Desktop virtualisation has been delivering on its hype very well, says Peter Brockhoff, Area Vice President - ANZ at Citrix Systems. With users demanding complete Information Technology (IT) flexibility and freedom, desktop virtualisation is a good tool for Chief Information Officers(CIOs) to address those demands. Asponsor at the marcus evans Australian CIO Summit 2010, taking place 2 - 4 August, Brockhoff highlights how virtualising the desktop can help CIOs deliver IT, anytime, anywhere.
What makes desktop virtualisation relevant?
Peter Brockhoff: With more and more mobile devices being introduced into the workplace, particularly in the last couple of months with the popularity of mobile devices such as the iPad, employees expect to have the freedom to work from any device, anytime and from anywhere.
However, the iPad has raised a lot of questions by CIOs, analysts and the industry around its limitations, including its inability to multi-task and display flash and Windows applications. Desktop virtualisation overcomes these limitations by enabling workplace flexibility and user mobility on any device, as employees’ consumption habits evolve.
Secondly, with the launch of Windows 7 in October last year, CIOs are looking at updating their existing desktop fleet. With Gartner estimating that the market for desktop virtualisation growing to over 50 million units by 2013, hundreds of organisations are also realising the benefits of the technology to reduce management costs and complexity, control data access and enable business continuity, which revolutionise the challenges previously associated with the desktop lifecycle.
What are some of the challenges of desktop virtualisation and how can CIOs overcome them?
Peter Brockhoff: The challenges revolve around delivering the service to the user. Virtualisation provides flexibility, agility and control; however CIOs also appreciate that different types of employees across the organisation need different types of desktops.
The importance of using the most relevant delivery technique for each user case cannot be understated. Task workers do not need a full desktop suite and benefit from a consistent, secure connection. Meanwhile, knowledge workers often need fast access to a range of applications from varied locations, necessitating a full desktop.
Citrix’s most recent version of its desktop solution, XenDesktop 4, includes FlexCast delivery technology which combines several ‘flavours’ of desktop delivery that can be altered to suit all users. FlexCast allows customers to use any combination of virtual desktop technologies, such as local virtual machine-based desktops, streaming applications to clients or a hosted virtual desktop infrastructure, from one centrally-managed solution.
What best strategies would you recommend to CIOs who are implementing this?
Peter Brockhoff: I would recommend having a clear desktop strategy. This involves the CIO knowing what they are looking for, the types of workers they have and the difficulties that they could face in delivering the services.
A desktop strategy is key to creating a compelling business case for desktop virtualisation. By focusing on the improved mobility, flexibility, security and central control inherent in a virtualised infrastructure, CIOs can ensure that their proposals have the best chance of acceptance within their organisation.
What are the challenges and benefits of cloud computing?
Peter Brockhoff: Cloud computing allows organisations to gain access to resources without having to make major capital investments in infrastructure. The consumption of services from a “cloud” also provides the benefits of access from anywhere and can be made to span multiple data centres and geographical locations to provide highly available and redundant solutions. Conceptually this model offers a “why wouldn’t you?” proposition.
However, one of the biggest challenges for CIOs is the security of the data and workloads that reside in the cloud. Citrix provides solutions to deliver highly scalable solutions for both private and public cloud platforms which guarantee access to resources and provide the ability to deliver applications to any user from the cloud securely and on demand. Alongside these abilities, Citrix solutions can provide the ability to seamlessly migrate applications and workloads to and from the cloud, provide solutions to leverage the cloud for secure and reliable disaster recovery, and provide solutions which can comply with the strictest of regulatory regimes.
What are some of the trends that CIOs can take advantage of in the coming few years?
Peter Brockhoff: IT freedom is one trend that we certainly are seeing in the market. People are looking to work from any location and any device, without restrictions on how they can access services. They are looking to serve themselves from a choice of applications, exactly when they want and need them. The desire to do this without having to contact IT is driving the requirement to be able to put more freedom in accessing the desktop.
Another example of IT freedom is that people are starting to use their personal computers, and even smartphones and tablets, in the workplace. They have their own personal data, activities and applications, but also want to access the corporate desktop at work and on the move. Companies increasingly need the ability to integrate different devices into the network and securely deliver corporate data and apps, whether to the boss’s new iPad or to a sales exec’s BlackBerry.
One of the most subscribed programs that we have at Citrix is BYOC, ‘Bring Your Own Computer’, where employees receive a stipend to buy any laptop that they wish for both personal and work use. Desktop and application virtualisation is then used to separate personal and corporate desktops and apps, improving flexibility in the way staff work while also improving employee satisfaction.
In short, virtualisation is delivering on its hype. It will continue to provide greater flexibility and security, which CIOs can manage centrally, while also addressing the challenges of meeting IT freedom demands.