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Unidesk - Simplify your VDI
October 16, 2015

Unidesk - Simplify your VDI

Rory Monaghan | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

3.x

Modules Used

  • Unidesk with RDS\Hyper-V and VMware vCenter

Overall Satisfaction with Unidesk

Right now, I'm using Unidesk for a set number of machines and I'm using all persistent desktops. My major business problem being solved is reducing the number of images from several to just two (a Windows 7 32-bit and Windows 64-bit) and providing a quick easy solution for deploying applications that do not work with other application virtualization products.
  • Delivers the majority of applications without issue
  • Unified console for managing all aspects of Virtual Desktop management
  • User layer on a persistent desktop provide an easy profile solution
  • Layers provides the ability to reduce down to 1 Gold Image
  • No more interacting with Hyper-V, RDS or vCenter
  • Speeds up application turn around time
  • I would love if the User Layer persisted on non-persistent desktops
  • A better experience for the actual assigning of applications and desktops (improvements to the console)
  • Partner with a vendor that provides a legacy browser solution
  • Image management and updating is now much quicker, time saved
  • Application 'packaging' is required a lot less, which saves a lot of money
  • Unidesks customer service is the best that I have worked with. PERIOD!
  • AppVolumes and FlexApp

AppVolumes seems to be a lot less mature as a product. It does have some benefits over Unidesk e.g. the fact it doesn't include the OS Layer (image management) side means I can just use it for the app layering piece if I like. I can also deploy my application layers to physical desktops BUT I have had less success compatibility wise with my applications as AppVolumes 'AppStacks'. I believe Unidesk has a better handle on the do's and don'ts, or at least may be a little more honest about them. I also don't enjoy the Console with AppVolumes and while I can use it without the image management or tied into the stack the way Unidesk is...you also lose that image management and need to couple it with another product in some scenarios.

FlexApp to me is stronger than AppVolumes. FlexApp is coupled with a profile management solution called ProfileUnity which makes it a more attractive alternative (at least at the time of me posting this). However, I prefer other UEM products at this moment in time. I also value the image management and ease of a single console for all of Virt Desktop management that Unidesk provides.

Right now, I would advise it to anybody who has 1,500 or fewer users they wish to provide desktops for. I would advise to go with persistent desktops or use a UEM solution like AppSense or RES Workspace Manager when trying the non-persistent desktops. I would suggest that using an AppVirt product like App-V with Unidesk still makes a lot of sense as you can use Shared Content Store Mode and sequence once for many. AppVirt solutions still have value with isolation.

I would suggest looking at Turbo browsers for their redirect feature to an sandboxed browser running legacy IE or a browser with Java or Flash (to eliminate security threats related to these running locally on the system). Also, I would suggest looking at Atlantis for deduplicating those desktops and allow them to perform quicker with less storage required. Unidesk by itself is awesome. It really simplifies things. Throw it together with other products and each compliments the other well. Also, Unidesk makes some of those other products more valuable as you're not completely reliant on them like you would be without Unidesk.