Remote desktop infrastructure

A system for a computer desktop infrastructure, the system comprising:

• a management server hardware device that validates computer desktop credentials for a plurality of different remote users;
• a plurality of endpoint hardware devices each executing one or more instances of a computer desktop environment and storing application data for the one or more instances of the computer desktop environment in local non-volatile storage of the endpoint hardware devices to expedite execution of one or more selected applications and caching a redundant copy of at least a portion of user data for each of the plurality of different remote users in the local non-volatile storage of the endpoint hardware devices, the management server hardware handing off the validated users to the endpoint hardware devices and the endpoint hardware devices providing access to the one or more instances of the computer desktop environment;
• and
• one or more highly available, redundant non-volatile storage devices that are remote from the plurality of endpoint hardware devices and that store user data for the plurality of different remote users for use in the one or more instances of the computer desktop environment.

A method for a computer desktop infrastructure, the method comprising:

• assigning, by a management server, a plurality of different remote users to one or more hardware devices executing a plurality of remotely accessible virtual desktop environments;
• accessing application data of one or more user applications of the plurality of remotely accessible virtual desktop environments from local non-volatile storage of the one or more hardware devices executing the virtual desktop environments;
• accessing user data for the plurality of different remote users of the plurality of remotely accessible virtual desktop environments from remote non-volatile storage that is not local to the one or more hardware devices such that each of the plurality of remotely accessible virtual desktop environments are associated with one of the plurality of different remote users and the user data for the plurality of different remote users is stored in the remote non-volatile storage that is remote from the one or more hardware devices executing the plurality of remotely accessible virtual desktop environments;
• caching a redundant copy of at least a portion of the user data in the local non-volatile storage of the one or more hardware devices executing the virtual desktop environments;
• providing the plurality of different remote users with remote access to the virtual desktop environments over a network;
• and
• installing one or more selected applications in the virtual desktop environments from the local non-volatile storage of the one or more hardware devices executing the virtual desktop environments prior to being selected by the plurality of different remote users.