The Promise of Desktop Virtualization

Increased security and easier desktop management are just two benefits of employing virtual desktops, but not every business is a good fit for the technology. Learn where the opportunities are.

By Megan Santosus

Mention virtualization to many channel partners, and they are likely to conjure up visions of data center consolidation, reduced hardware footprints, and streamlined provisioning. While server virtualization has undoubtedly proved a boon to some channel partners, it's not the only kind of virtualization that holds promise. Desktop virtualization--specifically of the server-based variety in which virtual machines in effect run on a server in a data center where they are accessed by end users--can provide channel partners with new business opportunities.

The premise of server-based desktop virtualization (also called hosted desktop virtualization) is straightforward. Rather than having individual desktop machines loaded with operating systems and applications, desktop virtualization essentially separates hardware from the software by allowing desktops to run on virtual machines on a server. The operating system and applications run on a server in the data center, which, thanks to virtualization software, delivers a desktop to users via a network. A single server can host multiple virtual desktops, allowing many users to access their desktops and applications simultaneously using PCs or thin clients; all the processing and data storage takes place on a server. 

"Hosted desktop virtualization is the virtualization technology that is of most interest today," says Natalie Lambert, a principal analyst at Forrester Research. "There is such potential to lower costs, increase security, reduce the burdens of desktop management, and improve remote access."

TRIPLE OPTIONS
The three leading vendors in server-based desktop virtualization are Citrix Systems Inc., Microsoft Corp., and VMware Inc. Citrix's offering, Citrix XenDesktop, delivers desktops on demand from a data center when users log on. Microsoft offers a variety of virtualization software; the company's Windows Server Terminal Services enable IT managers to host desktops on a central server that is accessed by end users locally or remotely. Microsoft also offers Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) that hosts desktop operating systems on virtual machines on a server. Both of Microsoft's offerings enable desktops to be centralized in a data center; however, VDI requires more resources because it involves the virtualization of an entire desktop environment on a server. And from VMware comes VMware View, a portfolio of software products that enable the centralization of virtual desktops in a data center.

According to Lambert, there's no one-size-fits-all desktop virtualization technology, and the individual merits of each vendor's offerings depend entirely on the computing needs of end users. Indeed, Citrix and Microsoft have long been partners in the desktop virtualization space, so it's plausible to mix and match technologies from different vendors to come up with the most suitable virtualization solution. It can also make sense to stick with one vendor; a customer that uses VMware for server virtualization may opt for VMware's desktop virtualization technology due to the ease of dealing with a single vendor.

In general, Lambert says, "VMware and Citrix provide management and virtualization technologies in one solution, while Microsoft has all the software available." Ultimately, vendor selection has to be assessed on a customer-by-customer basis. Channel partners, Lambert says, "have to make sure that they fit the virtualization technology to the user needs."

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