Simplify VMware View Deployments with BIG-IP APM for LTM VE

Desktop Virtualization

VDI deployments virtualize user desktops by delivering them to distinctive endpoint devices over the network from a central location. Since users’ primary work tools are now located in a data center rather than on their own local machines, VDI can put a strain on network resources, and the user experience can be negatively affected. WAN latency can be especially noticeable, and organizations might have to provision more bandwidth to account for the additional network traffic. VMware has also introduced the PC-over-IP(PCoIP) communications display protocol. Many remote access devices are incapable of correctly handling this distinctive protocol, leading to possible deterioration in the user experience.

Keeping mobile users connected to their own unique, individual environments can also pose a challenge. When users are moving from one network to another, their sessions could be dropped, requiring them to re-connect, re-authenticate, and navigate to where they were prior to the interruption.

Secure access and access control are always concerns when deploying any system, and virtual desktops are no different. Users are still accessing sensitive corporate information, so enforcing strong authentication and security policies and ensuring that the client is compliant are still important for VDI deployments.

Lastly, IT must make sure that the virtual systems themselves are available and can scale when needed to realize all the benefits from both a virtual server and virtual desktop deployment.

Solution

The inclusion of BIG-IP APM fine-grained access control with BIG-IP LTM VE offers a very powerful enhancement to optimize, secure, and deliver a VMware View virtual desktop infrastructure. This is a 100-percent virtual remote access solution for VMware View 4.5 VDI products. BIG-IP APM for LTM VE will run as a virtual machine in a VMware hypervisor environment, so IT can easily add it to the existing infrastructure. As the number of users on virtual desktops grows, organizations can easily transition from BIG-IP LTM Virtual Edition to a BIG-IP LTM physical appliance.

BIG-IP LTM VE provides important load balancing, health monitoring, and SSL offload forVMware View deployments for greater system availability and scalability. Network and protocol optimizations help organizations manage bandwidth efficiently while maintaining and improving the user experience. BIG-IP APM for LTM VE also overcomes the PCoIPchallenge with the Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) feature. This transport protocol is uniquely capable of providing all the desired security for transporting PCoIP communications, but without the degradation in performance. Users no longer have to useremote desktop protocol (RDP) to access their virtual desktops but can now connect directly with PCoIP. Or, organizations can plan a phased user migration to PCoIP.

BIG-IP APM for LTM VE comes with powerful security controls to keep the entire environment secure. Pre-login host checks will inspect the requesting client and determine if it meets certain secure access criteria. The solution offers a wide range of authentication mechanisms, including two-factor, to protect corporate resources. BIG-IP APM enables convenient single sign-on, and once a session is established, all traffic, including PCoIP, is encrypted to protect the data. Session persistence helps users reconnect quickly without having to re-authenticate. BIG-IP APM for LTM VE simplifies deployment of authentication and session management for VMware View enterprise virtual desktop management.