Provision Network's view of desktop virtualization
Paul Ghostine, Vice President/General Manager of Quest's Provision Networks Division, and I had a chance to catch up on a number of things centering on the concept of desktop virtualization and what is really needed to give people the experience of having their own dedicated desktop device while also giving administrators what they want; a secure, well-managed, reliable environment. I always enjoy my short discussions with Paul. He has a wealth of knowledge of what's going on in the industry and has a clear idea of where his company needs to go to bring more organizations over to the concept that deploying full featured desktop systems everywhere is no longer the best way to provide computing power for staff members. As discusssed in my earlier posts Just what is “desktop virtualization” anyway?, The Role Application Virtualization Plays in Desktop Virtualization and Processing virtualization and desktop virtualization, Desktop Virtualization is a recent industry catch phrase that describes the use of one or more virtualization technologies. The goal is giving staff members the freedom to work in their own way, using famailiar tools, while also making best use of the available processing power, network bandwidth and administrative staff resources.
Provision Networks has chosen to "embrace and extend" Microsoft's Terminal Services and VMware's Virtual Desktop Infrastructure rather than to build its own solution from top to bottom. That way, Paul pointed out, the company can focus on where it can add the most value rather than on plumbing. Some of the areas of added value are offering tools that make the best use of available network bandwidth.
Rather than go through a long, technically interesting, but otherwise boring description of the approaches the company is implementing, I'd suggest visiting the company's website to learn more
It's clear to me that this is one of the most dynamic areas of virtualization technology today. I've spoken with at least 10 different companies who are building or offering ways to break the link between desktop computing and a desktop computer.