Working from home is a challenge. With variable internet speeds, connections to PDM being unstable due to higher latency, using residential internet speeds versus commercial, and a litany of other issues that come to light in the midst of a drastic change to your work environment, working from home is not as cushy as we thought it would be! Working from home is no longer a luxury, it has quickly turned into the only way to work. In light of recent events, we are seeing VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) as a necessity. With the pandemic changing and evolving, isn't it time we do? Are our engineering processes really living up to their potential? We all hope to get back to "normal" soon, but if this has taught us anything, it's to always have a back up plan.
What is VDI?
The cloud server is equipped with SQL server, SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS PDM (read this previous blog post if you're wondering "what is PDM?"), SNL license manager, and numerous graphics cards so that they can still do massive graphics processing without missing a beat. It is the closest thing to your office computer you can get while working remotely. VDI is the best option available right now for an easy transition to virtual work without having to make sacrifices in what resources are available to your firm. Working from home is not the only benefit to adopting a VDI program, and it's not obsolete if used in a traditional office setting. In fact the cloud makes the workplace collaborative in a seamless way! It's secure, high-performing, and can provide your firm with cutting edge flexibility with no additional licensing cost if you already use SOLIDWORKS PDM.
If things do ever go back to "normal," VDI can continue to serve as a means for employers to be more understanding and flexible with their employees. VDI can be used to keep new parents at home with their newborns for longer, let employees travel to care for sick parents or loved ones, all while still maintaining productivity at work. It has been shown through several companies that taking care of your employees is the way to low turnover, higher productivity, and more!
On the other hand, there is no denying that it's looking like we will be adjusting to a new normal which will include a lot more distance. Learning, working, and other day-to-day tasks will become as virtual as possible, with some universities already committing to online learning for the rest of 2020. Is your firm ready to tackle this? Do you have the resources to set up offices for your most valuable employees? This can certainly make or break your company.
Let us help you get ready for the new normal.
With VDI, we can set up a server and provide you with a personalized graphics workstation that your employees can access with almost any computer, tablet, Chromebook, or even a MacBook. It is cloud-based, technology that we are very familiar with given the cloud-based nature of our other offerings. It works with Microsoft Windows, and it's not slowed down by computer capacity. Since it runs off of a VPN, as long as your employees can stream movies on their internet connections, it should work well. The VPN connection means there is no need for employees (or employers) to spend money on a new laptop or desktop. There are even some features that can be accessed via mobile.
VDI also puts graphics cards on the server, meaning your expensive CAD workstations will no longer become obsolete, and I'm sure you can imagine how much money it will save you when you don't have to replace several cards every two or three years.
Adopting a VDI solution with The Q means we will take care of setup, migration, and maintenance, which means you eliminate the need for a full-time IT Team or PDM Administrator. Additionally, since you can use almost any computer, any previously outdated computer with internet access is now once again usable. It keeps your expensive investment in technology alive a little longer! It can also be accessed 24/7, so employees can better manage the time they have available, spending more of their day with their kids and families, and not be tied to the traditional 8-5 schedule.
From a management perspective, it can be difficult to monitor productivity and activities of employees working remotely, but VDI makes remote work that much easier. It's simple to view activities done by employees and teams, meaning you'll know exactly where your employees are in their pipeline without having to hound them for an update. No micromanaging, and management is still in the loop every step of the way. It truly helps eliminate a lot of the headaches associated with working remotely. VDI helps you introduce a flexible, employee-focused, and nontraditional work environment that more and more workers are craving these days. On top of that, it prepares you for external forces that make traditional office time impossible, like COVID-19, which makes employees, clients, and stakeholders feel more secure in times of uncertainty.
But is it secure?
We get this a lot. Especially with our other products, anything that is stored in the cloud causes managers and engineers alike a lot of insecurity about the security of their data. That is totally understandable! But how many times have you lost files in your desktop? What happens if someone steals your computer? All of that data is not only stolen, but also gone forever. With VDI, the data and applications get saved on the cloud, so there's not a lot of ways in which that data can be lost forever. It will stay there, safe and secure, regardless of what happens at the office, or to your employee's home computer. Our VDI program also ensures security that we fully believe in. We use two-factor authentication (2FA) to secure your data, with 99.9% uptime.
What's next?
Your employees need to keep working, and you need to keep your business running, but everyone needs to stay safe while doing so. Let us get you set up with VDI today! Schedule a meeting for more information, a free consultation, and the next steps on everything you'll need to efficiently work from home.