RusHydro Group Implements Termidesk VDI for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

RusHydro Group has launched a project to implement the Russian virtual desktop virtualization platform Termidesk VDI, developed by Uveon — Cloud Technologies (part of Astra Group). The Group’s organizations are integrating up to 1,000 Termidesk VDI licenses to provide virtual desktops to users across different regions of Russia. The project is being carried out as part of the collaboration between RusHydro PJSC and Astra Group and is a component of the digital transformation and import substitution efforts for IT infrastructure.

One of the key objectives of the project was to create a centralized virtual desktop environment. The primary scenario for the customer was not connecting users to physical remote computers, but rather providing desktops from server infrastructure. Virtual desktops are built on a reference “golden” image, enabling centralized management of the user environment, unified configuration, and simplified desktop maintenance.

When selecting the VDI platform, RusHydro Group set a number of technical requirements. An important criterion was the vendor’s ownership of a proprietary remote access protocol. Termidesk VDI uses its own proprietary TERA protocol designed to connect users to virtual desktops and applications.

Another significant requirement was the VDI platform’s ability to work with various domestic virtualization systems. This allows Termidesk VDI to operate in heterogeneous infrastructure and gives the customer greater flexibility in choosing and developing the underlying virtualization platform.

Also important for RusHydro Group was support for application publishing. In addition to providing full virtual desktops, Termidesk VDI enables centralized delivery of individual enterprise applications without the need to allocate a full virtual desktop for each.

A separate project task was to ensure functionality necessary for the transition from previously used Citrix solutions. At the project’s outset, certain Termidesk VDI capabilities required further development to meet customer requirements. The necessary functionality was implemented through vendor-side refinements, which made it possible to adapt the platform to existing operational scenarios and deliver the features required by RusHydro Group.

As a result, Termidesk VDI has provided centralized delivery of virtual desktops and enterprise applications to users across RusHydro Group’s organizations, regardless of their geographic location. This approach has enabled a unified, manageable environment for users and centralized control over access to corporate resources.

For RusHydro Group, with its geographically distributed infrastructure, VDI adoption enables a consistent approach to organizing workstations across different regions of the country. Termidesk VDI has become one of the components of the Group’s Russian IT infrastructure and contributes to reducing dependence on foreign software technologies.

“For large geographically distributed organizations, VDI is no longer just a tool for delivering virtual desktops. Such a platform becomes part of the core IT infrastructure, ensuring manageability, security, and consistent user operations regardless of location. The project at RusHydro Group illustrates this scenario well: the Russian VDI platform is used in a large-scale distributed infrastructure, and customer requirements go beyond basic desktop virtualization functions to include access protocols, integration with domestic hypervisors, application publishing, and feature development for specific operational scenarios. The ability to quickly refine the product to meet customer requirements is a key advantage of the Russian vendor,” commented Denis Mukhin, Director of Virtualization and Cloud Services at Astra Group.

The collaboration between RusHydro PJSC and Astra Group began in 2022. In May 2026, the companies agreed to further expand their partnership by signing a corresponding agreement at the XI Digital Industry of Industrial Russia (CIPR) conference.

The deployment of Termidesk VDI continues RusHydro Group’s efforts to develop Russian IT infrastructure and reduce risks associated with the use of foreign software products.