Why Remote Desktop Performance Drops and What Businesses Can Do About It

This information makes infrastructure planning more accurate.

VPNs and Network Inspection Can Add Latency

Security controls are important, but the way network traffic is routed through those controls can affect performance.

Microsoft notes that incorrectly configured VPN or Secure Web Gateway tunnels can introduce additional latency, reduce performance, and contribute to session drops. Its connectivity guidance also discusses avoiding unnecessary traffic backhauling and inefficient inspection paths for latency-sensitive RDP traffic.

This does not mean businesses should remove security controls. Instead, administrators should understand how approved network security measures interact with remote desktop traffic.

Local Resource Redirection Can Increase Traffic

RDP can support redirection of resources such as local drives, printers, and clipboard data. These features can be useful, but they can also generate additional network traffic depending on how they are used.

Microsoft explains that RDP uses separate virtual channels for graphics, input, device redirection, printing, and other functions. User activity therefore has a direct effect on bandwidth requirements.

Businesses should enable only the local resources that employees actually require.

Reducing unnecessary redirection can simplify administration and avoid additional traffic that does not contribute to the user's primary task.

Choosing an Appropriate RDP Environment

When evaluating providers, businesses should consider the relationship between resources, workload, user count, and security requirements.