According to Info-Tech Research Group, desktop virtualization is a “game changer.” Similar to virtualization utilized in a data center the desktop version provides operational reductions in IT and increases efficiency and agility in desktop management.

According to a report conducted by Info-Tech Research Group, 30% of IT leaders surveyed have plans to implement a desktop virtualization solution by the end of 2010.

Info-Tech Research Group’s study of desktop virtualization included over 200 survey responses and more than 30 interviews of IT leaders worldwide. Most implementers do not anticipate large upfront capital cost savings from desktop virtualization however there are areas of potential advantage such as extending the life of older workstations.

Desktop virtualization delivers access to an entire information system environment or the environment itself to a remote device. This device may be utilizing a different hardware architecture than that used by the projected desktop environment. It may also be based upon an entirely different operating system as well. For example, you have a computer that came with Windows XP (the host), but you would like to run Windows 7 or Ubuntu (the guests) to add muscle to your computing experience. With virtualization you can add a totally new OS without affecting any settings of your current setup.

Virtualization, according to vendors, makes it easier to manage user PCs, provision new desktops, push out patches and enforce security policies. Total cost of ownership can be reduced with desktop virtualization, depending upon the choice of software and hardware, but projects usually require higher upfront costs than a regular PC refresh.

“IT departments typically invest significant time, effort, and budget into the acquisition, configuration, deployment and support of PCs on desktops,” said John Sloan, senior research analyst for Info-Tech Research Group. “Desktop virtualization changes the game from distributed asset management to efficient desktop service delivery.”

Forrester Research analysts have found that enterprises spend about $860 per user, plus network upgrades, to get a desktop virtualization project up and running in the first year. According to Gartner, worldwide revenue for hosted virtual desktop software will quadruple this year, going from $74.1 million to nearly

“In a tough economy every IT shop has to stop and re-evaluate how they spend and whether they freeze, cut or decide to spend smarter,” said Sloan. “With desktop virtualization corporate IT can look to get out of the complex and costly distributed PC asset management business.”

Early adopters of desktop virtualization ranked their deployments as very successful. They report a high degree of satisfaction with the performance of their virtual desktop environments, as well as efficiency gains in desktop and application deployment and maintenance.

Desktop virtualization software is provided by established vendors such as VMware, Citrix and Microsoft, as well as numerous start-ups, including Neocleus and Virtual Computer. Thin clients and PC blades, which are often paired with virtualization software, are sold by various hardware vendors including Wyse Technology, HP, Dell, Sun and ClearCube.

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