Newsletters Welcome, Guest Log In | Register

Infrastructure

Data center and networking architecture to keep your data safe and moving

About this Blogger RSS

Subscribe

Sign up now and get the best business technology insights direct to your inbox.

  • Daily Edge
  • CTO Edge Update
  • Business Tools & Templates
  • Aligning IT & Business Goals
  • Maximizing IT Investments

0

Will Windows 7 Jumpstart VDI?

Posted by Arthur Cole Oct 28, 2009 11:38:30 AM

For quite some time now, the prevailing wisdom has put the relatively low uptake of virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) on security fears and user resistance, despite the substantial cost savings to be had.


But now it seems that a third factor was in play, at least in the eyes of those who hope to profit from VDI: the pending release of Windows 7.


According to Computerworld's Jon Brodkin, the thinking goes like this: Why bother spending serious coin on a virtual desktop platform when in a few months we'll simply have to migrate all those instances to a new operating system? After all, simply shifting from a physical to a virtual platform is bad enough without having to throw in a Vista/XP-to-Windows 7 conversion into the process.


Microsoft, of course, is not shy about playing up the VDI capabilities of its new OS. Just before the official release, the company came out with an updated Desktop Optimization pack chock full of virtual goodies. Among them are the Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) module that allows you to place virtual desktops on top of Windows 7 and throws in a number of server-based management controls for client-side provisioning and delivery of VDI images. There is also the Application Virtualization (App-V) module that allows for client or remote management of Windows server applications.


But while Microsoft is likely to gain both from the early enthusiasm for Windows 7 and its close ties with VDI provider Citrix and its own Hyper-V hypervisor, it seems that VMware is being equally aggressive in pointing out 7's benefits for VDI. The company has added Windows 7 support in its newest VMware Workstation 7, complete with features like Flip 3D and Aero Peek, as well as the improved graphics, multicore support and support for leading development platforms like the SpringSource Tools Suite and Eclipse IDE.


While Microsoft and VMware may have their differences, in this case, VMware support is probably welcomed since it sends a major headache to another key rival: Apple. With Windows 7 on board, VMware is also touting the newest version (3.0) of VMware Fusion, which allows 7 to boot up on the Mac. While Apple still holds the keys as to where Mac OS X can be run (which is to say, nowhere but Macs), the new Fusion at least allows W7 and Snow Leopard to run side by side, giving more Mac users a taste of how the rest of the world lives and works.


Will it draw more Mac users into the Windows fold? Probably not. Mac fans are a dedicated bunch, and it probably will take more than a new OS to overcome years of hostility toward what they consider a poorly engineered environment.


But for both Microsoft and VMware, that's not the big prize anyway. There's much more leverage to be gained by getting in on the ground floor of the desktop virtualization wave.


And now that the OS migration can proceed on the physical layer first, it makes the decision to go virtual that much easier.

Add a comment Leave a comment on this blog post.

There are no comments on this post

Software Forum: Information On Demand Virtual Experience

This interactive virtual forum presents leading IT experts providing the insights you need to turn your information into a strategic driver for innovation, business optimization and competitive differentiation.

Performance Under Pressure: The State of Enterprise Web Application Quality and Availability

This research study finds that Web application issues are an all-too-common problem and examines these Web-based enterprise application issues from two perspectives: that of an online customer and that of a site manager.

Greening IT with Server Consolidation

Learn how virtualization reduces the TCO of managing your date, while contributing towards your sustainability efforts.

Data Management Solutions

Data management and storage solutions, tips and best practices to improve the scalability, reliability, and accessability of your data.

Laptop Security

Answers to the ongoing challenges of the mobile office: to work anywhere, securely and efficiently.

Optimized Infrastructure

Hardware and software tools to create an enterprise infrastructure for data and business optimization.

All About Reducing Your IT Costs

Looking to cut costs? Use this research-driven Excel tool to pinpoint which IT cost reduction measures best fit your needs.

Learn more >

The IT Service Catalog Management Toolkit

Bridge the it-business gap once and for all! A well documented IT services catalog is the conduit for IT services to the rest of the company.

Learn more >