A Major Management Problem
Desktop PCs today are complex permutations of any number of hardware components,operating
system versions,
drivers and applications installed
by both users and IT staff – along with an ever-growing list of OS
and applications
updates and patches. This myriad of components are installed on PCs
distributed throughout offices and company locations and, even with
the
best of remote access software, are often inaccessible to IT staff
without an on-site visit when a critical problem or crash occurs.
Maintaining and managing this constantly changing mix of PC hardware
and software consumes more than 70% of the total cost of ownership
(TCO)
of a
typical PC, and it represents the bulk of the help desk workload
for many organizations.
Virtual Desktops:
A Simpler Way to Deliver Windows
Virtual desktops enable users to access a standard Windows operating system installation,
along with whatever
applications and data they need, running on
centralized servers running in a data center. These servers use specialized
software
called a hypervisor to
create a “virtual machine” that simulates roughly the same capabilities as a physical desktop computer. Desktop virtual machines (DVMs) connect over
local area networks to specialized endpoint devices at the user’s
location that in turn are connected to peripherals like monitors, keyboards,
mice and
other peripherals to make a complete system.
While this technical description may make virtual desktops initially
sound more complicated than
traditional desktop PCs, we think
you'll see that centralizing
all of the software, storage, processing and management within
the data center makes the
lives of both IT staff and the users they
support
much more simple.
