Desktop virtualization is now being deployed by a majority of companies with many more in the planning stages. This is according to a survey conducted by Matrix42 at Citrix Synergy 2012 in San Francisco. The survey of IT executives found that more than half (51 percent) of companies are in the process of deploying or have already finished deploying virtual desktops in their organization. An additional 23 percent plan to deploy in the next year, and only 11 percent have no plans to deploy.

The reasons cited for developing desktop virtualization are varied, but the two biggest drivers are related to cost—reduced cost of management/support and cost savings on hardware and software. When it comes to managing their virtual desktops, an overwhelming majority of 77 percent want to use the same tools for managing their virtual desktops as they use for their physical desktops.

While almost all respondents expect to support a mixed environment of both physical and virtual desktops, the expectation for a majority to be virtual is much higher than a year ago. Currently, one-third expect 60 percent of their desktops to be virtual one year from now. This is three times greater than last year when only 11 percent had the same expectation.

When asked about BYOD (bring-your-own-device) initiatives, 72 percent said they currently support or are working on support for BYOD. Only 15 percent said they have no plans to support BYOD in their organization.