Desktop : Not for every user – but it is for every company

Industry researchers are forecasting steady growth in the desktop virtualization market. According to Gartner, “HVD (hosted virtual 1 Source: Gartner, “Emerging desktop) deployments are forecast to reach 74 million users by Technology Analysis: Servers 1 Deployed to Support Hosted Virtual 2014 or 15% of professional desktop users.” in addition, Gartner Desktops,” 18 March 2010.

also states, “while the installed base is relatively small today, 2 Source: Gartner, “Hosted Virtual Gartner has spoken to clients with deployment plans that include Desktops Are the Catalyst Behind Changing How Organizations 2 tens of thousands of employees using HVDs in an organization.” Manage Storage,” October 2009.

Tech Dossier If you think desktop virtualization should only be discussed in theoretical terms, or put on the back burner because it’s not ready for today’s environ- ment, think again. Desktop virtualization products and services are viable and available; it behooves IT and business executives to begin exploring how the technology can transform the way people work.

Desktop virtualization may well turn out to be the most disruptive technology innovation since server virtualization in the 1990’s and even perhaps since the advent of the personal computer itself. Decision makers should look at it as a new way of computing that leads to enhanced IT controls, improved intellectual property management and substantial employee productivity improvements.

Industry researchers are forecasting broad economic impact on organiza- Desktop solution with 15 desktops us- steady growth in the desktop virtual- tions. As with most organizations the ing Dell™ OptiPlex™ flexible comput- ization market. Gartner predicted in initial focus is on hard cost savings, ing systems and Dell PowerEdge™ its March 2010 “Emerging Technology which for desktop virtualization are servers with Intel® Xeon® processors. Analysis: Servers Deployed to Support quantifiable if the organization runs Hosted Virtual Desktops” report that the an effective desktop environment. The pilot was immediately successful, hosted virtual desktop market will ac- But hard costs are only part of the prompting the Guadalajara NOC to celerate through 2014, reaching 74 mil- economic impact. Examples of soft request that it be rolled out to ap- lion users. In its October 2009 “Hosted costs include: the creation of a more proximately 85 desktops, creating a Virtual Desktops Are the Catalyst Behind efficient enterprise; increased em- redundant NOC resource that could Changing How Organizations Manage ployee productivity; the support of a be used in the U.S. in the event of an Storage” report, Gartner notes that while distributed workforce; improved secu- emergency. Dell is also planning to roll the installed base of virtual desktops is rity; support for business continuity/ the Managed Virtual Desktop solution relatively small, some organizations plan disaster recovery; and reduced energy out at its Malaysian facility outside to deploy them to tens of thousands of consumption. Kuala Lumpur. employees. Organizations in a variety of indus- While desktop virtualization is avail- A new survey commissioned by Dell tries already are seeing some of the able as a contingency solution, the and conducted by market research benefits of a move to desktop virtu- benefits spread far beyond. Ben Taylor, and consulting firm Penn Schoen Ber- alization. At Dell itself, for example, global NOC manager, observes, “The land (PSB) shows that over 80 percent the H1N1 flu outbreak in Mexico had a Dell Managed Virtual Desktop solution of the large enterprises in the U.S. and silver lining: the perfect opportunity to allows us to control the environment U.K. surveyed have already initiated pilot a desktop virtualization solution. and maintain tighter security.” desktop virtualization deployment in some capacity. Improving data secu- Dell Guadalajara’s network operations Mr. CIO, Tear Down rity and reducing costs are top motiva- center (NOC) was concerned that tions for deployment, and adopters the outbreak might make it difficult This Wall! often focus on things like lowest total for employees to come to work and Deploying desktop virtualization cost of ownership when evaluating for others to travel to Mexico. At the presents formidable challenges. Com- desktop virtualization partners, ac- same time, Dell had been working on panies must first recognize that this cording to the report. a Managed Virtual Desktop solution is a disruptive technology, crossing and was looking for an opportunity traditional IT organizational boundar- Desktop virtualization promises a to implement a pilot. Dell Guadalajara ies and substantively modifying how number of key benefits that can have a implemented a pilot Managed Virtual enterprise applications and infrastruc-

