Virtual Desktop

Deploy managed desktop environments on OCI and securely access them from anywhere. Leverage the convenience, security, and scalability of OCI to deploy virtual desktops that are accessible from anywhere. Virtual desktops enable a standardized, controlled, and supportable experience for users that delivers improved experience and a lower administration cost. Data remains within the OCI environment and region as only the display is transmitted to the user’s device.

Virtual desktop options

Choose from a native option, OCI Secure Desktops, or a partner-certified offering, VMware Horizon. Both options feature Windows, MacOS, and Linux clients, as well as access from supported web browsers.

Secure Desktops service

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Secure Desktops is a managed service in OCI that provides a centrally controlled deployment of virtual desktops running Oracle Linux or Microsoft Windows for the operating system.

Secure Desktops enables you to select a virtual machine shape to match your desired performance and capacity. You can rapidly deploy desktops from golden images to support increasing demand. As an edge service, no VPN is needed. Users directly connect to the Secure Desktops service from their location. Secure Desktops supports from ten to thousands of virtual desktops.

Learn more about Secure Desktops



VMware Horizon

VMware Horizon is a certified offering on OCI, which means that it’s tested and supported by VMware. Horizon runs on Oracle Cloud VMware Solution, OCI’s managed service for VMware.

Customers have complete control over Horizon, just as they do on-premises, making it an easy migration from their data center to OCI. Horizon offers customers the same administration, end-to-end security, business continuity, and disaster recovery options that they have come to expect in the data center.

Learn more about VMware Horizon (PDF)

Keep your users and your data protected but globally accessible

Choose your data’s geography

Remain compliant by keeping data in-region
You choose the desired OCI region for your data and applications to remain compliant with applicable regulations and requirements, but your users can be located anywhere on the globe. With virtual desktops, the data remains within the OCI region and enables compliance while only a view of the virtual desktop is transmitted to your users. Virtual desktops help you keep your data secure while allowing global access.

Simplify endpoint administration

Deploy a wide variety of compatible device endpoints
Virtual desktops are available via a supported web browser or a lightweight client application that runs on Windows, MacOS, and Linux desktops. This wide support enables compatibility with a large ecosystem of endpoint devices, such as dedicated desktops, laptops, and mobile devices.

Enhance your security posture

Create an airgap between you and the outside world
Because virtual desktops only transmit a view of the desktop, no data needs to be stored locally on a user’s endpoint device. This provides an additional airgap security that helps prevent potential malware on the endpoint device from accessing the virtual desktop, keeping your applications and data protected. In addition, should the endpoint device be lost, stolen, or damaged, only the device needs to be replaced. The virtual desktop is not compromised and doesn’t need reinstallation.

Support low connectivity environments

Environments are persistent even when disconnected
Virtual desktops are protected from drops in connectivity from the endpoint as they continue to run. This ensures users don’t lose valuable work even if their network connection is lost. Running remotely in a virtual desktop also allows users to connect as desired and immediately resume working without having to reopen applications and documents or leave long-running processes uninterrupted.

June 28, 2023

Announcing Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Secure Desktops: Oracle’s cloud native service for desktop virtualization

Joost Pronk van Hoogeveen, Senior Principal Product Strategy Manager
Jan Hendrik Mangold, Principal Product Manager

Oracle is releasing a new cloud native service: OCI Secure Desktops. This exciting development allows customers to deploy virtual desktop infrastructure easily and quickly, right out of their OCI tenancies.

Read the complete post

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Virtual desktops frequently asked questions

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    • What operating systems are supported for OCI Secure Desktops?

      Oracle Linux 7 and 8 are supported operating systems. Oracle Linux 9 support is in progress. Microsoft Windows 10 and 11 are supported operating systems. These require you to participate in Microsoft’s bring your own license program.

    • What is the cost of OCI Secure Desktops?

      Each desktop is $5 a month, with a minimum of 10 desktops. Any compute, storage, and network consumption for running desktops is additional. Any applicable license, such as for Microsoft Windows, is additional.

    • Which types of OCI shapes can be used to run OCI Secure Desktops?

      OCI Secure Desktops supports both virtual machines (VMs) and dedicated virtual hosts (DVHs). The default setting for Windows desktop pools is DVH. If your Microsoft license agreement allows the use of non-dedicated virtual machines in a cloud environment, the default DVH setting can be changed by the desktop administrator.

    • Which shapes are supported by OCI Secure Desktops?

      OCI Secure Desktops supports all available AMD- and Intel-based shapes.

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