For years, Omnissa Horizon (formerly VMware Horizon) has been the established leader in the VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) space. Its powerful, comprehensive ecosystem is trusted by large enterprises worldwide. But this power comes with complexity, high costs, and a steep learning curve. In a world where agility and efficiency are key, is there a better way?

Enter Inuvika OVD Enterprise. As companies search for a modern, cost-effective VDI alternative, Inuvika is quickly emerging as a top contender. This article compares these two solutions, highlighting why Inuvika might be the perfect fit for your business.

1. Architecture and Deployment: Simple vs. Complex

• Omnissa Horizon : The architecture is robust, but it’s also multi-layered. Deploying Horizon involves multiple components: Connection Servers, Unified Access Gateways, Composer, and more. This requires a significant investment in time, expertise, and resources. For many organizations, particularly small and medium-sized businesses, this complexity is a major hurdle.
• Inuvika OVD Enterprise: Inuvika’s architecture is fundamentally different. It’s a „single-pane-of-glass“ solution, designed for simplicity. You can deploy and configure the entire system in hours, not weeks. Its straightforward design significantly reduces the administrative burden, freeing up your IT team to focus on strategic tasks instead of complex maintenance.

2. Cost of Ownership: High Investment vs. Affordability

• Omnissa Horizon : The licensing model has changed dramatically with the acquisition by Broadcom. The traditional perpetual licenses are no longer available. Horizon is now sold as a subscription, often bundled with other Broadcom products. This shift can result in higher and less predictable costs, making it a significant financial commitment, especially for smaller businesses. The total cost of ownership (TCO) is a major factor to consider, as it can be prohibitive for many budgets.
• Inuvika OVD Enterprise: Inuvika offers a transparent and affordable subscription model. A key advantage is its Linux-based architecture, which allows for significant savings on expensive Windows Server licenses. This straightforward pricing makes VDI a viable and cost-effective option for businesses of all sizes, ensuring predictable and manageable expenses.

3. User Experience and Accessibility: Two Sides of the Same Coin

• Omnissa Horizon: Omnissa Horizon provides excellent user experience and flexibility. It offers two main ways to connect: a dedicated Horizon Client for a rich, high-performance experience, and a secure HTML5-based web client for convenient, clientless access from any browser. While the dedicated client may offer slightly better performance for certain use cases, both options provide users with a full and productive virtual workspace.
• Inuvika OVD Enterprise: Inuvika is built with simplicity in mind, offering a full, secure workspace that’s accessible directly from any standard HTML5 web browser. There’s no need for users to install anything, which streamlines access and perfectly supports the modern „work-from-anywhere“ model. This approach is highly convenient for companies with a diverse range of devices, from desktops and laptops to tablets and smartphones, simplifying IT management and reducing support calls.

4. Flexibility and Compatibility: Vendor Lock-in vs. Openness

• Omnissa Horizon: Omnissa Horizon is deeply integrated into the VMware ecosystem, which can lead to vendor lock-in. While powerful, this limits your choice of other technologies.
• Inuvika OVD Enterprise: Inuvika is built with flexibility in mind. It is hypervisor-agnostic, meaning it works seamlessly with a variety of platforms, including Proxmox, Nutanix AHV, KVM, and Microsoft Hyper-V. This gives you the freedom to choose the infrastructure that best suits your needs without being tied to a single vendor.

Great User Experience

Access both Windows and Linux apps together on any desktop, laptop and mobile device. Apps are delivered quickly to the user through a Web portal, shared or dedictated desktop (VDI), or as integrated apps on the users‘ own local desktop. OVD has unmatched USB device redirection, highly optimized video streaming and native support for applications like Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

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Secure by design

OVD is built on the principle of Zero Trust. Administrators have granular control of user access, and functionality can be enabled and disabled on a user, group or global basis. There is built in Multi-factor Authentication (2FA) removing the need for additional cost from another service (but can support Duo natively and any SAML2 compatible provider like Okta or EntraID). All data transferred between the user and their apps is encrypted using advanced technology, providing a more secure alternative to VPNs.

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Easy to manage

You can also manage every aspect of your OVD environment through a single, easy-to-use Web console. There’s no need to install a management client on your desktop. OVD can be securely managed from anywhere, on any device.

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Lower Cost of Ownership

OVD is sold as a simple, all-inclusive subscription plan and has a total cost of ownership (TCO) that is over 60% less than some other virtual desktop solutions. You won’t need Microsoft SQL Server licenses or separate gateway solutions such as Citrix NetScaler/ADC. Our simple resource containerization packs more users onto your application servers allowing even further optimization.

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Compatible

OVD embraces today’s leading Enterprise standards. It works with any hypervisor (i.e. vSphere, KVM, Hyper-V, ProxmoxVE, VergeOS and Nutanix AHV), any Active Directory or LDAP directory service, and deploys on Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Microsoft Azure and any other public or private cloud provider. This principle of being agnostic provides customers and MSPs with maximum flexibility when it comes to both hardware and hosting requirements.

Easy to Install

OVD can be installed and configured in as little as a few hours, compared to weeks with desktop virtualization software like Citrix and VMware. This means less disruption to your user base. OVD deploys on Linux and integrates with existing Linux and Microsoft backend systems. Upgrades are also straight forward and performed in minutes rather than hours.

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Conclusion: The Smart Alternative for Modern VDI

While VMware Horizon remains a powerful solution for large, complex environments, Inuvika OVD Enterprise offers a compelling alternative for companies seeking a modern, agile, and cost-effective approach to VDI. Its simplified architecture, lower total cost of ownership, and clientless accessibility make it the ideal choice for businesses looking to embrace virtualization without the traditional headaches.

If you’re searching for a VDI solution that’s easy to deploy, simple to manage, and affordable to own, Inuvika OVD Enterprise is the answer.

Ready to transform your IT infrastructure? Contact us today to learn more and purchase Inuvika OVD Enterprise!