Tech Dossier: Desktop Virtualization 2 ture are utilized by many employees. extend applications to remote users be managed before, during and after Like the first personal computers were worldwide. With desktop virtualization the implementation through effective to typewriters, desktop virtualization the desktop is now in the , communication among management represents a significant shift in the way right next to those applications, basi- and staff. things are done. cally providing every employee with LAN performance. Desktop virtualization is for every The technology fundamentally company, but it’s not necessarily for changes the way employees use en- For many organizations, a key ques- every user, especially early on. Some terprise applications and dramatically tion will be who manages this new types of workers and functions are alters the way a company’s IT assets environment. Because the technol- better suited to the technology, while are controlled. Employees will have to ogy involves moving the desktop others will do well continuing with understand that previous individual to the data center, turf battles could traditional PCs. For example, road freedoms created mass amounts of result. For example, the majority of the warriors will not likely replace their variability that substantially increased desktop virtualization investment is laptops; (although the day will come management costs and exposed them within the enterprise data center for when providing every employee a vir- and the company to security and server, storage and network. End-user tual desktop as their primary comput- privacy issues. devices, which may or may not be ing device is within reach). It’s up to IT replaced, are managed by the people and business managers to determine Perhaps the most dramatic change in charge of desktop computing rather where virtualization fits best. will be the improved access and sheer than by data center managers. performance of enterprise applica- In addition, the implementation of Another challenge is deciding which tions on a global basis. For example, desktop virtualization fundamentally of the desktop virtualization technolo- today many companies utilize ex- shifts control from the individual end gies available are the most suitable for pensive terminal services (Citrix and user to the data center or IT organi- the company or the particular user Microsoft are the most notable) to zation. These cultural aspects must groups or business functions that will initially implement them. Each vendor and technology has its strengths and weaknesses, and offers a variety of features and capabilities that compa- nies need to carefully consider. Today just two vendors (VMware and Citrix) represent more than 90 percent of the desktop virtualization software market.

Security is yet another challenge. Organizations must be sure that the virtualized desktop environment is protected against security breaches. According to the PSB survey, security is the top motivation for deploying desktop virtualization and also the top barrier. Companies are most con- cerned with security features, func- tions and controls. Steps to success Organizations that are considering or The team should include people from various planning a move to desktop virtualiza- tion first need to identify and put in disciplines within IT: enterprise applications, place a strong cross-organizational servers, desktops, networking, and storage, as team lead by a change agent who will push through barriers in both IT and well as virtual desktop architects and engineers. the business community. The team should include people from various

Tech Dossier: Desktop Virtualization 3 disciplines within IT: enterprise appli- the excitement of working with new one of the top desktop virtualization cations, servers, desktops, networking, technology can lead to viral adoption, vendors. Two-thirds of the respon- and storage, as well as virtual desktop at which point organizations can let dents expect Dell to be a leader in the architects and engineers. user acceptance of the technology category. Upon learning that Dell offers drive successive deployments. desktop virtualization, more than half Building the team is step one. In the U.S. respondents said they were step two the CIO or other top-level Tapping a trusted more likely to consider deploying it. IT executive must spread the word among key business stakeholders to advisor Dell’s desktop virtualization approach qualify and quantify the IT and busi- Choosing a trusted advisor—someone takes into account the people, pro- ness reasons to initiate the project. It’s who can define the path that yields cesses and technologies required essential that senior IT and business the enterprise empirical data compa- for an effective implementation. The personnel be kept abreast of progress nies need to make key early and sus- company uses best-in-class tools to and key developments. tained decisions—is one of the most create a holistic, fact-based approach critical steps for organizations looking to building an efficient enterprise, Step three involves selecting a couple to broadly deploy desktop virtualiza- ensuring that all components of IT of use cases as pilots. Clearly this is tion. Dell Services has the expertise (enterprise applications and infra- not a “set it and forget it” endeavor; and experience to help organizations structure) are considered. companies should predefine what in any industry plan for and move to a areas within each use case need desktop virtualization environment. Among the virtualization services of- improvement, and how desktop fered by Dell are Discovery Workshops, virtualization can deliver on those The PSB survey shows that Dell is Assessment which includes a “digital improvements in a relatively short already viewed by many companies as footprint;” Blueprint Process, Design, period of time. Consider these to be trials within production with “real” end users, accessing their primary enterprise applications. There are far too many companies today starting with a proof of concept approach in more of an IT playground within a lab environment. That approach delays the realization of the business value required for meaningful adoption, says Terry Vaughn, Director Global Market Development at Dell.

