There are several technical updates this quarter to VMware Horizon Cloud Service with On-Premises Infrastructure. For more details on this release, see the Horizon Cloud with On-Premises Infrastructure Release Notes.
Support for Cloud-Based Workspace ONE
With this release, we now support cloud-based deployments of VMware Workspace ONE. End users can access their VMware Horizon Cloud virtual desktops from the Workspace ONE application catalog and utilize single sign-on for authentication. We previously supported only on-premises deployments of Workspace ONE.
New Desktop Configuration – Performance (Enterprise Plus)
We have added a new desktop configuration option to better suit the needs of your power users. With Horizon Cloud with On-Premises Infrastructure, you can now deliver Performance (Enterprise Plus) Desktops, with an 8 vCPU and 16 GB vRAM configuration.
Smart Policies Support
You can now leverage Smart Policies in Horizon Cloud. Smart Policies allow you to have fine-grain control over a user’s desktop experience. You can dynamically enable, disable, or control access to user features in Horizon Cloud based on who the user is, and how they are accessing Horizon Cloud. Smart Policies were released as an integration between VMware Horizon 7 and VMware User Environment Manager in 2016.
For example, with Smart Policies, an administrator can decide to disable access to USB devices or to cut-and-paste from within the Horizon Client if users are attempting to access the Horizon Cloud environment from an untrusted or external network. You can also dynamically control display-protocol configurations based on the type of device that is being used.
Smart Policies in Horizon Cloud work the same as they do in Horizon 7. VMware Senior Product Line Manager Aaron Black wrote an excellent blog post pointing out some great use cases for Smart Policies. If you want to try out Smart Policies in your Horizon Cloud deployment, download the Reviewers Guide for View in VMware Horizon 7: Smart Policies.
vSphere 6.5 Support
We have added support for VMware vSphere 6.5 on certified vSAN Ready Nodes. For details on supported hardware models from partners, see the Horizon Cloud with On-Premises Infrastructure page.
SmartNode Consolidation
We have consolidated the management tier of a Horizon Cloud with On-Premises Infrastructure deployment into a single virtual appliance. The Horizon Cloud Node appliance manages all of the critical functions including App Volumes, Instant Clone creation, and communication with the Horizon Cloud control plane. This change was made to keep the Horizon Cloud Node footprint small and efficient. For more details, see Horizon Cloud with On-Premises Architecture.
Summary
With this release of Horizon Cloud with On-Premises Infrastructure, new features include
- Support for cloud-based Workspace ONE
- New desktop configuration: Performance (Enterprise Plus)
- Smart Policies support
- vSphere 6.5 support
- Multi-region management
- SmartNode consolidation
Horizon Cloud with On Premises Infrastructure continues to add new functionality on a regular basis. For more information, see Horizon Cloud Service with On-Premises Infrastructure.
