Book excerpt: Discover advanced virtualization techniques and strategies to deliver centralized desktop and application services Key FeaturesLeverage advanced desktop virtualization techniques and strategies to transform your organization Build better virtualized services for your users with VMware Horizon 7.8Develop and deploy end-to-end virtualized solutionsBook Description Desktop virtualization can be tough, but VMware Horizon 7.8 changes all that. With a rich and adaptive UX, improved security,and a range of useful features for storage and networking optimization, there's plenty to love. But to properly fall in love with it, you need to know how to use it, and that means venturing deeper into the software and taking advantage of its extensive range of features, many of which are underused and underpromoted. This guide will take you through everything you need to know to not only successfully virtualize your desktop infrastructure, but also to maintain and optimize it to keep all your users happy. We'll show you how to assess and analyze your infrastructure, and how to use that analysis to design a solution that meets your organizational and user needs. Once you've done that, you'll find out how to build your virtualized environment, before deploying your virtualized solution. But more than that,we'll also make sure you know everything you need to know about the full range of features on offer, including the mobile cloud, so that you can use them to take full control of your virtualized infrastructure. What you will learnSuccessfully configure Horizon 7.8 for the needs of your usersDeliver virtual desktops, session-based desktops, and hosted applicationsBecome familiar with how to develop, and deploy, a complete, end-to-end solutionDiscover how to optimize desktop OS images for virtual desktopsBuild, optimize, and tune desktop operating systems to deliver a superior end user experienceExplore the Horizon 7.8 infrastructure so that you can take full advantage of itWho this book is for This book is ideal for system admins, and solution architects interested in gaining hands-on experience with virtualization. It will take you to an advanced level, but at a pace that ensures you are always solving real-world problems. Some experience in desktop management using Windows and Microsoft Office (and familiarity with Active Directory, SQL, Windows Remote Desktop Session Hosting, and VMware vSphere technology) is necessary.