Desktop virtualization (sometimes called client virtualization^[1]), as a concept, separates a personal computer desktop environment from a physical machine using a client–server model of computing. The model stores the resulting "virtualized" desktop on a remote central server, instead of on the local storage of a remote client; thus, when users work from their remote desktop client, all of the programs, applications, processes, and data used are kept and run centrally. This scenario allows users to access their desktops on any capable device, such as a traditional personal computer, notebook computer, smartphone, or thin client. In simple terms, virtual machines are running on the server (for each client) and clients can connect to their "computers" using remote desktop software.

Virtual desktop infrastructure, sometimes referred to as virtual desktop interface^[2] (VDI) is the server computing model enabling desktop virtualization, encompassing the hardware and software systems^[3] required to support the virtualized environment.^[4]

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of Use for details.
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.