Examples of possible initial use cases include: n Highly distributed knowledge workers n Shop floor and warehouse workers who do not require utilization of an entire desktop n Roaming doctors and nurses n Application development and testing teams n Work-at-home employees for con- tact and call centers Upon learning that Dell offers desktop

It’s important to share the results with virtualization, more than half the U.S. the organization as a whole. Specific respondents said they were more likely to communication and word of mouth consider deploying it. regarding improved application performance, enhanced mobility and

Tech Dossier: Desktop Virtualization 4 Implementation and for certain cus- ing its long-term strategic plans for library that dynamically build up-to- tomers ongoing Management Support. the data center. For those enterprises date images when users connect considering moving from a central- Like server virtualization, desktop vir- ized, company-owned data center to a n The organization as a whole: tualization is not a project but a new computing environment, Dell is Improved information security and way of doing things. It takes team, definitely an enterprise-class option. regulatory compliance; greater control company and vendor commitment to of data flow and accessibility; en- make this new paradigm work. Where Because each organization is differ- hanced business continuity; improved you start matters, and with a trusted ent, Dell offers “as a service” desktop scalability to match actual use; longer partner like Dell, an organization can virtualization solutions with partners end-user device lifetime; reduced make an informed decision on the Citrix/Microsoft and VMware. The key desktop management and support best time and place to deploy desktop is flexibility. Whether deployed on- costs virtualization. premise, in the customer’s data center, or in Dell’s data center via extension of For organizations seeking an edge in a With the right people in place, the or- the customer’s enterprise, these end- competitive market, this is no time to ganization can then focus on provid- to-end, managed solutions offer broad be sitting on the fence. Desktop virtu- ing them with thorough, product-spe- customer choice, along with breadth alization solutions are viable, and now cific training as a foundation. Policies and depth of capabilities. Since one is the time to deploy the technology, to prevent sprawl are size does not fit all, Dell offers numer- or at least launch trials that demon- essential, and licensing issues should ous price performance options via Dell strate its benefits. be factored in at the outset. Use man- enterprise servers, Dell Equal Logic agement and monitoring tools from storage, and Dell automation powered Because desktop virtualization is dis- the start, and focus on managing the by Dell Services. ruptive and involves multiple aspects cultural change that’s inherent in a of the IT organization, implemen- shift like this. Disruptive Technology, tations can come with significant challenges. Done well, a desktop Dell can help customers effectively Multiple Benefits virtualization implementation can help deal with the enterprise-class chal- Desktop virtualization is a transforma- transform an enterprise into a more lenges that are often barriers for many tive, game-changing technology that efficient operation, empower end -us companies, including: centralizing can enable productivity gains, cost ers to do their jobs more effectively, remote file and print servers; migrating savings, increased security and more and enable companies to get the most or relocating applications that do not efficient use of IT infrastructure. Like value out of their information assets. run well over the LAN with traditional other transformative technologies, Done poorly, it can lead to wasted PCs; implementing solutions to deploy desktop virtualization promises to time and money, and disgruntled staff virtual desktops for the mobile work- radically change the way people ac- and management. force; and evaluating unified commu- cess and utilize enterprise applications nications alternatives to pair with the to do their jobs on a day-to-day basis. Because the stakes are so high, orga- virtual desktop. nizations need a trusted advisor to Here are just a few of the potential help plan and execute their desktop Dell provides customers with “un- benefits that can have a dramatic virtualization strategy. Dell Services precedented choice when deploying impact on users and the business at has the expertise and the solutions to desktop virtualization. This ranges large: help companies deploy this transfor- from customers providing their own mative technology. reference architecture, purchasing n End users: Improved application Dell components via Business-Ready speed and accessibility; full-featured Configurations or OEM bundles and desktops with “anywhere access” and implementing on their own, to an en- immediate session continuity; greater terprise cloud environment where Dell end-device selection and work loca- implements, operates and manages tion flexibility an “as a service” architecture in a Dell data center. n IT management: Centralized desktop technology and operations that mirror This level of flexibility enables any the existing enterprise data center organization to make the move to infrastructure; automated monitoring desktop virtualization while respect- tools; a centralized OS and application

