White Paper

The Promise of Desktop VirtualizationDesktop virtualization can help rein in the costs of managing and maintaining PC infrastructures. By Megan Santosus

Contents

1 ExecutiveSummary2 Introduction2 TypesofDesktopVirtualization3 TheBenefitsofDesktopVirtualization HostedDesktopBenefits ClientVirtualizationBenefits4 ChallengesofDesktopVirtualization HostedDesktopVirtualizationChallenges ClientVirtualizationChallenges CulturalandOrganizationalChallenges6 Conclusion

ExecutiveSummaryMuchlikeservervirtualization,virtualizingdesktopsinvolvesseparatingthephysical

locationofaclientdevicefromitslogicalinterface.Inpracticalterms,desktop

virtualizationallowsenduserstoaccessalloftheirdataandapplicationswithoutbe-

ingtieddowntoaspecifichardwaredevice.ItalsoallowsITdepartmentstoreduce

managementandsupportcosts,alongwithcapitalexpensesfordesktophardware.

Yetwhiledesktopvirtualizationhasbeenaroundforsometime,theincentiveto

adoptithasonlygrowncompellingrelativelyrecently,astheproliferationofdesktop

devices,applications,anddata—alongwiththecomputingdemandsofaremoteand

oftenfar-flungworkforce—havedrivenITdepartmentstoseekmoreeffectiveways

ofmanagingdesktopcomputingresources.

Thiswhitepaperwillexaminethestateofthedesktopvirtualizationmarket,discusstwo

desktopvirtualizationmodels,andexploretheprosandconsofimplementingeachone.

>>Brought to you compliments of

The Promise of Desktop Virtualization �

>> IntroductionWhenmostpeopleheartheword“virtualization,”serversareprobablywhatcometo

mindfirst.Indeed,inarecentsurveybyIDGResearchServicesGroup,morethan70per-

centofrespondentssaidthey’recurrentlyinvestinginservervirtualization.Yetdesktop

virtualizationisgainingtractiontoo.AmongrespondentstotheIDGsurvey,41percent

saidtheyarealreadyspendingmoneyondesktopvirtualization,and22percentsaidthat

desktopvirtualizationisacriticalpriorityfortheirorganizationsinthenext12months.

WhilerespondentstotheIDGsurveyarevirtualizingonly6percentoftheirdesktops

sofar,desktopvirtualization’scorporatefootprintissettoincreaseconsiderably.

Surveyparticipantsexpect24percentoftheirdesktopstobevirtualizedwithinthe

next24months,and34percentoftheirdesktopstobevirtualizedby2010.Hence

thepredictionbyFramingham,Mass.-basedresearchfirmIDCthatsalesofdesktop

virtualizationsoftwarewillreach$1.8billionby2011,upfrom$500millionin2008.

TypesofDesktopVirtualizationTherearetwomainvariantsofdesktopvirtualization:

Hosteddesktopvirtualization:Thisiswhenaserverlocatedinadatacenterhosts

virtualmachines.Usersconnecttotheserverviaconnectionbrokersandreceivetheir

userinterfaceviastandardprotocols,suchasRemoteDesktopProtocol.VMwareInc.

isamongtheleadersinthismarket.OthervendorsincludeCitrixSystemsInc.,Virtual

IronSoftwareInc.,andQumranetInc.

Clientvirtualization:Inthismodel,“hypervisor”softwareinstalledontheclient

deviceallowsonedesktoptorunmultipleoperatingsystems.Topvendorsinthis

marketincludeVMwareInc.,MicrosoftCorp.,SentillionInc.,andParallelsInc.

Byseparatingphysicalmachinesfromtheirlogicalinterfaces,desk-topvirtualizationaimstoreducetheheadachesandcomplexityassoci-atedwithdeployingandmaintainingclientdevices,whichultimatelyhelpsITdepartmentsreducedesktopmanage-mentcosts.

Current Virtualization Investment

In which areas is your company currently investing?

Server virtualizationDesktop virtualizationStorage virtualization

Enterprise/Data center virtualizationApplication virtualization

File virtualizationApplication gridsI/O virtualization

No current investment in virtualizationDon’t know/Refuse to answer

72%41%

41%23%

22%

13%10%

9%

17%

5%BASE: 340 respondents

Source: IDG Research Services Group

The Promise of Desktop Virtualization �

TheBenefitsofDesktopVirtualizationUnlikeservervirtualization,whichgotitsfootholdinmanyorganizationsasawayto

consolidateservers,desktopvirtualizationdoesn’taimtoreducethenumberofPCs.

Byseparatingphysicalmachinesfromtheirlogicalinterfaces,desktopvirtualiza-

tionaimstoreducetheheadachesandcomplexityassociatedwithdeployingand

maintainingclientdevices,whichultimatelyhelpsITdepartmentsreducedesktop

managementcosts.

