Comparison
MyWorkspace vs VMware Horizon: Lightweight Alternative for SMB
VMware Horizon is a full VDI platform built on vSphere infrastructure — connection servers, unified access gateways, App Volumes, and instant clone pools. MyWorkspace provides browser-based access to existing machines without hypervisor infrastructure. One is a datacenter-scale platform; the other is a lightweight access layer.
Feature comparison
VDI platform vs access layer
| Feature | MyWorkspace | VMware Horizon |
|---|---|---|
| Hypervisor infrastructure required | ||
| Connection Server / UAG deployment | Not needed | Required |
| Works with existing physical PCs | VMs only | |
| Time to first user session | Under 30 minutes | Days to weeks |
| Instant clones / linked clones | ||
| Non-persistent desktop pools | ||
| IT staff specialization needed | General IT | VMware certified |
| Browser-native access (no client) | Horizon HTML Access (limited) | |
| Infrastructure licensing | None | vSphere + Horizon |
| Managed relay infrastructure | Customer-managed |
Architecture
Hypervisor platform vs agent-based access
VMware Horizon: full VDI infrastructure
Horizon runs on vSphere — you deploy ESXi hosts, vCenter, Connection Servers, and Unified Access Gateways. Virtual desktops are provisioned from golden images using instant clones or linked clones. App Volumes can layer applications dynamically. This architecture serves large organizations that need centralized desktop management, pooled non-persistent desktops, and tight control over the compute layer. It requires significant hardware investment and VMware-certified staff.
MyWorkspace: access to existing machines
MyWorkspace does not provision or manage virtual machines. It provides browser-based access to machines that already exist — physical office PCs, existing VMs on any hypervisor, or cloud instances. Install the agent, assign the user, and they can connect from a browser. There is no image management, no clone pools, no hypervisor dependency. The access infrastructure (relay, authentication, portal) is operated by Intryl.
Where VMware Horizon is the better fit
Organizations that need non-persistent desktops (reset to a clean state after each session), instant clone pools for rapid provisioning, GPU-accelerated virtual workstations, or centralized image management across hundreds of identical desktops benefit from Horizon's architecture. Its deep integration with vSphere provides capabilities like DRS, HA, and storage policies that ensure uptime and performance at scale. The VMware ecosystem is mature and well-supported by enterprise IT vendors.
Security model
Less infrastructure to secure
A Horizon environment includes multiple server roles, management planes, and network segments that all require hardening, patching, and monitoring. MyWorkspace reduces the on-premises security footprint to a lightweight agent on each target machine — the management and relay infrastructure is maintained externally.
- ✓No Connection Servers or UAGs to expose to the internet — relay handles external connectivity
- ✓Built-in 2FA without separate identity provider integration (though SSO is supported)
- ✓Agent connections are outbound-only — no inbound firewall rules needed for access
- ✓No vCenter or management plane exposure — fewer high-value targets on your network
Administration
Right-sized for teams without VDI staff
VMware Horizon is powerful but operationally demanding. Golden image updates, clone pool recomposition, certificate rotation, Connection Server patching, and capacity planning are ongoing responsibilities. For teams without dedicated VDI administrators, this overhead can consume significant IT resources.
No image management
Each machine runs its own OS and applications. No golden images to maintain, no recomposition schedules, no App Volumes layers to publish.
No capacity planning
Users connect to existing machines. You do not need to forecast vCPU, memory, or storage IOPS for clone pools or plan ESXi host additions.
General IT can manage it
The admin dashboard requires no VMware certification. Add machines, assign users, review sessions — standard operations for any IT team member.
FAQ
Common questions about VMware Horizon vs MyWorkspace
No. MyWorkspace does not use hypervisor infrastructure. It connects users to physical or virtual machines that already exist on your network — whether those run on VMware, Hyper-V, bare metal, or cloud instances. The agent runs inside the guest OS regardless of the underlying virtualization platform.
Yes. If you have existing VMs on vSphere, you can install the MyWorkspace agent inside those VMs to provide browser-based access. MyWorkspace does not manage the VM lifecycle (creation, snapshots, cloning) — it provides the access layer on top of whatever compute infrastructure you already have.
If you already run vSphere and Horizon with dedicated VDI infrastructure, MyWorkspace serves a different use case: it provides remote access to existing machines (physical or virtual) without requiring connection servers, UAGs, or App Volumes. It is most relevant for teams that want remote access without building or maintaining a full VDI environment.
MyWorkspace provides access to persistent, assigned machines. Each user connects to their specific machine (physical or VM). It does not offer non-persistent pooled desktops, instant clones, or linked clones. If your workflow requires disposable desktop pools that reset after each session, VMware Horizon's instant clone technology is designed for that use case.
VMware Horizon requires vSphere licensing, Horizon licensing (per named user or concurrent user), and typically dedicated server hardware for compute and storage. MyWorkspace uses per-user subscription pricing with no infrastructure licensing. The total cost difference depends on your scale, but for teams under 100 users, the infrastructure and licensing costs of Horizon typically exceed MyWorkspace substantially.
Desktop access without VDI infrastructure
For teams that need remote access to assigned machines without building a hypervisor-based VDI environment, MyWorkspace offers a simpler deployment path. Book a demo to see the difference in operational overhead.