Ruijie Networks: Continue to Lead, "Our Journey Is to the Stars and the Sea"

[51CTO.com original article] As cloud desktop technology has become more popular, many enterprises, hospitals, universities and other units have begun to choose to apply cloud desktop technology. Virtual desktops based on virtualization technology are playing an increasingly important role in enterprise informatization construction and IT system transformation based on traditional physical PCs, and also bring great challenges to the traditional physical PC market.

In the post-PC era, where will the virtual desktop solution go? Will the PC be gradually replaced? Under this trend, as the leader of China's virtual desktop market, what surprises will Ruijie bring in the cloud desktop in the near future?

Two major technologies in the virtual desktop field: VDI and IDV

When it comes to cloud desktop technology, we must mention the two major technical architectures in the virtual desktop field: VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) and IDV (Intelligent Desktop Virtualization). However, many people are still unclear about the differences between the two, their respective advantages and disadvantages, and applicable scenarios, and are stuck in the dilemma of whether to choose VDI or IDV.

In this regard, Xiao Guangwei, marketing director of Ruijie Network Cloud Desktop Product Division, explained to reporters that the biggest difference between VDI and IDV lies in which end the resources are used during the operation of the virtual machine. VDI resources run on the server, including the scheduling of virtual machine computing and the optimization of transmission protocols. The core advantage of this infrastructure is the centralized computing mode, which enables flexible allocation, centralized and unified data, and the non-landing of data on the terminal, which are all common advantages of this architecture. The disadvantages of VDI are insufficient peripheral compatibility, dependence on servers and networks, and a high threshold for use.

The core of the IDV technology architecture is to generate and build a virtual machine through the server and then send it to the terminal, and use the hardware on the terminal to support the overall operation of the entire virtual machine. Therefore, this operation process is a distributed deployment mode. Because it runs locally, the peripheral experience is better, and the dependence on the network and server will be reduced. However, this architecture cannot achieve unified data collection, that is, it cannot achieve data not landing, and computing performance cannot be flexibly allocated.

The future is a race for virtual desktop solutions to replace PCs

Through disruptive innovation in virtual desktop product technology, Ruijie Networks has become the only manufacturer in the industry that provides both IDV and VDI solutions. According to the "China Enterprise Terminal VDI Market Tracking Report for the Second Quarter of 2018" released by IDC, Ruijie Networks ranks first with a market share of 45.3%.

▲IDC*** data

Some people may ask: Why did Ruijie choose IDV and VDI as two technical lines? And why did they do so well? In this regard, Xiao Guangwei said that initially, due to the limitations of the computer room environment, network environment and other conditions, it was difficult for users with needs to deploy cloud desktop products. In order to enable these users to apply the products quickly, Ruijie chose to solve the problem from a technical perspective based on the actual user scenarios. Regarding the development of cloud desktop products, Ruijie believes:

***, talking about technical architecture without considering the scenario is just a hooligan. Go deep into the scenario, combine technological innovation, user scenarios and ecological environment, meet the growing needs of users, and provide more reliable and higher-performance products. Ruijie continues to improve its self-developed virtualization software platform; and has reached a strategic cooperation with Intel to establish a joint laboratory and conduct joint research projects to ensure that the technology continues to develop and is applicable to various scenarios, so as to provide a better user experience than PC at a reasonable cost and promote more users to use it.

Not all scenarios can be met by VDI solutions. Take the deployment of cloud desktops by users in a Henan education bureau as an example. The user hopes to deploy it centrally, but the network bandwidth of the metropolitan area network is not good, and VDIs from all manufacturers, including Ruijie, cannot meet it. The deployment mode of IDV can well meet user needs. The IDV architecture is simple to maintain the server and reduces the pressure on management personnel; it has better peripheral compatibility, less dependence on the network, and can be used offline. Ruijie was the first in the industry to launch the IDV solution and achieve large-scale application. These two technical lines support Ruijie's two key solution scenarios of cloud classroom and cloud office. As of June 25, Ruijie's cloud desktop terminal shipments reached 140,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 80%.

Second, different architectures are required to meet the needs of different scenarios. When IDV and VDI technologies can be integrated and applied to different scenarios, a user can truly use cloud desktops on all terminals without purchasing PCs. IDV is suitable for office scenarios in various industries. Data is not stored on the ground, it is safe and reliable, and suitable for desktop roaming and working anywhere. IDV is suitable for scenarios with high requirements for business continuity, such as outpatient windows, call centers, multimedia classrooms, and service windows.

According to Xiao Guangwei, in order to help users achieve unified management and simplified operation and maintenance, Ruijie Cloud Office 3.0 Converged Edition solution can freely configure VDI and IDV terminals according to user needs. The two terminals share the same identity, one set of policies, and one copy of data. It achieves the best of both worlds, and users no longer have to make the painful choice of "choose one from the two".

▲Cloud office integration version

Third, the future is a competition for virtual desktop solutions to replace PCs. In commercial office scenarios, from the perspective of PC technology itself, there is no change except for the continuous improvement of configuration and the continuous decline in cost. This also provides an opportunity for cloud desktop technology to provide more value in this field. Now, in scenarios such as computer rooms in the education industry, call centers in enterprises, and window services in hospitals, Ruijie has replaced PCs with IDV, VDI, and converged solutions, providing users with various values ​​that PCs cannot provide.

"In the future, Ruijie Cloud Desktop product line will firmly find technical solutions that provide more value to users in more scenarios, continuously evolve solutions, and eventually replace the current PC usage solutions with many bottlenecks and limitations through different technical architectures and different solutions. Our ultimate goal is to replace commercial PCs in most scenarios." Xiao Guangwei said: "Rujie hopes to always be the fastest one."

Liu Funeng, general manager of Ruijie Cloud Desktop Product Division, told reporters: "The main problem with PCs is that they are scattered and independent, with disadvantages such as overperformance, poor security, difficult management and maintenance, and desktop roaming. Now many IDV terminals have lower office configurations than PCs, but they are sufficient to meet user needs. We believe that in the future, cloud desktops will gradually replace PCs, not with IDVs, but with VDI+IDV+ integration, or more advanced technologies."

Craftsmanship and continuous progress

Talking about Ruijie's recent plans for cloud desktops, Xiao Guangwei revealed that in Q3 this year, Ruijie will release Digital Learning Center 1.0, which can be used for multiple purposes in one room, further improve the utilization rate of computer rooms, enhance the value of computer rooms, and achieve a comprehensive upgrade of cloud classroom solutions; upgrade the cloud office 3.0 fusion version, and release dual network functions. The solution uses an external switch to achieve network switching of dual networks on a single terminal within 6-8 seconds; release Higher Education Desktop Cloud 1.0. This product realizes on-demand resource allocation, which can improve management and maintenance efficiency by more than 80%; and optimizes the medical and enterprise scenarios of the cloud office 3.0 fusion version.

In an interview with ***, Liu Funeng said: "Cloud Desktop will continue to invest heavily in research and development and will continue to launch new products. We believe that there is still a lot of room for growth in the future, and our journey is to the stars and the sea."

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