IntheaforementionedIDGsurvey,thebenefitsofdesktopvirtualizationmostcommonly

citedbyrespondentswerereducedcosts(54percent),moremanageabledesktop

environments(54percent),andtheabilitytoprovisionPCsandotherclientdevices

centrally(52percent).

HostedDesktopBenefits

Inthehosteddesktopvirtualizationmodel,dataandapplicationsrunonserversinthe

datacenterandareessentiallystreamedtoclients.Thatleadstogreatersecurity,

becausedataandapplicationsresideonphysicallysecureserversratherthanon

moreeasilycompromisedclientdevices.Also,transferringmuchofthedesktop

processingworkloadfromclientdevicestothedatacenterenablesITdepartments

toreducewearandtearonclienthardwareandtherebyextenditslifespan.

Inaddition,hosteddesktopsenableITdepartmentstoimprovesupport.With

traditionaldesktopcomputing,theITdepartmentmustdispatchatechnicianevery

timeaclientdevicewon’tstartproperly.Withvirtualhosteddesktops,however,a

techniciancanrebuildtheentireoperatingsystemwithouteversettingfootoutside

thedatacenter,andhavetheenduserupandrunninginminutes.Thatmeans

increasedproductivityforITemployeesandendusersalike.

Moreover,unlike“dumb”terminalsthatdeliverthesameplainvanillacomputing

experiencetoeveryone,virtualhosteddesktopssupportcustomization.Justlikea

regularPC,virtualmachinesreflectusers’personaloperatingsystemandapplication

settings.Theycanalsostorepersonalizedscreensaversanddigitalmusiccollections.

ClientVirtualizationBenefits

Theclientvirtualizationmodelofdesktopvirtualizationdeliversequallycompelling

benefits.Forinstance,ITdepartmentscanuseclientvirtualizationtoisolateconfi-

dentialdataandapplicationswithindiscretevirtualmachines.Thathelpsprotectthe

datafromhackersiftheycompromiseaclientdevice’soperatingsystem.Similarly,IT

administratorscanassigndifferentsecurityrestrictionstovirtualmachinesbasedon

thesensitivityofthedatatheycontain.Forexample,theycanconfiguresomevirtual

machinestobarusersfromcopyingdataontothumbdrivesandotherportablestor-

agedevices,whileconfiguringothervirtualmachinesmorepermissively.

TransferringmuchofthedesktopprocessingworkloadfromclientdevicestothedatacenterenablesITdepartmentstoreducewearandtearonclienthardwareandtherebyextenditslifespan.

>>

The Promise of Desktop Virtualization �

Forendusers,clientvirtualizationmeansgreaterflexibility,sincetheycanrunmultiple

operatingsystemsandtherebyaccommodatebothlegacyapplicationsandnewer

systems.AcompanythatusesahomegrownapplicationincompatiblewithWindows

Vista,forexample,nolongerhastorewritethesoftwarebeforeupgradingtoMicro-

soft’slatestoperatingsystem.Usingclientvirtualization,thecompanycansimplyrun

theapplicationonitsWindowsVistaPCsinsideaWindowsXP-basedvirtualmachine.

Clientvirtualizationisalsoanidealmodelfororganizationsthatallowemployees

tousetheirlaptopsforbothworkandpersonaluse.ITdepartmentscancreate

differentcorporateandpersonalimagesonseparatevirtualmachines,andimpose

stringentsecuritycontrolsonlyonthecorporateimage.Thatenablescompaniesto

remainincompliancewithgovernmentdataprivacyregulationswhilestillgiving

employeesthefreedomtousetheircomputersforpersonaltasksastheywish.

ChallengesofDesktopVirtualizationAswithanytechnology,desktopvirtualizationdoesn’tcomewithouttrade-offs.For

organizationsconsideringhosteddesktops,clientvirtualization,oracombinationof

thetwo,it’snecessarytofirstunderstanddesktopvirtualization’slimitations.

Benefits of Desktop Virtualization

Regardless of your company’s plans regarding desktop virtualization, which of the following benefits do you associate with desktop virtualization?

Reduce costsMore manageable desktop environment

Ability to provision PCs and other client devices with software from a central locationMore secure desktop environment

Provide IT with greater flexibility/control over desktop resourcesSimpler deployment of patches and upgrades

Stretch hardware resourcesReduce on-site support requirements

Support business continuity/disaster recovery initiativesAbility to run multiple operating systems

Reduce application deployment timeframesAbility to test and document software on multiple operating systems

Allow IT to distribute resources selectivelyMinimize application conflicts

Simplify/foster management of mobile/remote workforce and business partnersSupport green IT initiatives

Better manage the influx of mobile devicesOther

Don’t know/Not that familiar

54%

54%52%

50%

49%46%

43%

41%

40%

BASE: 340 respondents

37%37%

35%34%

29%26%

23%11%

2%

11%

Source: IDG Research Services Group

The Promise of Desktop Virtualization �

HostedDesktopVirtualizationChallenges

•Mostnetworksaren’tpowerfulenoughtodeliverrichgraphics,suchasthoseof-

feredbytheAerointerfaceinWindowsVista,toavirtualhosteddesktop.