Tech Dossier: Desktop Virtualization 5 ◗ Syndicated Article How Virtualization is Desktop Virtualization Changing the Shape Battle Heats Up Among the rush of new products trying to take advantage of that are Microsoft of Your PC (MSFT) and Citrix, which enhanced What will your next work computer look like? Citrix’ graphics-enabling HDX technol- Virtualization is changing the corporate PC into an ogy for remote-session computing amorphous mass of computing resources — meaning much and the addition of virtual-PC-friendly of the power of your next PC will be defined not by the touches like licenses that explicitly al- hardware on your shoulder, but by the data centers and low customers to use licenses for apps external service providers that your company utilizes. running on virtual hardware, adding dynamic memory management to Win- dows Server 2008, and incorporating Microsoft’s RemoteFX new-generation Near the end of almost every year, according to Mark Bowker, analyst at terminal-services protocol in both Citrix dramatic reductions in the size and Enterprise Strategy Group. products and Windows 7. weight of typical business laptops and PCs spark a series of blogs and media Consumers who flocked to free online Thin-client competitors Pano Logic stories about how drastically different e-mail and social media sites and then and NComputing are also waving the “your computer” will be next year. absorbed increasingly complex busi- flag; Ncomputing released bare-bones ness-oriented services including CRM, versions of its thin-client unit that The way it looks so far for 2011, much ERP and accounting have helped push cost between $70 and $150. Pano of the power, data and abilities of “your corporate IT into accepting the idea Logic announced a deal under which computer” will have less to do with the that relatively generic online services Fujitsu would ship flat-panel monitors hardware on your shoulder than with such as those and the platform-as- equipped with Pano Logic clients to the data centers and virtualization capa- a-service offerings of cloud vendors make the monitor itself the computer. bilities of both internal IT organizations could play legitimate and critical roles and external service providers. in IT infrastrutures, Bowker says. Citrix and VMware (VMW) both “In a survey we did of corporate Gmail promise bare-metal versions of their “The industry has been delivering tech- users, 17 percent said they’d also be in- client that could improve nology to users based on the physical terested in a hosted desktop model using performance of virtual clients and model of the computer, which doesn’t some third party to supply desktops for potentially make non-standard devices fit the way they want to consume the their enterprises,” Bowker says. “That’s a such as the iPad into VDI clients. technology,” says Chris Wolf, analyst at big change from a few years ago.” The Burton Group. “The future really is More interesting is that entire classes convergence of virtualization technolo- Laptops , and handhelds will of vendors like AppSense, LiquidWare, gies and services that include client make up more than 60 percent of all PC RingCube, Unideks, Infinity and others VMs, server-hosted VMs, SaaS, PaaS and shipments during 2010, but fully 10 per- are springing up to add personalization other services, so what users think of as cent of new enterprise desktop clients and greater capabilities to thin-clients ‘their’ computer is more about resourc- will be virtual, according to analyst firm by containerizing the drivers, profiles, es than the .” International Data Corporation’s report, DLLs and other data to improve both the “Personal Computing Top 10 predictions user experience and effectiveness of the 2011: The Year SaaS for 2010.” (IDC is part of CIO.com’s par- virtual client, Bowker says. ent company, IDG.) Many companies like the idea of and PaaS Take Off? reducing both capital and operational The increasing variety of ways in which “We’re expecting consumer and com- expenses by giving end users ‘desk- desktop virtualization technologies can mercial PC buyers alike to be more ex- tops’ hosted in a data center, but the supplement or safeguard the end-user’s perimental with new types of PCs,” lead cost of doing it themselves or out- computing experience makes virtual analyst Bob O’Donnell said in the report. sourcing the service is often too high desktops much more attractive than in to make it viable, Wolf says. years past, especially with recent en- But anything that squeezes more produc- hancements in the ability of thin clients tivity out of existing hardware will find an to support graphics and Web browsing, audience waiting for it, Bowker says.

