Everything you ever wanted to know about Microsoft VDI - from TechEd 2012

Hi, I am Gaurav Daga, Lead Program Manager on the Remote Desktop Virtualization team. I work on RemoteFX, and I attended TechEd last month with a few of my teammates.

In June, Dean Paron posted two TechEd overview videos for Remote Desktop Services (RDS) in Windows Server 2012. Today’s blog post summarizes the key presentations from TechEd. We suggest you watch these presentations in the order shown so that you will go from a high-level overview of RDS to a deep technical analysis (with demos) of everything you want to know about the Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) investments in Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8. You will also take away some general knowledge about VDI and other related desktop virtualization technologies.

1. Microsoft Desktop Virtualization: The Right Technology for Your Business Scenario
   This is the overview session that covers all Desktop Virtualization (DV) technologies from Microsoft, and what the right solutions and strategies are for different DV problems you may face. This presentation includes an end-to-end customer scenario demo as well as some great slides that should help answer all of your DV questions.
2. Lessons from the Field: 22 VDI and RDS Mistakes You'll Want to Avoid
   This session was presented by Greg Shields, who is a longtime RDS MVP and has been deploying various forms of desktop virtualization for more than a decade. Greg walks through all the common deployment misperceptions and mistakes that he has seen with VM-based and session-based centralized desktop deployments, gives tips about how to avoid those mistakes, and highlights the new investments in Windows Server 2012 that make a big difference in deployment.
3. Windows Server 2012 VDI/RDS Infrastructure and Management
   This is the first of two technical drilldown sessions about RDS in Windows Server 2012. This session covers two out of three focus areas for VDI/RDS: simplified management and lower cost infrastructure.
4. RemoteFX and RDP Rocking RDS in Windows Server 2012
   This is the second of two technical drilldown sessions about RDS in Windows Server 2012. This session covers our third investment pillar: rich experience everywhere using RemoteFX/RDP. Both of these drilldown sessions are packed with demos, and this session also covers the work we are doing with the RemoteFX hardware ecosystem.
5. Extending Applications to Everywhere! Your Guide to Securing RDS RemoteApps for the Internet
   This session, also presented by MVP Greg Shields, is an in-depth discussion of how to secure RDS RemoteApp programs for the internet using Remote Desktop Gateway with some practical deployment tips.
6. Overview of Windows MultiPoint Server
   Windows MultiPoint Server is an RDS-based solution meant for education and small business verticals. This session provides an overview of the product along with best practices around deployment.

Hope you have fun and learn something new with this lineup of content!