{"id":26237,"date":"2026-03-23T16:04:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T20:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/?p=26237"},"modified":"2026-03-25T13:09:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T17:09:21","slug":"meet-your-new-virtual-desktop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/2026\/03\/23\/meet-your-new-virtual-desktop\/","title":{"rendered":"One Login. Any Device. Meet Your New Virtual Desktop."},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>What is VDI and How Do I Access It?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/virtual-computing-lab\/\">Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> gives our campus community access to a full campus computer at any time and anywhere. Instead of needing to be in a computer lab or office, VDI allows you to log into a virtual desktop with the same software, systems, and tools you\u2019d use on campus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">At Montclair, VDI is powered by Omnissa Horizon (formerly VMware Horizon), a virtual desktop and software delivery platform that lets you access applications without installing them on your personal device.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>What is Omnissa Horizon?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Omnissa Horizon is a virtual environment that provides access to campus desktop and applications through the internet. This means:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">No need to download or install software locally<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Access to Montclair applications from any device<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A secure, centralized desktop experience<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A full list of available applications can be found in the <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/public-computing-labs\/deployed-software\/\">Deployed Software<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> section within the platform.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why Use VDI?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">VDI is useful for Montclair users who need:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Access to Montclair software from off-campus<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A consistent desktop experience across devices<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A secure environment for sensitive data and work<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Flexibility to teach, learn, or work from anywhere<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>How to Access VDI (Omnissa Horizon)<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Getting started is simple:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Go to <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vdi.montclair.edu\/\">https:\/\/vdi.montclair.edu\/<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Enter your NetID (example: smithj\/smithj1) and password<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Complete Duo MFA request<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once logged in, you\u2019ll see the Omnissa Horizon dashboard<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Select \u201cApps\u201d section to view available virtual desktops<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Click on corresponding desktop icon (Student\/Faculty\/Staff)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/168\/2026\/03\/vdi.png\" alt=\"The image shows a digital interface with options for accessing different desktop applications under &quot;All Apps,&quot; including &quot;Adjunct-GA,&quot; &quot;Faculty\/Staff Desktop,&quot; &quot;Student Desktop,&quot; and &quot;Teaching,&quot; with a red banner featuring navigation options.\" width=\"742\" height=\"469\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wait for desktop to launch and fully load<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once launched, your virtual desktop will function just like a campus computer.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Accessing VDI on Different Devices<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>Desktop or Laptop<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can access VDI through your web browser.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Best for:<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Teaching, administrative work, and coursework<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Running specialized or high-performance software<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Multitasking with multiple applications<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Mobile Devices (Phone or Tablet)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">VDI is also accessible on mobile devices using a compatible app or browser.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What to expect:<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Touch-based navigation (tap, zoom, scroll)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Best for quick access or reviewing files<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Not ideal for long sessions or complex workflows<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Tips for a Smooth Experience<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Use a strong and stable internet connection<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Keep your Duo Mobile app updated<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.duosecurity.duomobile&amp;hl=en_US\">Android<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/duo-mobile\/id422663827\">Apple<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Use a modern browser (Chrome, Edge, or Safari)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Log out when finished, especially on shared devices<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Need Help?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you experience issues accessing VDI (Omnissa Horizon), contact the <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/it-service-desk\/\">IT Service Desk<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is VDI and How Do I Access It? Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) gives our campus community access to a full campus computer at any time and anywhere. Instead of needing to be in a computer lab or office, VDI allows you to log into a virtual desktop with the same software, systems, and tools [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":349,"featured_media":26239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-desktop-software","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/349"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26237"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26237\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26258,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26237\/revisions\/26258"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}