Cloud Virtual Desktops (VDIaaS)

Overview

Cloud Virtual Desktops

Work From Home (WFH) or Remote working can be considered the natural evolution of the workplace. Encompassing all the technologies people use to get work done in today’s workplace, from core business applications to e-mail, instant messaging, and virtual meeting tools.

Livewire’s “VDI As a Service” is a comprehensive, all-in-one, virtual application and desktop publishing solution specifically designed to reduce the cost and complexity of VDI. The overall simplicity of this service enables customers to control critical VDI, application streaming, printing, and reporting features, all from a simple and intuitive user interface. Using client software that works on iPhone®, iPad®, and Android, end user can access their VDI securely from any location.

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Highlights
Livewire Benefits
Bundled Services
Use Cases
Resources
Available From

Mobility

Enables access of tools away from the physical office or workplace.
Applications

Access LOB applications on any platform and web browsers
Virtual Desktops

Allow employees to work on their Windows desktops from any device
Simplified VDI Management

Automatically deploy VDI desktops on demand using customized templates, allowing administrators to create and deploy guest VMs on the fly. After a template is created, the IT team can instantly deploy several VMs by selecting the template and entering the number of VMs.Automatically deploy VDI desktops on demand using customized templates, allowing administrators to create and deploy guest VMs on the fly. After a template is created, the IT team can instantly deploy several VMs by selecting the template and entering the number of VMs.
Linked Clones

By utilizing linked clones, the IT team can replicate an already available virtual disk from an existing VM instead of launching a whole new full VM. This allows multiple virtual machines to share the same software installation, saving disk space and deployment time.
Dynamic Space Management

Admins can set a preconfigured number of VMs to be created based on a template to make sure that enough VDI instances are available for users, ready to accept users’ connections and reduce login times.
Persistent VDI

Persistent VDI is a session where each user’s desktop is uniquely customizable and carries over from one session to another. User data is retained and always available through any user session. Data is retained until manually deleted
Non-Persistent VDI

Non-persistent VDI doesn’t retain any user data. It creates a standard desktop from a template that always has the same settings. It’s deleted when the user logs out or the predefined alive timer expires.
VM Pool Management

VM pools offer administrators more flexibility when managing a vast number of guest VMs. IT administrators can set multiple pools based on guest VMs from specific templates and provide access to different user groups. Each group can have a virtual desktop template with specific requirements.
Test Template Wizard

The Test Template wizard simulates the lifecycle of a VM from creation to deletion, along with user login to confirm accessibility with sufficient Active Directory permissions. This provides the administrator with peace of mind knowing that the templates are fully deployable.
Increased VDI Security

After the VDI session is established, VDI orchestration engine dynamically adds the user to “Remote Desktop Users Group,” granting just-in-time access permissions on logon. Once the session is logged off, access permissions on the VDI guest VM are removed. This provides an extra layer of protection.
VDI Session Management

IT administrators can manage any VDI session running on the server through the desktop-based Console and the web-based console, with the integrated Helpdesk Tool. Helpdesk can assist any VDI user directly through the console to kill hanged processes, disconnect, log off or send a message to the user
Dedicated Cisco / HP Hardware

Hardware is not shared with other customers, so you get predictable performance and security, while simplifying software licensing. Support demanding applications with up to 32 Intel® processor cores and 1.2TB of RAM per Server on enterprise grade Cisco and HP Servers.
Multi Cloud Connectivity

With more than 150+ PoPs across US. 8 Market places and native Open Cloud Exchange Platform from our Datacenter provider, it makes Livewire Cloud platform a complete edge cloud solution. At any given point you will be always in close network proximity of your cloud infrastructure.
Root Control with Familiarity

Manage your virtual infrastructure using the same tools you use to manage Vmware infrastructure in your own data center, such as Vmware vCenter and native VMware APIs. We offer root system control and increased security through dedicated hardware and physical infrastructure that’s used exclusively by you.
Hardware On Demand

Grow your physical compute, network, and storage capacity in timeframes measured in hours and days, rather than the weeks, months, or quarters typical of DIY deployments in on-premises data centers.
Security and Compliance

Layer on value-added services like Cyber Protect Backup, Ransomware Protection, Cloud Governance, compliance and Risk Management to provide deep expertise and advanced threat intelligence for help protecting your business.
Cloud Management Platform

Optimized service delivery with integrated Vmware vCloud Director. Vmware vCloud provides comprehensive functionality, integration and lifecycle management with policy-based governance for hybrid cloud environments.
Multi-Tenant by Design

With set of pre-provisioned vLANs, Firewalls and native Vmware resource Pool, you can slice and dice the cloud resources as needed and provide it to customers with intuitive cloud management console.
Managed Datacenter

Think it as you own datacenter except we do all heavy lifting for you. By default, our support includes complete datacenter management including proactive infrastructure monitoring and hardware replacements.
Optional Cross Datacenter DR

