Skip to main content
VDI Disaster Recovery in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

VDI Disaster Recovery in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

$199.00
When you get access:
Course access is prepared after purchase and delivered via email
How you learn:
Self-paced • Lifetime updates
Toolkit Included:
Includes a practical, ready-to-use toolkit containing implementation templates, worksheets, checklists, and decision-support materials used to accelerate real-world application and reduce setup time.
Your guarantee:
30-day money-back guarantee — no questions asked
Who trusts this:
Trusted by professionals in 160+ countries
Adding to cart… The item has been added

This curriculum spans the equivalent depth and structure of a multi-workshop operational readiness program, addressing the same technical and procedural rigor applied in enterprise VDI resilience engagements, from dependency mapping and cross-site architecture to automated failover orchestration and compliance-aligned maintenance.

Module 1: Assessing VDI Environment Dependencies and Recovery Requirements

  • Map critical dependencies between virtual desktops, connection brokers, identity providers, and backend databases to identify single points of failure.
  • Classify desktop workloads by business criticality to define recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO) for each tier.
  • Document integration points with enterprise storage arrays, network infrastructure, and endpoint management tools that impact recovery sequencing.
  • Validate DNS, DHCP, and time synchronization dependencies across sites to ensure consistent service restoration.
  • Inventory third-party applications with local installations or user-specific configurations that may not persist across recovery events.
  • Establish ownership roles for desktop images, user profiles, and policy templates to coordinate recovery responsibilities across teams.

Module 2: Designing Multi-Site VDI Architecture for Resilience

  • Configure connection broker farms with cross-site load balancing and failover capabilities using DNS round-robin or global server load balancing (GSLB).
  • Implement synchronous or asynchronous replication of master image storage repositories based on WAN bandwidth and RPO constraints.
  • Deploy redundant Unified Access Gateways or Blast Secure Gateways in active-passive mode across data centers to maintain secure remote access.
  • Align virtual desktop resource pools with compute clusters in secondary sites to enable rapid recommissioning during failover.
  • Size standby capacity in the recovery site to accommodate peak concurrent login storms post-failover.
  • Configure vSphere HA and DRS settings to prevent resource contention during partial outages without triggering unnecessary migrations.

Module 3: Protecting and Replicating VDI-Specific Components

  • Schedule application-consistent snapshots of connection broker servers using hypervisor-level backup tools to preserve configuration state.
  • Replicate user profile stores using DFS-R or storage-based replication while managing latency impact on logon performance.
  • Implement change block tracking (CBT) for linked clone replicas to minimize replication bandwidth during recompose operations.
  • Back up Persona Management configuration files and policy GPOs separately from user data to enable independent restoration.
  • Test failover of SQL Server instances hosting Horizon View Events or Composer databases under load to validate transaction log replay integrity.
  • Encrypt replicated desktop images in transit and at rest when crossing untrusted network zones or cloud boundaries.

Module 4: User Data and Profile Management in Disaster Scenarios

  • Enforce mandatory redirection of user data folders (Documents, Desktop) to highly available file shares with continuous availability enabled.
  • Configure roaming profile fallback mechanisms to prevent login failures when primary profile servers are unreachable.
  • Implement FSLogix profile container failover by attaching VHDX files from replicated Azure Files or SMB shares during site recovery.
  • Pre-stage frequently accessed user data in the recovery site using tiered caching or proactive seeding to reduce post-failover latency.
  • Define cleanup policies for stale profile containers to prevent uncontrolled storage growth after temporary failover events.
  • Monitor profile load times during simulated outages to identify oversized profiles that degrade recovery performance.

Module 5: Orchestrating Failover and Failback Procedures

  • Develop runbooks that sequence the activation of connection brokers, domain controllers, and storage gateways in dependency order.
  • Modify DNS records or GSLB policies to redirect clients to the recovery site’s connection brokers with minimal TTL windows.
  • Re-register desktop agents in the recovery site with the failover connection broker using automated scripts or powercli.
  • Validate certificate trust chains for SSL/TLS termination points after IP address changes during site switchover.
  • Coordinate failback timing with application teams to avoid conflicts with backend system cutover schedules.
  • Re-synchronize user write-back disks or differencing disks after primary site restoration to prevent data loss.

Module 6: Testing and Validating VDI Disaster Recovery Plans

  • Conduct tabletop exercises with desktop support, network, and security teams to validate escalation paths during declared outages.
  • Execute isolated failover drills using VLAN segmentation to prevent client redirection while testing broker and desktop startup.
  • Measure actual RTO by timing from recovery initiation to first successful interactive desktop login in the secondary site.
  • Verify peripheral redirection (printers, USB devices) functionality in the recovery environment using representative client devices.
  • Test multi-factor authentication workflows with external identity providers to ensure uninterrupted access during failover.
  • Document gaps in application availability or performance and adjust replication schedules or resource allocation accordingly.

Module 7: Governance, Compliance, and Ongoing DR Maintenance

  • Integrate VDI recovery runbooks into enterprise-wide incident management systems with defined escalation thresholds.
  • Track configuration drift between primary and recovery site desktop images using automated comparison tools after patch cycles.
  • Enforce change control procedures that require DR impact assessment before modifying connection broker topology or storage layout.
  • Archive test results and remediation actions to demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements during audits.
  • Review replication job logs weekly to detect missed backups or latency spikes affecting RPO adherence.
  • Update recovery documentation quarterly to reflect changes in IP addressing, firewall rules, or third-party service dependencies.
!