An emerging technology destined to resolve many IT headaches without prescription medication is desktop virtualization. The technology helps IT staffs deliver functionality to remote workers faster and with more control than using traditional means. Desktop virtualization abstracts a desktop workload (operating system and applications) from desktop hardware. Two methods exist: server-centric and desktop-centric. The dominant model is server-centric desktop virtualization, which runs desktop operating system images and layered applications on virtual machines, in turn running atop shared host servers in a data center.

Via the network, a virtual desktop image delivers the user interface (keyboard, video, audio, mouse) to a software or hardware thin client. The client does no processing, other than of user interface events such as key-presses or mouse movements, and stores no data locally.

Those who have struggled with wiping laptops, re-loading software, and shipping them understand the benefits. Desktop virtualization lets IT supply a controlled, managed, and secure desktop environment that can replace, run alongside, or be encapsulated within a less secure, less managed, or less controlled environment. Typical targets include personally-owned systems, public-access systems, and even company computers on which users have administrator rights.

Significantly fewer companies are deploying desktop virtualization than server virtualization, according to Nemertes’ latest benchmark on Virtualization. We expect attention toward this area to increase as the virtual workplace continues to grow. We found 7.7% have fully deployed desktop virtualization; 30.8% have partial deployment; 37.5% are running pilots, and 23.1% are evaluating the technology.

Leading vendors in desktop-virtualization among Nemertes’ benchmark participants are VMware, Citrix Systems, and Microsoft. Important smaller players include Sun, with its SunRay solutions; Parallels, which supplies the most popular solution for hosting Windows desktops within a Macintosh OS X environment; and PanoLogic, with its hybrid hardware-software solution.

To users, a virtualized desktop ideally seems identical to a conventional one - an operating system with a suite of applications. Because the OS and applications are provisioned and managed centrally, however, the virtual desktop can be locked down tightly, and virtual desktops can always boot off a clean OS. Central IT also can upgrade applications and OS transparently, in the background.

Robin Gareiss is executive vice president and senior founding partner of Nemertes Research. Click  here for the newsletter archive.