Desks lined with computers are one of the most traditional things you can expect in the typical call center. They allow agents to access all the support and communication tools necessary for them to complete their work. But all those computers can get expensive. The operating costs, IT support costs, maintenance, and licensing costs can quickly add up to a hefty price tag. 

Could your call center save thousands of dollars by taking advantage of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) technology?

What is Virtual Desktop Infrastructure?

VDI allows consists of user terminals and a central server. The user terminals provide the computing experience that your employees expect, the only difference is that instead of the terminals containing all the computing power necessary to do their work, the central server has all the computational power. Think of each terminal as simply an order window. You make your order at the window, which is then passed back to the kitchen. In VDI, the kitchen is the central server. The server looks at your work order, does all the processing, and sends the results back to you at the window.

VDI Benefits

VDI gives the end user with a virtualized computer interface that looks and acts exactly how they expect a computer to act. However, since their data and work is stored in one central server, they can access data and do work wherever they are. Security is also simplified, with only one point to protect from threats. Some additional benefits are:

• Centralized Management – Updates, settings, and application deployments are done on one centralized server. This makes management of the entire IT system easier.
• Reduced IT Support Needs – Desktop computers are eliminated, along with the host of problems that inevitably come from running a complicated machine. The user terminals, called thin clients, are built much more simply and are more reliable.
• Reduced Resource Usage – Thin clients consume much less energy than hundreds of traditional desktop computers. They are also smaller, cheaper, and much easier to replace if broken or stolen.

VDI for Small Business Contact Centers

VDI technology is even reaching the small business market. As an example, Iomega recently announced a VDI solution for small and medium sized businesses. They demonstrated this at EMC World in Las Vegas using 100 thin clients, simultaneously booting them in a few minutes using a sub-$3000 network storage device. This illustrates that VDI implementations are available even for smaller call center applications.

VDI might be a good fit for your call center applications. Consider whether your business’ call center could benefit from the centralized management of a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure.