desktop virtualization

24 posts

A row of old computers sitting on top of a desk, illustrating Windows ThinPC

Microsoft Releases Windows ThinPC Desktop Virtualization Tool

Microsoft on Tuesday trumpeted the release to manufacturing of Windows Thin PC (WinTPC), software that lets organizations repurpose their older PCs as thin clients. Microsoft plans to make WinTPC available for public download on July 1. The WinTPC RTM doesn’t include much in the way of new features, only minor tweaks such as a keyboard filter that prevents the use of common Windows key combinations like Ctrl +Alt + Delete as a security measure. WinTPC […]

A woman in a red dress wearing a virtual reality headset, illustrating virtual desktops

Why Your Next Desktop Will Be Virtual

There will always be a need for conventional desktops and notebooks for specific users, but desktop virtualization has matured today. In fact, it’s time to take a hard look, not just a passing glance, at what it can provide. The magic that virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) can provide is in taking a fairly inexpensive thin-client device, giving it access to your data center from anywhere, and allowing that device to take on the image of […]

Focus dictionary index page, illustrating desktop virtualization definitions

Desktop Virtualization Definitions

At the most fundamental level, virtualization is the separation of the physical from the logical, so desktop virtualization is the separation of the physical client device from the management of the OS. When most people hear the term desktop virtualization, they immediately think “VDI!” Note that virtual desktop infrastructure is just one type of desktop virtualization. In fact, the technology can be any of the following: VDI. Despite the term’s literal meaning, IT today uses […]

Four paper card tags, illustrating Microsoft VDI licensing costs

Microsoft’s Virtual Desktop Licensing Costs Still Hinder VDI Adoption

If Microsoft’s lukewarm comments about VDI or its repeated “concerns” about the cost of desktop virtualization haven’t told you anything about the company’s stance, a look at Microsoft’s licensing rules should help you nail it down. Microsoft really doesn’t like desktop virtualization. The reason? Because customers might get the idea that virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) can solve two problems, both related to the vendor’s most profitable product line, at once: * The high cost of […]

Orange and blue 3D bar chart columns on a white grid surface, illustrating the state of desktop virtualization

Where is Desktop Virtualization Today?

Earlier this year, the Wikibon community held a Peer Incite to discuss the realities of Desktop Virtualization. What we found was that while desktop virtualization is seeing significant growth, it tends to be strongest in certain vertical niches and the ecosystem is highly fragmented. As Michael Keen of Lakeside Software says, one of the biggest challenges is mapping out a customer’s environment and finding the places where Here Be Dragons which can be the downfall […]

A flat screen TV sitting on top of a wooden table, illustrating responding to VDI skeptics

The VDI Skeptics: Refuting The Top Three Reasons For VDI

The VDI skeptics firmly believe that business comes first, not technology. While they feel that VDI technologies are undeniably cool, they don’t necessarily believe that they offer true value to a lot of the businesses that pursue them. In this series of articles, the skeptics outline their arguments for and against various VDI technologies, helping you focus on what your business actually needs — not on what vendors want to sell. One of the hardest […]

A football field with the word start written on it, illustrating desktop virtualization's slow start

Five Reasons For Desktop Virtualization’s Slow Start

John Glendenning, Virtual Computer’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Business Development, and I had a very interesting conversation about Desktop Virtualization in general and where his company’s product, NxTop, is enjoying a great deal of success. During that discussion we covered quite a bit of territory. We ran out of time long before we ran out of interesting topics to discuss. Here, in a nutshell, are a few of the reasons that desktop […]

Woman on the phone while looking at clothes, illustrating voice virtualization for SMBs

Voice Virtualization High on SMB Agendas

In the future, mobile phones will dominate, with businesses moving to a ‘bring your own device’ strategy and voice virtualization will take on more importance in business’ networks according to survey results taken by business communications and collaboration software and services provider Mitel Networks. The survey found 53 percent of respondents felt that, in the future, mobile phones would become the dominant communication device in the workplace. These same responders also stated that their organizations […]