Desktop virtualisation gains traction in SA

Although it is still a relatively new market, South African enterprises are fast realising the potential of implementing desktop virtualisation to enhance organisational efficiency and drive down costs.

Citrix Systems recently carried out a study, where 71% of the South African knowledge workers surveyed said they are leveraging flexible working arrangements, with 92% of respondents saying working remotely is acceptable.

According to Cary de Sousa, enterprise relationship manager at Citrix Systems SA, these findings are a good indication that the concept of flexible or virtual working is gaining real traction. It is also an indication that conditions are shifting within the corporate and enterprise environment around driving and enabling greater productivity, he adds.

While Gartner last year dubbed desktop virtualisation the “hottest trend” in 2010, fellow research firm, IDC recently noted that the desktop virtualisation market has experienced tremendous attention over the past few years.

“Customers are intrigued by the possibility of a better desktop management model, and the operational savings desktop virtualisation could deliver. Many vendors have emerged to provide solutions; desktop virtualisation products are available from small start-ups to Fortune 100 companies. Customers are, in turn, confused about the capability and addressability of each vendor's solution,” says Ian Song, senior research analyst, enterprise virtualisation software, at IDC.

“An attorney can view and respond to a client query using her Android phone without leaving her son's soccer match. A former employee's complete workload can be moved to a new employee in less time than it takes to clean his vacated workspace.

“A sales rep can access his full CRM system, even if he lost his laptop on the way to the client. While unfortunate, his lost laptop does not create a security risk since his virtual desktop with its associated data and applications is stored centrally in the data centre, and not on the device,” adds De Sousa.

Song also points out that as desktop virtualisation gains more mainstream attention, the solutions offered by vendors will continue to mature at a quickened pace.

“In the next 12 to 24 months, desktop virtualisation technologies will move beyond just managing PCs, and become a solution that can provide a holistic management paradigm, addressing many different facets of end-user computing,” adds Song.

De Sousa explains that with desktop virtualisation technology in place, organisations can instantly and securely deliver an end-user's complete desktop, including data, applications and personalisations - even their familiar wallpaper - to any device.

“To the user, this 'virtual desktop' looks, feels and acts like the traditional desktop on their PC - whether they're accessing it on an iPad at a public hotspot, a laptop over a hotel network, or an outdated computer in a friend's guestroom. Their virtual desktop is provisioned centrally from their company's data centre, simplifying management, ensuring security, and removing dependency on the endpoint device.”

That makes for a safer, more consistent user experience with much less IT maintenance and capex outlay for the company, he asserts.

“Virtualisation is going to be the stepping stone towards cloud computing, as it separates and virtualises various components, such as operating systems and applications, and centralises them in the data centre,” notes De Sousa.

However, he believes the biggest challenge to this is the transformation the IT department has to undergo, and along with that, the transformation of professional skills required.

“In the IT department, we're going to see a transition from the IT department to the information services department, where the IT staff are less worried about wires and boxes, and thinking more about services the business needs. Integration skills will be where it's at, and people will need to shift their skills to support this.”