Overview
MiDesktop is a service provided by the University of Michigan, enabling a virtual desktop infrastructure that delivers a reliable and secure platform to users. It allows access to a personalized Windows or Linux desktop with specific applications, from nearly any device with internet capability.
Benefits & Uses
MiDesktop offers a suite of features, such as a virtual desktop environment with the choice of Windows or Linux, a pre-installed operating system, the ability to personalize settings, as well as remote access and tools for collaboration.
MiDesktop allows faculty, researchers, and staff to create a virtual desktop pool that contains the specialized software for their use case. All can benefit from computational power, software access, flexibility, and secure data storage without managing a physical lab. These virtual labs can be shared with students or other faculty/researchers and staff to allow secure access to campus resources in the same shared desktop experience.
With MiDesktop, you gain an adaptable computing environment customized for your users' individual needs, free from the responsibilities of hardware management, alongside the benefit of scalable resources available on demand.
Read and listen to these testimonials on Why Choose MiDesktop?
Costs & Support
The pricing for MiDesktop is dependent on the number and size of the desktops required. Detailed cost information can be found on the Rates & Billing page.
By utilizing MiDesktop, you can anticipate cost reductions in several areas, including the expense of acquiring physical hardware, ongoing maintenance and full-time equivalent staffing costs, investment in software licenses and support, as well as a decrease in energy usage.
MiDesktop is supported by Information and Technology Services. Occasionally, the MiDesktop team will reach out to IT departments within individual schools, colleges, and units for assistance, but there's generally nothing you need to do when that occurs.
MiDesktop customers can find a variety of useful materials on the MiDesktop Support page.
Dedicated consultations are also available to help acquaint individuals with the service when needed.
The MiDesktop team offers personalized assistance to faculty, researchers, and staff to ensure that all necessary components of their desktop setup are replicated in the MiDesktop environment.
Resource and other modification requests can be easily submitted through the MiDesktop Support page.
Short answer: no.
- Athletics
- Computer Aided Engineering Network (CAEN)
- Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
- ITS Service Center
- ITS Virtualization and Cloud Infrastructure
- Kidney Epidemiology and Cost Center (KECC)
- Shared Services Center
- UM-Dearborn
Simply put, folks are unaware. To combat this issue, a new campaign is underway conveying the benefits of MiDesktop, clarifying misconceptions about compatibility and performance, and promoting the ease of support provided by ITS with occasional assistance from IT areas within individual schools, colleges, and units.
MiDesktop is adaptable and can be tailored to fulfill the unique software and resource requirements of individual departments, areas, and units.
MiDesktop supports both Windows and Linux desktop environments. These desktops can be accessed from a variety of operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, or compatible web browsers.
MiDesktop is accessed through iOS and Android using the Horizon View client.
Horizon View has technology that adjusts the connection and networking protocols based on an individual’s network connection, which provides a reliable and consistent experience no matter the network topology.
For most requests, there will be more than enough virtual desktops that can be created within MiDesktop. Individuals have the flexibility to request a pool size that aligns with their specific requirements, budgets, and needs.
Data Management, Security, and Collaboration
MiDesktop offers the option of powerful GPU-enhanced servers with allottable resources for demanding tasks, such as graphics-intensive or inference workloads.
To safeguard privacy and security of data on MiDesktop, robust measures such as data encryption, secure authentication protocols, and adherence to privacy regulations are implemented.
External collaborators and guest users who are sponsored affiliates can access MiDesktop environments for joint projects. However, individual schools, colleges, or units may have policies that determine what level of access, if at all, a sponsored affiliate might have to the service.
Performance
Performance is optimized for remote work, supported by the university's robust network. Home connection speeds and reliability can vary depending on the carrier and tier of service.
MiDesktop is fully integrated, providing seamless connectivity and compatibility across the university's digital ecosystem.
Usage of MiDesktop is governed by the university's IT policies, which stipulate the guidelines for acceptable use, procedures for managing data, and protocols for maintaining security.
Yes, all usage data is sent to ITS Splunk and users can choose to receive regular reports with a multitude of metrics for auditing, right-sizing, and troubleshooting.
MiDesktop boasts an exceptional record of uninterrupted service, ensuring consistent availability when needed. To maintain this reliability, scheduled maintenance is meticulously planned to coincide with the least busy periods, such as breaks between semesters. Any such maintenance will be proactively communicated well in advance.
For any technical or service-related issues, contact the MiDesktop Support team.
Planned features and upgrades include:
- cloud desktops
- application virtualization
- user profile solutions
- self service automation
- and more.
Other features are available upon request, so speak with your MiDesktop representative to explore the possibilities.
More Information
The MiDesktop team begins the process with a client consultation session to gain a sense of their use case to make sure MiDesktop is the best fit.
As the team manages several virtual services, they will recommend a better option if it make the most sense.
The ITS MiDesktop team does a full proof-of-concept before onboarding a client to ensure the service meets their requirements.
Contact the MiDesktop team via the email link under the "Need Help?" header.