Remote work has become increasingly popular in recent years. There are many reasons why people might want to do some or all of their work from home, including lower costs, greater flexibility, and improved work-life balance.
However, accessing your company’s IT infrastructure from home carries security concerns. So what’s the best way to get the most out of remote work? Let’s check out and compare the VDI vs. VPN technologies to find the answer.
What Is a VDI Connection?
Let’s start with the basics. A VDI connection stands for a “Virtual Desktop Infrastructure” connection. In other words, it represents a way to connect to a virtual desktop hosted on a remote server. This type of connection is becoming increasingly popular, especially as more and more people are working remotely due to the ongoing pandemic and other reasons listed above.
There are many benefits to using VDI access. For one, it can help improve productivity by allowing employees to access their work desktops from anywhere. Additionally, it can also help reduce IT costs since there’s no need to physically host the desktop infrastructure on-site.
Obviously, remote work-related businesses are the most common VDI access users and certainly take advantage of this technology. However, it’s not just them that rely on this technology — organizations of all sizes also use it. In fact, VDI is becoming increasingly popular in the enterprise space as companies look for ways to improve their remote working capabilities.
What Is a VPN Connection?
On the other hand, VPN stands for “Virtual Private Network.” A VPN connection is a private network that uses a public network (usually the internet) to connect remote users or sites together. As the name suggests, a VPN connection is meant to provide a secure, private connection between two people or devices over a public network, making VPN more successful regarding VPN vs. VDI performance.
Typically, businesses and organizations use one of the several types of VPN connections to allow workers to securely connect to the company network from remote locations. This is especially important for businesses with employees who travel or work remotely. VPN connections can also be used to bypass geo-restrictions by hiding their location, so people can access websites or content that would otherwise be unavailable in their country.
In addition to work-related activities, statistics report that more and more individuals are using VPN services for personal use. By connecting to a VPN server, people can mask their IP address and browse the internet anonymously. This is especially useful for accessing blocked websites or content in censored countries. VPN connections can also be used to improve online privacy and security, as well as bypass ISP throttling, among other things.
VPN vs. VDI — The Main Differences
Now that you know what VDI and VPN represent and how they work, let’s compare them to see the main differences. As you can guess, both have pros and cons, so it’s important to choose the right one for your needs. Here are the main differences between VPN and VDI security and other features:
- VPNs are best for security and privacy. All data is encrypted, and your activities are hidden from others, meaning that VDIs are less secure as they rely on the security of the remote desktop protocol.
- VPNs can be used to access resources on a private network, such as a company’s intranet. VDIs can only be used to access resources on the server that hosts the virtual machine.
- VPNs can be used to bypass internet censorship and geo-restrictions. VDIs are not able to bypass these restrictions.
- VPNs can be slower than VDIs, as all data has to be encrypted and transmitted through the tunnel. VDIs can be faster because they don’t have the same overhead.
- VPNs are typically more expensive than VDIs since they require special hardware and software. VDIs can be less expensive, as they only require a server and remote desktop software.
So, which one is better for you? There are many differences between VDI and VPN, and your preferred option will depend on your needs. If security and privacy are your main concerns, then a VPN is definitely worth it. If you need to access resources on a private network or bypass internet restrictions, then a VPN is also the better choice. However, if speed and cost are your main considerations, then a VDI may be the better option.
Learn more: Best VPNs
The Main Advantages of VDI over VPN for Remote Work
Let’s also address the main advantages of using VDI services over VPNs for remote work and remote employees:
- You can use VDI to connect to your work computer from anywhere without needing a VPN.
- VDI provides a higher quality and more responsive experience than VPN, making it ideal for working on complex tasks or using resource-intensive applications.
- With VDI, you can be sure that the data on your work computer is secure, as it is stored locally rather than on a remote server.
- You can also use VDI to connect to your work computer from multiple devices, including your personal laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
- Finally, a VDI system is often less expensive than VPN, making it a more cost-effective solution for remote work.
In short, VDI is a much better solution for remote work than VPN, despite VPN’s well-known pros and cons. It offers more security, performance, and flexibility. If you’re looking for a way to improve your remote work setup, we recommend giving VDI a try.
Conclusion
To conclude, VPN services offer more security and flexibility, while VDI is a better option for larger businesses with more centralized IT needs. In any case, whichever option you choose, be sure to do your research and test out the different platforms before making a final decision.
VDI vs. VPN FAQ
Is VDI the same as VPN?
VDI is a desktop virtualization solution that allows users to access their desktops and applications from anywhere, using any device. VPN, on the other hand, is a networking technology that allows users to connect to a private network over the internet.
Which one you use depends on your needs and requirements. If you need to provide remote access to entire desktop environments, then VDI is the way to go.
Is VDI slower than VPN?
There is no definitive answer to the question of VDI vs. VPN since it depends on various factors, such as the type of data being transferred, the distance between the locations, and the connection quality. However, in general, VDI is likely slower than VPN because it relies on shared network infrastructure. This means that the performance of VDI can be impacted by other users on the network, whereas VPN connections are more direct and, therefore, typically faster, making the VDI vs. VPN bandwidth dilemma in favor of the latter.