•Virtualhosteddesktopsareserver-basedanddeliveredtoendusersoverthenetwork.

Ifthenetworkgoesdown,therefore,userswillbeunabletoaccesstheirdesktops.

•Virtualhosteddesktopsrequiresignificantbandwidth,andtheratioofusersto

serversisnotashighasinotherclientcomputingmodels.Asaresult,someorga-

nizationsmayneedtomakecostlyupgradestotheirservers,storage,andnetwork

infrastructurebeforerollingoutdesktopvirtualization.

•Endusersmayexperiencelatencywhenoperatingtheirvirtualdesktops.Remote

workersinparticularmayexperiencepoorperformanceiftheirvirtualhosteddesk-

topsaredeliveredacrossawideareanetwork.

Thebestwaytoaddressthesechallengesistodeployhosteddesktopsonlytoappropri-

ateusers.Traditionaltargetusersforvirtualhosteddesktopsareworkerswhousetheir

computersforveryspecifictasksthatarenotknowledge-intensive,suchasemployees

incallcentersandadministrativeworkers.Remoteandmobileworkerscanbegoodfits

forhosteddesktopvirtualizationtoo,providedtheyhaveaccesstohigh-speednetwork

connections.

ClientVirtualizationChallenges

Clientvirtualizationhasitschallengesaswell.Forone,runningmultiplevirtualmachines

simultaneouslyrequiresmorepowerfulclienthardware,particularlyintermsofprocessing

andmemory.Asaresult,organizationsmustoftenmakeup-frontinvestmentstogettheir

desktops“virtualmachineready.”Additionally,enduserssometimesexperiencedegraded

performancewhenrunningapplicationsnotnativetotheirclientdevice’sbaseoperating

system.Forexample,someAppleMac-basedsystemsmaynotoperateasspeedilyona

MicrosoftWindows-basedPC,evenwhenthey’reruninaMac-basedvirtualmachine.

Toovercomethesechallenges,organizationsshouldcarefullyassesswhere

implementingclientvirtualizationmakessense.Traditionalusecasesforthismodel

includetechnicalendusers,suchassoftwaretesters.Clientvirtualizationenables

themtohavemultiplevirtualtestmachineswithmultipledifferentoperatingsystems

runningononephysicaldesktop.Employeeswhoneedtoworkwithapplicationson

incompatibleplatformscanalsobenefitfromclientvirtualization,ascancontract

workerswhoneedtoaccessacustomer’snetworkthroughtheirownPCs.ITdepart-

mentscansimplycreatevirtualdesktopsforthemwithalltheapplicationsand

datatheyrequire.Accessingthathosteddesktopthroughavirtualmachineallows

contractorstokeepthecustomer’sapplicationsanddataseparatefromtheirown.

CulturalandOrganizationalChallenges

Witheitherdesktopvirtualizationmodel,thebiggestbarrierstoadoptionareoften

Toovercome...chal-lenges,organizationsshouldcarefullyassesswhereimplementingclientvirtualizationmakessense

>>

The Promise of Desktop Virtualization �

>> culturalandorganizationalratherthantechnical.Forexample,intraditionalITshops,

datacenterpersonnelanddesktopsupportpersonnelrarelycollaborate.Under

desktopvirtualization,however,bothgroupsmustlearntoworktogetherclosely.

ITmanagementmustalsoclearlydelineateresponsibilitiesacrossbothgroupsfor

resolvingdesktopsupportissuesthatstemfromhostserverproblems.

Inaddition,endusersaccustomedtotheirtraditionaldesktopexperiencemaybalkat

movingtoclientvirtualization.ITdepartmentsmusttakethetimetocarefullyexplain

therationalebehinddesktopvirtualizationandthebenefitsthatwillaffectusers

personally,suchasfastersupport.

ConclusionDesktopvirtualizationinbothitsiterationsisstillintheearlyadoptionphase.But

CIOswhoarefacedwithrisingdesktopsupportcosts,stretchedsupportresources,

andwaningend-usersatisfactionneedtobeginspeakingwiththeirtechnologypart-

nersaboutdesktopvirtualizationandstartconductingtheirowninvestigationsnow.

Thebenefitsofvirtualizingdesktops—whetherattheserverlevelorontheclient

side—aretoocompellingtoignore.

>>MeganSantosusisabusinessandITwriterbasedinNatick,Mass.

CIOswhoarefacedwithrisingdesktopsupportcosts,stretchedsupportresources,andwaningend-usersatisfactionneedtobeginspeakingwiththeirtechnologypartnersaboutdesktopvirtualizationandstartconductingtheirowninvestigationsnow.