Choice to configure optional cross datacenter replication and DR to our datacenter across another cost / within same city. For fraction of cost increase enjoy greater redundancy and compliances for your customer.
Templates and vApps

Choose from wide range of pre-configured OS flavors and thousands of ready to deploy popular application stacks.
Dedicated vLAN and Firewall

Each cluster is deployed with pre-provisioned vLANs and ready to deploy virtual firewalls. Complete network isolation for each tenant / customer of yours.
Built in Backup

Built in backup available from global backup and DR leaders. Choose from wide range of backup / DR tool and we will deploy and support it for you.
DDoS Protected Dual 10G Circuits

Each of our hosting facility is equipped with dual 10Gbps DDoS protected upstream circuits. We have implemented IDS Not just on edge network but also on private network fabric which makes our network extremely secure for any external intrusion.
10G / 40G / 100G Backbone Network

Option to choose from 10G / 40G network backbone. With enterprise grade spine-leaf network architecture each leaf switch is connected to 100G spine switches in backend, making it robust network fabric which is not just intelligent but also lighting fast
Built in Cyber Protection

Built in advanced Cyber Protect Backup with real time ransomware protection, malware protection and web filtering for each virtual machine. For fraction of cost, make all your workloads protected from Cyber Attacks.
Datacenter Monitoring and Management

Our default support includes complete datacenter monitoring and management namely, Backbone networks, edge networks, DDoS Circuits Power Feeds, On-site hardware sparing and maintenance.
Infrastructure Monitoring and Management

We completely manage both the hardware and the software tools used to deliver your cloud, including, Virtualization platform, Hypervisor patching and updates, Storage Subsystem and Networks.
On Demand Technical Expertise

Certified experts to support Vmware vSphere, Virtuozzo VHI, OpenStack, DevOps Cloud, Vmware vCloud Director, Vmware NSX software-defined networking, Vmware Horizon, Vmware vRL, Vmware vROPs and VMware vSAN software-defined storage technologies.
Consulting and Advisory

With over 14+ years of experience in Cloud Business our Consulting and Advisory Services team brings the world’s best cloud experts together with the latest methodologies and approaches to develop cloud solution strategies that get you on the right road from day one.
From assessment to ideation, we work alongside your team, ensuring you have the guidelines, guardrails and expertise you need to be successful.
Backup and DR Expertise

In house team of professionals that brings in more than 10 years of experience in backup and migration product, available at your disposal to choose right backup / migration strategy and help you, setup any backup / DR tool of your choice on your cloud Infrastructure. Beside this we offer several pre-integrated backup technologies that are pre-validated by our team and fully supported by us.
Free Workload Migrations

Our most recognized and appreciated professional migration services are provided at no cost by Livewire. May it be another public cloud, hosted Vmware or any other virtualization platform. We will migrate it for you.
Branch Office
Remote Users
Contractors / Third Party
Contact Centers
Point Of Sale Terminals
Knowledge Workers
Power Users
Task Force
NY2 - Secaucus, NJ
Tier3 - CoreSite
SV4 - Santa Clara, CA
Tier3 - CoreSite
DFW1 - Dallas, TX
Tier3 - Databank
CA1 - Salinas, CA
Tier1 - Livewire

