Since most employees use only a small portion of their desktop machines' CPU capacity, and each machine requires software, software updates, security measures, maintenance and support, these systems can be costly and time consuming to the enterprise. Desktop virtualization offers high performance, security and reliability, while allowing enterprises to also reduce administrative and software licensing costs.

Whether called virtual desktop infrastructure, consolidated client infrastructure, client consolidation or flexible computing solution, virtual desktops are changing the way the enterprise handles the PC. Instead of a box containing processors, memory and storage, what resides on the desktop is a small device that ties the keyboard, mouse and video display to a centralized computing resource. Since the computing power is centralized, it can be shared among many users, enabling enterprises to efficiently utilize IT assets.

Virtual desktops not only tap into a centralized computing resource, they put the entire computing platform - operating system, applications and local data - into a virtual machine (VM). This virtual machine is a single file, free of any physical hardware constraints. The VM can be moved to a more powerful server if users need more processing power or storage space, and can be moved easily to a different server or data center if disaster strikes.

In the virtual desktop architecture, the device the user is interacting with is no longer where all the computing and storage reside, so the client can be a smart phone, a Macintosh or Windows machine, thin client or laptop, and the end-user's experience is the same. The user gets a personalized set of applications and settings every time he logs on, with access to the same data and resources. The user does not have to worry about file synchronization between multiple computers, theft of data when a laptop is lost or the inability to work when the PC is unavailable.

While centralized computing and desktop virtualization can deliver extensive benefits, deploying and managing VMs can be complex. Without effective management of the virtual desktop environment, IT administrators simply end up multiplying the number of machines they must manage. Virtual desktop management solutions allow the entire virtual desktop architecture to be centrally deployed and maintained, giving administrators better control of computing assets.

One key piece of the virtual desktop management infrastructure is a connection broker. Applications of this nature are the gatekeepers for all assignments of computing resources to individual virtual desktop users. These computing resources may be physical machines, virtual machines or both. Depending on the level of sophistication of a particular connection broker, it may also be able to perform dynamic load balancing to ensure a superior end-user experience, while provisioning computing capacity as if it were a utility.

Virtual machine lifecycle management is important in the virtual desktop architecture. One of the challenges associated with a virtual environment is that VMs are easy to replicate. When a VM is cloned, everything installed within the VM is being replicated, as well, including applications. Over time, numerous VMs may be cluttering the SAN. Virtual machine lifecycle-management applications can ensure that VMs are decommissioned after a specified period to avoid unnecessary virtual clutter.

Virtual desktop solutions should be managed, but this task is simplified through a management software solution. Administrators can manage, monitor and control the computing assets and user types, view device and session information, monitor performance, and control user sessions. Managing thousands of nodes from a single console is possible, allowing enterprises to reap the benefits of centralizing computing resources.

Amir Husain is the chief technology officer at ClearCube Technology, Austin, Texas.

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