desktop virtualization

Members from the CIO Executive Council weigh in on how to give users the best virtual desktop experience. Add your opinion and advice.

A number of vendors offer software to containerize virtual desktop personalizations and apps; Citrix will use RingCube's to make virtual desktops a higher-performing, more flexible three-tier application that can run on one hard drive or a mix of local and data-center hardware.

VMware promises back-end performance improvements and more clients to fill out the very short list is has now, especially compared to Citrix.

With no process to choose among too many options, laying out a complex architecture for virtual desktops is ridiculously complex.

SMBs could benefit far more than big companies from virtual desktops, but the cost- and learning curve has been too steep; that may be changing.

At more than two thirds of companies, business units share the decision equally with IT over which virtual desktops to choose. Is that too much?

Real virtualized desktops are looking more and more like an exception in a user base that will largely remain traditional, but use SAAS and streamed apps rather than virtualizing their OSes.

Thinking about filling out your data center to support more virtual desktops and servers? Plan how you're going to convince the CFO you really need more graphics than his punk sk8rboi gamer nephew.