1) What is VDIaaS?
VDIaaS (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure As a Service) is Livewire’s low cost VDI offering based on Parallels RAS, Vmware vSphere and Vmware vSAN. Its available on HCI, Private Cloud, Shared Cloud and Cloud Pod Architecture. It is used to deliver secure low cost VDI to end users with rich graphic experience with intuitive VDI orchestration management. It also supports app publishing via Parallels RAS and RDS Farm integration which leverages Microsoft RDS for RDSH sessions.
2) What do I get in VDIaaS?
VDIaaS (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure As a Service) includes dedicated Vmware HCI with dedicated storage / Private Cloud / Shared Cloud cluster with shared storage and network fabric. Comes with Parallels RAS pre-integrated, tested and validated which is fully supported and managed by Livewire Team. In VDIaaS you get dedicated virtual network suites on demand which includes a dedicated vLAN, Firewall and Public IP. You can request as many network suites as you want for additional small pricing.
3) What is Parallels RAS?
Parallels® Remote Application Server (RAS) is an all-in-one virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solution that delivers applications and virtual desktops to any device, anytime, anywhere. To Know more about Parallel’s RAS “Click Here”
4) How do I access VDIaaS?
Users can access their designated VDIs either using Parallels client (Mac, iOS, Android and Windows) OR via standard HTML5 compatible browser over Microsoft RemoteFX protocol. SysAdmins can access VDIaaS through a VPN connection to Livewire Cloud for management function. We also have management portal that allows system admins to perform administrative task on their cloud environment.
5) What Livewire data centers provide VDIaaS
VDIaaS is available from selected datacenters of Livewire. Although there is around one week lead time to provision the required resources.
6) Are backups included with VDIaaS?
VDIaaS management environments are automatically protected by an image based backup solution. Beside that customer can deploy choice of their backup and DR software to backup / replicate virtual machines. We provide integrated backup for additional monthly cost from Veeam, Carbonite, Axcient, Datto, vSPhere SRM, Acronis and Vembu.
7) Is an Anti-Virus solution included with VDIaaS?
Optional antivirus software / end point protection can be licensed and installed to protect Guest Operating Systems. We provide integrated AV / end point management from Acronis and Blackberry Cylance.
8) How can I migrate virtual machines to VDIaaS?
For existing physical desktop / VDIs we offer user profile migration which is part of our migration services and available free of cost. You can also migrate server VMs to Livewire by using VMware vSphere replication or a number of other supported replication solutions. For more information about migrating to VDIaaS, contact Livewire Support.
1) Are VDIaaS environments deployed in a high availability (HA) configuration?
Yes, VDIaaS environments are deployed in an HA configuration.
2) Is there a limit to the number of VMs per environment?
Livewire does not impose a limit on VMs per environment. We can provide recommendations for best practices to maintain optimal performance.
3) Can I access the vCenter API?
Yes. You can access the vCenter and vSphere APIs, subject to permissions restrictions on a user account.
4) Can I add ESXi hypervisors in my data center to a VDIaaS environment?
By default, only hypervisors provided by Livewire can be added, please contact Livewire support for additional details.
5) Can I manage vCenter plug-ins and add my own third party plug-ins?
No, since Parallels RAS has heavy dependency on vCenter we do not allow to configure third party plugins which may break VDI integration with vCenter. Since customer has admin access to vCenter if they still install something it will be on their own responsibility.
1) What other VMware products are supported?
VDIaaS allows customers to use other VMware products like vRealize Operations, vRealize Log Insight, vCloud Director, NSX, Vmware vSAN which are optional add-ons and will be billed each month based on actual consumption.
2) Does VDIaaS supports integrating with other cloud services from Livewire?
Yes.
1) How are VDIaaS clusters are Licensed?
Livewire is on Vmware VCP Program with new Vmware Partner Connect and Parallels Cloud Provider Program. We are authorized to rent Vmware and Parallels licenses to our customers in datacenters managed by us on monthly basis on actual consumption. We generally supply these licenses along with each VDIaaS cluster depending on Vmware products in your cloud architecture. For more information on Vmware and Parallels licensing contact our presales team at presales@dev.livewirecloud.com
2) Can I bring in my own licenses?
Absolutely, Livewire do not restrict to port / bring in any product license in our managed cloud environment. You can bring in your own VCP / Perpetual Vmware License / Parallels RAS licenses provided that entire VDIaaS cluster is exclusive just for you. We do not support porting licenses in shared cluster environment. You may also bring in your own OS and backup software licenses for e.g. Veeam, Zerto etc. For more information on backup software licensing / porting your existing volume licenses contact our presales team at presales@dev.livewirecloud.com
3) What about OS and other Microsoft Product Licenses?
Livewire is authorized Microsoft SPLA partner. We can rent you Microsoft product licenses under our SPLA agreement on monthly basis. These can be also bundled with your base cluster package depending upon size of cluster you sign for. We are also Red Hat partner and therefore can also supply with Red Hat Linux OS and application licenses. As stated above, customers can also bring in their own licenses. For more information on Microsoft SPLA / RedHat Linux / porting your existing volume licenses contact our presales team atpresales@dev.livewirecloud.com
1) How are VDIaaS components monitored?
The management infrastructure and datacenters are monitored by using the following combination of tools:
- Observium Alerts Livewire datacenter engineers when any hardware component, networking component, thermal warnings, failure warnings are triggered on datacenter equipment, links, switches, networking gears, servers and PDUs.
- vCenter Alerts Alerts Livewire Vmware Administrators and customer’s SysAdmins when any service / process / functionality associated with your vCenter cluster is fully / partially affected.
- vRealize Operation Manager Alerts Livewire Vmware Administrators and customer’s SysAdmins about smart alerts that are result of consolidated Vmware alerts that signifies service degradation in your VDIaaS cluster.
- vRealize Log Insight Maintains system logs for your vCenter cluster in centralized repository if the issue needs to be escalated to Level3 / Vmware team. In such incidents both of these support team requires historical logs. These logs can be provided upon request.
2) Is monitoring provided for my unmanaged VMs?
No. Livewire does not provide monitoring for VMs except those that are for management purpose. For more information, refer to our “Support Procedures” documents under support menu on website.
3) How do I know if VDIaaS resources are low?
VDIaaS includes the Vmware vRealize Operations Tenant App Integration for performance monitoring and planning tools. vROPs provides advanced reporting and forecasting capabilities, and the ability to set alerts to notify you when resources are low. These tools can be useful for optimizing resources and identifying performance bottlenecks.
Livewire can help you with the use of other monitoring software as needed. You may also deploy any RMM tool of your choice at VM level.