios, including logon storms and multimedia redirection requirements.
Select storage tiering strategies that balance IOPS demands during boot storms with cost per GB for idle desktops.
Allocate GPU resources only to users with demonstrated application needs, preventing over-provisioning across the user base.
Plan for growth headroom in hypervisor clusters, considering VM density limits and maintenance mode capacity constraints.
Implement thin provisioning with monitoring alerts to prevent storage over-allocation and performance degradation.

Module 3: Desktop Image Management and Lifecycle Costs

Standardize base images to minimize patching cycles and reduce testing overhead across departments.
Use layering technologies selectively, weighing management flexibility against added licensing and performance overhead.
Schedule image updates during maintenance windows to avoid disrupting user productivity and incurring overtime labor.
Automate image build pipelines using version control and testing stages to reduce manual errors and rework.
Retire outdated images systematically to reduce storage sprawl and security exposure from unpatched templates.
Coordinate application packaging schedules with desktop refresh cycles to avoid conflicting update windows.

Module 4: Licensing and Compliance Optimization

Validate Microsoft licensing requirements for VDI access based on device ownership (corporate vs. BYO).
Negotiate Enterprise Agreements with Software Assurance to leverage VDA rights and reduce per-device costs.
Track concurrent user sessions to ensure third-party application licenses are not over-deployed.
Document virtualization rights for server applications that may require additional CALs when accessed from VDI.
Implement license metering tools to reclaim unused software entitlements and avoid compliance penalties.
Assess the cost-effectiveness of Windows 10/11 Enterprise multi-session versus per-user subscription licensing.

Module 5: Storage Cost Engineering and Optimization

Compare the cost per IOPS of all-flash arrays versus hybrid storage for VDI workloads with high boot storm intensity.
Implement storage quality of service (QoS) policies to prevent noisy neighbors from degrading performance for critical users.
Use linked clones to reduce storage footprint, balancing savings against increased management complexity.
Configure automated tiering to move inactive desktops to lower-cost storage without manual intervention.
Monitor snapshot retention policies to avoid uncontrolled storage consumption from backup and testing activities.
Evaluate content-based read caching solutions to reduce backend storage load and extend hardware lifespan.

Module 6: Network Architecture and Bandwidth Cost Control

Select display protocol (PCoIP, Blast, HDX, RDP) based on WAN bandwidth costs and endpoint device capabilities.
Deploy branch office caches or gateways to reduce backhaul traffic and associated bandwidth expenses.
Implement QoS tagging for VDI traffic to prioritize real-time interactions over batch transfers.
Limit peripheral redirection features based on security risk and bandwidth consumption per user role.
Size internet breakout capacity at data centers to handle cloud application traffic from virtual desktops.
Monitor protocol compression ratios to assess effectiveness and identify opportunities for bandwidth reduction.

Module 7: Operational Efficiency and Support Cost Reduction

Design monitoring dashboards that correlate performance metrics with user complaints to reduce mean time to resolution.
Standardize endpoint devices to minimize driver conflicts and reduce image customization effort.
Implement self-service reset options for non-persistent desktops to reduce Level 1 support tickets.
Use synthetic transactions to proactively detect login failures before users are affected.
Document escalation paths for hypervisor, storage, and VDI platform issues to avoid cross-team finger-pointing.
Archive inactive user sessions automatically to reclaim compute and license resources.

Module 8: Cloud and Hybrid Deployment Cost Trade-offs

Compare reserved instance pricing in public cloud against on-premises depreciation schedules for equivalent workloads.
Model data egress fees when migrating user data between cloud regions or back to on-premises systems.
Assess the cost of hybrid identity synchronization and conditional access policies for cloud-hosted desktops.
Size cloud desktops using burstable instances only for predictable, short-duration workloads to avoid performance surprises.
Implement auto-scaling policies that align with business hours to avoid running unused desktops overnight.
Track tagging compliance to allocate cloud desktop costs accurately to departments and chargeback systems.