Desktop virtualization cheat sheet

Network World - Server virtualization: is well on its way in corporate data centers and desktop virtualization is following fast behind. The pace of desktop virtualization deployment is only expected to speed up now that Windows 7: is on the scene and client-hosted virtual desktop offerings are emerging. Here’s a roundup of our most recent desktop virtualization/virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) coverage:

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FAQ: Desktop virtualization: There's huge interest in desktop virtualization technology, due to its promises of improved security, manageability and flexibility. Here are some details on how the technology works and why it might be a fit for your company.

Weighing the pros/cons of desktop virtualization: Successful server virtualization deployments lead many IT managers to believe desktop virtualization would provide the same benefits. While that is partly true, companies need to be aware of how the two technologies differ, industry experts caution.

Windows 7 and Desktop Virtualization: The New Tools: It seems as if every vendor is putting out new products or touting old products designed to help make Windows 7 a good platform, or to cement justification for desktop virtualization projects.

Window 7 may spur virtual desktops, on and off the iPhone: Predictions from analysts and virtualization vendors that desktop virtualization will take off during 2010 may be off the mark. Sales may take off, but the desktop PC may not have much to do with it.

Three caveats for desktop virtualization: Before moving to any flavor of desktop virtualization, consider these issues: the network; management; security.

Disaster Can Inspire Quick Move to Desktop Virtualization: A major disaster led the University of Texas Medical Branch-a sprawling campus of hospital and office buildings in Galveston plus a spray of clinics and smaller facilities all over Texas-to shift virtual desktops from a fringe technology to its main platform.

Virtual desktops ripe for deployment, hindered by cost: Desktop virtualization, with its promises of improved security, manageability and flexibility, may be on the verge of huge adoption, some experts are predicting. But as with many new technologies, there is a catch. ROI is one of the main selling points, but desktop virtualization requires significant upfront costs and it can easily take three or four years to realize financial rewards.

Companies choose VDI to fit existing infrastructure: Enterprises are choosing desktop virtualization offerings from Symantec Corp., VMware Inc., Citrix Systems Inc., Microsoft Corp. according to the vendor's area of strength -- and how it fits with the infrastructure they already have, according to one Canadian analyst.

VMware bolsters desktop virtualization product: VMware's View desktop virtualization offering boasts new remote desktop protocol

Citrix desktop virtualization push: any device, any location: Citrix says its latest desktop virtualization software will give users access to high-definition desktops from any location and from just about any device, including PCs, Macs, thin clients, laptops, netbooks and smartphones.