Tech Dossier: Desktop Virtualization 6 ◗ Syndicated Article

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Suite, Desktop Virtualization: standard edition, and Citrix’s - Desktop VDI Edition for one year. This It’s Microsoft vs. VMware comes out to be approximately half in Cost Smackdown the typical annual license cost. Virtualization watchers have speculated for years when The other offer from Microsoft and Citrix Microsoft would throw a low-cost blow at arch-rival is a more direct confrontation with VM- VMware in the desktop virtualization fight. This week, Micro- ware. Called “Rescue for Vmware VDI”, it’s soft delivered the punch via a new partnership with Citrix. a promotion that lets SA licensed Micro- soft customers replace their VMware View licenses for free. VMware View customers will get up to 500 XenDesktop VDI Edition Microsoft’s (MSFT) new desktop virtual- But from an industry perspective, the device licenses and up to 500 Microsoft ization initiatives announced yesterday most noteworthy aspect of Micro- VDI Standard Suite device licenses for no are a long-anticipated move to make soft’s virtualization announcements charge for a full year in exchange for their desktop and application virtualization is the company’s tighter bonding with VMware View licenses. Like the “VDI Kick easier and cheaper for enterprises. But partner Citrix to bundle each other’s Start” promotion, “Rescue for VMware it’s also part of a broader Microsoft virtualization software, in an effort VDI” is available from March 18 through strategy to capture market share from to gang-tackle virtualization market December 31, 2010. virtualization arch-rival VMware (VMW). leader VMware. While well ahead of Microsoft on the server manage- “This is for customers we’ve spoken to Desktop virtualization is still a nascent ment side of virtualization, VMware is who maybe had a great experience with technology, but it does offer the kind now scrambling to stay ahead in the VMware with servers and then rushed of flexibility and ROI that enterprises desktop space, says Chris Wolf, senior out to do the same thing on the desktop are looking for, especially ones that analyst at Burton Group. and ran into a brick wall with poor user are migrating to Windows 7 and are experience and scalability and ROI prob- worried about application incompat- “Vmware had a two-year lead in lems,” says Wes Wasson, chief marketing ibility. Microsoft’s desktop virtualiza- desktop virtualization, but it is only officer at Citrix. tion model, including VDI (virtual beginning to take it seriously,” says desktop infrastructure), promises to Wolf. “Citrix and Microsoft want to take It’s too early to declare a winner in rein in desktop costs, improve security on VMware in this space, and they’re desktop virtualization — because the and management and speed up the closing the gap here. Vmware needs to market is so raw, says Burton Group’s delivery of new applications. step up its game.” Wolf. But he thinks VMware executives should be on high alert over this new One key part of the sweeping an- To this end, VMware recently released assault from Microsoft and Citrix. nouncements, covered in an hour-long a new version of the ThinApp applica- Webcast, is a simpler and cheaper tion virtualization software to ease “VMware should be worried about model for licensing Windows in a virtual migration to Windows 7. this,” he says. “If they’re not, they’re desktop environment. Specifically, on doing something wrong.” n July 1, Software Assurance customers Microsoft and Citrix are merging will no longer have to buy a separate technologies, but they are also giving license to access Windows via a VDI. customers bargain deals. In addition to merging Microsoft’s 3-D graphics Microsoft’s desktop Moreover, for customers that use technology for virtual desktops, called virtualization model devices that don’t qualify for Software RemoteFX, with Citrix’s high-definition Assurance, such as thin clients and PCs HDX technology, the two companies promises to rein in used by contractors, there will be a new will offer a price-cutting promotion desktop costs, improve license called Windows VDA (virtual called “VDI Kick Start” from March 18 security and manage- desktop access) available for $100 per until Dec. 31, 2010. device per year. This license will allow ment and speed up users to still have access to their com- VDI Kick Start allows existing Microsoft the delivery of new plete virtual desktop outside the corpo- customers with CALs (client access rate network on devices such a personal licenses) to pay $28 per desktop for applications. laptops and airport kiosks. up to 250 users to get the Microsoft

Tech Dossier: Desktop Virtualization 7 ◗ Syndicated Article

And the differences between the IDC: Avoid ‘one-size fits all’ various types of desktop virtualisation shouldn’t be brushed aside warned for desktop virtualisation Lamy. He said that companies often adopted a “one size fits all” approach Companies should weigh all options says analyst to the technology - one that wasn’t always appropriate. “There are differ- ent types of desktop virtualisation, ranging from server-based computing, Users looking to move to desktop Many analyst companies have spoken which would be suitable for simple ap- virtualisation should be wary of about the rise in the take-up in desk- plications or for task workers, VDI for thinking that it’s a panacea of all their top virtualisation, many commenta- knowledge workers and consolidated desktop problems. That’s accord- tors have spoken about 2010 being clients, blade PCs, suitable for power ing to Lionel Lamy, IDC’s research the year of desktop virtualisation and users. There’s also another category of director for software and services a survey from Citrix earlier this month, client hosted virtualisation for mobile who warned that companies often found that more than half of UK are workers, something that’s increasingly had unrealistic expectations of what either using or trialling desktop virtu- in demand,” he said. moving to the technology would do alisation. for their business. It was important to note, said Lamy, Lamy, speaking at an IDC conference that there were plenty of advantages on desktop virtualisation in London, going down the desktop virtualisa- said that there were several elements tion route, in terms of manageability, Many analyst com- of an organisation’s infrastructure that flexibility and control over security, panies have spoken could have an impact on the cost- it’s just that organisations had to be effectiveness of a desktop virtualisa- careful to cost the rollout correctly about the rise in the tion rollout. User organisations needed and opt for the right type of virtuali- take-up in desktop to take into account elements such as sation. virtualisation, many the cost of acquisition of the hardware - a commitment to capex - as well Lamy added that even if all the tech- commentators have as the cost of hardware and software nological issues could be surmounted spoken about 2010 deployment and maintenance; the and the rollout proceeded smoothly, cost of managing of multiple applica- there was still the question of com- being the year of desk- tions - dealing with conflicts between pany politics to deal with. “Never un- top virtualisation . programs - and the cost of disaster derestimate the resistance to organi- recovery. sational change,” he said. n

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