All Things Virtualization 
Desktop virtualization’s impact on the data center is being over-hyped. Anyone who thinks desktop virtualization is only VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure), however, would be correct in saying that its impact is massive. Think about what happens in a VDI implementation in which each employee has a dedicated persistent image. The operating system, applications, user settings, and data that were once stored on a relatively inexpensive endpoint are now consuming high-end, expensive data center gear. Deploy VDI to thousands, or even tens of thousands, and you have something pretty big going on inside your data center.
But I say hold your horses. VMware, with its linked clones, and Citrix, with its provisioning server, have already built software to significantly reduce virtualization’s impact on the data center. For instance, one copy of the operating system can be stored and maintained and leveraged by all. The same holds true for applications. Why maintain a copy for each user? Citrix XenApp, VMware ThinApp, Microsoft App-V can all help here with single copies of applications deployed to many.
So be careful. VDI deployments will have a giant impact, which is why a companywide VDI deployment is rare. Desktop virtualization deployments that incorporate OS streaming, application virtualization, and folder redirection can have great advantages with much less negativity. Sure, you still need new gear and probably the harder piece will be finding the expertise, but get ready–because it is coming fast.
Related posts:
- How Does Microsoft Windows 7 Impact Desktop Virtualization?
- “Data Center to Desktop”
- Fujitsu Reminds Us That Desktop Virtualization is Not Technology Driven
- Get Out of the Data Center Business
- Desktop Virtualization Strategies: Citrix, Microsoft, VMware
Tags: Citrix, desktop virtualization, Microsoft, VDI, VMware
blogs
I think it is important to note that with the emergence of client hypervisors, there are forms of desktop virtualization that do not have the same impact that VDI does. Client hypervisors offer centralized management with distributed execution so the processing still places at the endpoint.
Good point Mike. Lots of education still to be done. Most, actual practically all the It folks I speak with have no idea what a client side hypervisor is. Once they hear it explained they quickly see the value.
Great point, Mark.
I agree that the impact is going to be tremendous but I also think we are in the early stages of understanding best practices. The approaches of VMware and Citrix are self-serving to their legacy interests – force-fitting a server consolidation model on desktops is very expensive and heavy-handed and linked clones and thin provisioning swing too far to the opposite extreme; coupling VDI with XenApp is also inefficient when all of the apps can be incorporated into the gold master making Citrix’s bread-and-butter obsolete.
Take a look at Virtual Bridge’s VERDE solution which uses a gold-master provisioning model that combines a gold master of the OS and apps together with a users persistent data – docs, settings, etc… in a dynamic model. This same gold master model also manages an integrated client-side hypervisor so that organizations can manage VDI and mobile users from one efficient management model with minimal impact on the data center.
IBM has selected VERDE along with VMware and Citrix as a formal virtual desktop “Offering” from Global Services as well. One of the sell-points is “for customers looking for ROI’s under 12 months”.
Would be happy to discuss further if you are interested.