Signs Show Desktop Virtualization Coming of Age for Small Business

The acquisition of Kaviza, a maker of simple background virtualization software for small businesses, by Citrix Systems is all the buzz at this week's Citrix Synergy consequence at San Francisco's Moscone Center Westernmost.

The fact that an SMB-focused product look-alike Kaviza is stealing the thunder at a traditionally go-ahead-focused show like Synergy shows just how far virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and other desktop virtualization technologies give birth come when it comes to the small business market.

Dynamic Dynamics

In the not-too-deep past, desktop virtualization was largely the realm of big business. It was typically a technology unravel from within the data concentrate on, requiring robust host technologies with extensive and expensive networked memory to process up users' desktop environments over the corporate network.

Kaviza's flagship VDI-in-a-Box engineering aims to take out some of that complexity – lease users run realistic desktop from "any standardised, off-the-rack" x86-based waiter, company officials say. It's too configured to constitute installed, well-kept and supported aside "background IT staff," as opposed to more specialized Information technology faculty. The engineering science allows companies to choose their hypervisor, including Citrix's XenServer or rivals VMware ESX or Microsoft Hyper-V, although one would ideate once Kaviza is fully unsegregated into Citrix, the system will be "optimized" for best performance with its new owner's wares.

In discussing the Kaviza purchase, Citrix's Tom Flink, who heads up the company's channel better hal community and market development, aforementioned, "there's been a segment that we haven't self-addressed with purpose-built product in SMB."

But that's about to variety, as progressively options for background virtualization come on-line for small businesses.

Wherefore VDI?

Cardinal of the reasons more SMBs might consider background virtualization the right way now is the growing drift towards "make for your personal device." Companies are increasingly allowing their users to bring their ain computer or else device to work on. Beaver State, more candidly put together, more companies are bowing to user pres to beryllium allowed to work on the devices they know and love.

By using a engineering science look-alike Citrix's Receiver Beaver State VMware's Opinion, companies can make totally of their substance abuser's business applications available on their own device while all the data remains unhurt under central direction.

And because both vendors volunteer versions of their virtual background software on a variety of smartphones, tablets and strange streetwise devices, information technology offers a course for touring warriors to connect on their preferred device while active. In fact, when it launched last year, the power to run a Windows 7 desktop on the iPad was touted as one of the "killer apps" for the tablet reckoner, at least in the business populace.

The technology has arrive a long way from the clunky remote desktop capabilities of days of former. Both major desktop virtualization players (Citrix and VMware) straightaway tout the ability to tend smooth high-definition videos and early multimedia-heavy applications from hosted desktops on a variety of devices.

Happening-preface vs. Cloud

VMware's view lets users connect to their Windows desktop from their iPad. — VMware's view lets users relate to their Windows screen background from their iPad.

Like nigh IT issues today, thither are choices in how small businesses want to consume virtual desktops. Citrix and Kaviza offer a more traditional "along-premiss" model for desktop virtualization, while there are a growing number of options for befog-based virtual desktops. Too at Synergism, hosting gargantuan Rackspace announced plans to extend a easy path to desktop virtualization via hosted Citrix realistic desktops.

Putting any Information technology workload in the cloud is a same individual, even personal issue, for umteen businesses. Like anything other, you have to consider cost, scalability, availability and security of cloud deployments against connected-premise, as well Eastern Samoa your own organization's needs and turn patterns to make the right decision. For example, if you're looking at VDI to keep your users connected to their desktops piece they're out of the office, a hosted solution might put up greater value than connected-premise, while companies in a extremely-regulated industry like healthcare or a highly-uncommunicative one like financial services might prefer to leave things in-sign.

There are even about solutions that cross the boundaries of on-premise and cloud. IBM earlier this year introduced its Virtual Desktop for Stylish Business solution, which can be offered past BLU-82's channel partners either hosted aside the partner operating theatre along a client's own hardware.

Is IT For You?

Thither are still too many "X" factors–such as how mobile your business is, how connected your users are, how much computing horsepower your users pauperism to do the job, and more–to offer one-size up-fits-all advice on whether desktop virtualization makes sentience for your business.

But it is clear that that are an crescendo number of choices for diminished businesses that Crataegus laevigata want to consider essential desktops, and that the options are only going to improve as software vendors anticipate the SMB as a potentially large greenfield market for their wares.

Robert Dutt is a veteran IT journalist and blogger. He covers the Canadian IT technology solution provider scene daily at ChannelBuzz.ca . You can also find him connected Twitter .