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Virtual Desktop - What is it and why should I use it?
A virtual desktop is essentially the same as a physical computer in your office, except that it is being run from a remote server. The virtual desktop simulates a standard desktop environment including applications and printing from a central repository. A user could then connect to this virtual desktop remotely, over the internet, from a variety of devices (laptop, iPad, or other another computer).
Why use a virtual desktop?
Virtualization delivers software applications to users anytime, anywhere and on nearly any device. This will provide students and faculty access to software needed for their coursework without concern for licensing, installation, and configuration individually.
In addition to software, student and university employees can access their USER (J :) and SHARED (S :) drives through the virtual desktop as though they were working on a campus computer, making it a user-friendly and seamless alternative to Online Storage (formerly NetStorage).
Currently there are five virtual environments available to the UW-Platteville community:
- Bears Den (general access)
- Faculty/Staff
- EMS (course-related)
- EMS Campus (course-related)
- EMS GRID (course-related)
- BILSA (course-related)
To get started with a virtual desktop, check out Virtual Desktop - Getting Started in Virtual Labs . Additional resources can be found below under See Also.