From VDI to multi-cloud architecture: 2024’s business tech predictions

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Eighty percent of organizations will seek out cloud-native VDI over legacy virtual desktops and Hybrid multi-cloud architecture will be the new “datacenter”. These are two predictions for 2024 made by Amitabh Sinha, Workspot CEO and Citrix veteran.

Sinha also considers the impact of greater security measures upon the ability of businesses and consumers to interact in the digital world. Sinha is concerned that the increasing adoption of cybersecurity tools will exacerbate the end-user experience.

Will these events unfold as Sinha predicts? The expert explains more to Digital Journal.

Organizations will seek out cloud-native VDI over legacy virtual desktops

Sinha explains: “For the past two decades, organizations heavily leaned on vendors – like Citrix and VMware – for virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). However, both these companies have announced that they will focus on a small (less than 10 percent) fraction of their overall customer base going forward. While these traditional vendors worked well when the workplace was a single location, they are no longer capable of fully servicing the new hybrid and multi-cloud era. In 2024, we can expect a significant increase in enterprises opting for modern, cloud-native VDI solutions that work anytime and anywhere versus their costly and complex legacy VDI.”

There are related issues, which Sinha explains: “The shift comes at a time when any type of downtime can cost organizations billions of dollars. Cloud-native VDI will become the dominant desktop virtualization platform and organizations will find themselves saving considerable time and money that was otherwise spent deploying and maintaining legacy infrastructure.”

As to what this means, Sinha  says: “IT teams will be able to spend more time doing work that matters, while employees will be far more productive and satisfied with their desktop, turning IT from a traditional necessary cost into a profit centre.”

Cybersecurity tools and the end-user experience

As to the impact of cybersecurity, Sinha foresees: “Zero-day patches, security tool updates, application updates, driver updates, and more, are compromising the user experience every day. Nearly 75 percent of CISOs say that employees in their organization are frustrated with current security policies that are taking a toll on their productivity. As companies continue implementing these layered security protocols to safeguard their systems, users will increasingly encounter friction in their daily work interactions.”

This growing user dissatisfaction could, notes Sinha “pose a significant risk to organizations’ employee retention, and as we move into 2024, we will see workers be more reluctant to tolerate cumbersome software updates, patches, and security measures that hinder their ability to work efficiently. Organizations will need to take a holistic approach that does not compromise security nor the end-user experience to keep their employees happy. This requires tools that help them monitor end-user satisfaction and productivity, and understand the impact of frequent, disruptive updates on their users.”

Hybrid multi-cloud architecture will be the new “datacenter”

With the final prediction, Sinha  says: “Multi-cloud adoption has accelerated in the past few years. In early 2023, a survey suggested that 98 percent of companies on the public cloud already have plans to switch to a multi-cloud infrastructure. At the same time, organizations have also been increasingly relying on hybrid cloud architecture for flexibility and cost-saving purposes in the hybrid work era.”

In the coming year, Sinha adds: “we will see an influx of companies opting for hybrid and multi-cloud strategies. The difference with the previous years is evident, as they will aim to seamlessly combine these two approaches. Companies will be enjoying the best of both worlds: the flexibility and scalability of multi-cloud architecture coupled with sovereignty and control over their data and applications offered by the hybrid cloud – in-country, across regions, or around the world.”