There seems to be an article on Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) in every industry publication I read at the moment however I have yet to read anything that addresses one of the biggest issues on the table - namely, what it means to those tasked with supporting the desktop environment on a day-to-day level.
The Service Desk will change, that's a given, and with it, the people who work in IT Support must change too. A properly implemented VDI environment means a drastic reduction in desk side visits which will surely have an effect on 2nd line Support in its current form. Though it might not be completely consigned to the scrapheap just yet, there should at least be a drastic reduction in necessary resource.
Of course the skills will still be required, the question is, where? Will a traditional 2nd line engineer be happy as part of a new, two-tiered 1st line for example? Or will the function move back to amalgamate with the 3rd line, fixing complex faults remotely from the Datacentre?
I suppose the bottom line is, to stay in a job they will have to adapt to fit the evolving model. At Plan-Net we think we have a pretty good idea of what that model might be. Having the benefit of working across technical VDI implementation projects, best practice Service Desk management consultancy while also delivering fully managed Support services means we can see first hand the effect VDI will have on the Service Desk. We're just waiting for the industry press to wake up and print something that tackles these issues, rather than keep going over the same old tired ground.
Paul Whitlock, Technical Services Director, Plan-Net plc
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