This past summer we published a white paper and blog post on Virtual Desktop Infrastructure: Essential steps to a long-term ROI. In those communications, we talked about how cloud technology has changed the conversation around the viability of VDI. Prior to cloud, the ramp-up costs to demonstrate the ROI of VDI were a barrier for most CIOs. However, the shift to cloud computing has made this solution a viable option.

Most IT departments are finding that now is an opportune time to pursue a VDI proof of concept. Numerous trends are making these POC conversations take place, from Windows XP coming to “end of life” to the push for mobile and “bring your own device to work” concept within the enterprise. Now is the time for many CIOs to examine VDI and build a business case to justify its investment.

For one U.S. client, we’ve helped make this exact business case—without any upfront investment.

Through a proprietary methodology we’ve created, CGI was able to define the business case that validated assumptions for opportunities and cost savings. Once the business case was defined, we worked with the client through a technology trial of the VDI solution. Hosted in CGI’s cloud, the client’s trial user community was able to test the solution’s performance, usability and more.

The result:  By using CGI’s cloud infrastructure, the client avoided up-front capital investment and any risk in testing the viability of the solution with its user community. It also had a CFO-ready business case with the results and next steps.

As I’ve discussed previously (Virtualizing applications: Striking a balance between security and user expectations), the implementation of virtual desktop technologies answers both the CIO’s needs to provide secure and available applications and infrastructure, while providing  users with the freedom they’ve come to expect in managing their own computing environment.