Citrix desktop virtualization push: any device, any location

Citrix on Monday said its latest desktop virtualization software will give users access to high-definition desktops from any location and from just about any device, including PCs, Macs, thin clients, laptops, netbooks and smartphones.

Citrix is betting that Windows 7 will drive a new wave of desktop virtualization adoption, and is releasing XenDesktop version 4 to take advantage of these expected new users. The latest version offers a range of server-and client-side virtualization options, including offline desktops hosted in local virtual machines; desktops hosted on blade PCs; hosted desktops based in virtualized servers; and hosted shared desktops.

"Traditional PCs were designed for a very different world," Raj Dhingra, XenDesktop general manager, said during a press conference Monday. "Today, the world is flat and small. We need to work in entirely different ways than before. A traditional PC that is locked to an office or a laptop is too confining."

13 desktop virtualization tools

Citrix hinted at its all-devices strategy earlier this year when it brought virtual desktops and applications to the iPhone. Now it says XenDesktop with its accompanying FlexCast delivery technology is Citrix's first product "to support every major desktop virtualization model in a single, integrated solution."

Citrix said XenDesktop will support high-definition graphics for all users with its HDX technology, which has been improved with support for flash multimedia, 3D graphics, webcams and VoIP, with optimized delivery to branch offices over WANs. Citrix claims that HDX requires 90% less bandwidth than competing technologies.

XenDesktop 4 will be generally available Nov. 16 for prices ranging from $75 to $350 per user. Customers using XenApp, Citrix's application virtualization technology, will be able to trade up to XenDesktop with discounts of up to 80%. Citrix is also enabling centralized management of virtual desktops and applications by integrating XenApp with XenDesktop, the company said.

The desktop virtualization market has lots of room for growth. Fewer than 10% of data centers worldwide have virtualized desktops, according to ITIC lead analyst Laura DiDio. Thirty-one percent of customers plan to virtualize in 2010, according to an ITIC poll of 400 corporations.

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