Within the next two years, broadband as a technology will see more competition around the levels of quality and less around quantity, and an increasing number of enterprises are expected to move towards virtualisation, says Chris Norton, country manager of Citrix Systems South Africa.
Norton says many local organisations are starting to realise the client-server model is not conducive, in most cases, for wide-area network or global-area network infrastructures.
"Many are forced to make a plan, which is often tactical. Yet many are already taking a strategic view of virtualisation, often choosing virtualisation for a single application then discovering many other uses for it. This is an example of how a tactical deployment is used strategically."
By 'virtualising` client-server applications, the client can execute as close as possible to the server and the application data, and only the virtualised interface needs to be presented to the user`s computer.
While South African enterprises operate mostly in a costly low-bandwidth environment, application virtualisation is important and is adding value in the context of bandwidth optimisation, he adds.
Norton argues that DSL, which is a fixed broadband solution, is in a stage of infancy, with "massive infrastructure" being built in SA to support it. When more broadband becomes available, virtualisation will be the best way to deliver client-server optimisation and will allow for centralisation of data, he adds.
However, he says, most enterprises are seeking mobility, which brings with it issues of cost and security.
"Most organisations consider mobility as remote access to e-mail or portals. Thus, application dependency can also be virtualised, allowing all applications to run on a portable device," Norton states, adding that this essentially creates an environment of enterprise virtualisation.
In a virtualised environment, which is supported remotely, security is no longer an issue, as all data resides on the server. Access is further secured through access solutions, such as Citrix`s SmartAccess application, that authenticate the user, device and connection, and determine the permitted level of access, Norton says.
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