With the industry doing back flips about server virtualization, it is only natural to wonder what virtualization technology can do for desktops. Plenty! With desktop virtualization, organizations can manage desktop images in the data center and employ strict security policies without touching physical devices. Enterprises should be able to cut operating costs while bolstering security to boot.
No one would argue that these benefits are worth exploring, but there are a few caveats here. First off, not all desktops are good candidates for virtualization. Anyone who needs massive endpoint compute power, like engineers and designers, would not be a good candidate for desktop virtualization. Road warriors who need to work remotely are also off limits at this point. Finally, employees anchored to local or remote desktop tower computers may be better served by application virtualization (a la Citrix XenApp or Symantec AppStream) or file virtualization (a la F5 or Cisco Systems) rather than a desktop virtualization play.
When the virtualization smoke clears, large enterprises will deploy a number of virtualization technologies best suited for different types of users. Like everything else in the IT world, desktop virtualization isn't black and white but many shades of gray. Alas, as promising as desktop virtualization is, it is not a panacea and never will be.
Everyone in the IT industry is doing back flips over server virtualization, begging the obvious question: What about the desktop?
There is already a lot of tire kicking going on. According to ESG Research, 8 percent of large organizations have already deployed desktop virtualization, 9 percent are piloting desktop virtualization, and 32 percent are currently evaluating desktop virtualization.
Yup, the industry is about to go ga-ga over virtualization again. Desktop virtualization makes a ton of sense because of:
1. Complexity
Since the introduction of the IBM PC in the 1980s, we've yet to figure out how to manage thousands of distributed PCs, let alone mobile laptops. Desktop virtualization could make this a heck of a lot easier when administrators manage desktop images in a data center rather than chase physical devices around the globe.
2. Security
Unless you work at some nouveau fascist organization, you can't go locking down endpoints or imposing draconian security rules on users. Desktop virtualization could solve this quandary. How? Users would have one virtual desktop image with certain policies and privileges for work and another for personal use. Want to take a look at the latest Beyonce video on YouTube from your office? No problem. Switch over to your personal desktop and go ahead.
3. Mobility
Pretty soon, I'm going to want the same desktop image on different PCs and other devices. Desktop virtualization is the best bet to deliver on this promise.
At the risk of sounding like an IT marketing cliche, desktop virtualization could be a win-win. IT gets operational simplicity and security while users get freedom of choice. With virtualization in place, users can bring in their familiar Macs and do their jobs without a hitch. Sure, the burden goes to the data center and the network, but aren't we headed in that direction anyway?
It took all of about 20 minutes to get accustomed to Linux's virtual desktops, which let you switch between work environments with a single click. The problem is, I still spend most of my computing time on Windows machines that lack this handy productivity-boosting feature.
I tried using Microsoft's Virtual Desktop Manager, a PowerToy for Windows XP that lets you create as many as four separate desktops, but it's as buggy as an anthill, and offers no version for Vista. However, I did find three free virtual-desktop programs that work better and give you more options: VirtuaWin, an open-source program that supports up to 20 separate desktops; Virtual Dimension, another open-source app that offers more features than VirtuaWin; and Z-Systems' Vista/XP Virtual Desktop Manager, which takes advantage of Vista's Aero interface.
VirtuaWin's simple approach
At only 385KB, this lightweight utility keeps things simple but lets you add features via downloadable add-on modules that let you start applications automatically when you enter a desktop, give each desktop a name that shows on its taskbar icon (a feature built into Virtual Dimension), and cycle through your desktops automatically, among other functions. VirtuaWin's support for as many as 20 separate desktops seems like plenty until you consider that Virtual Dimension and Vista/XP Virtual Desktop Manager let you create as many desktops as your system's memory can accommodate.
Configure your virtual desktops in VirtuaWin's Setup dialog box.
(Credit: VirtuaWin)You switch between VirtuaWin desktops by clicking one of the four corners of the program's system-tray icon, or by pressing the keyboard shortcut assigned to it. If you create more than four desktops, the icon displays the active desktop's number; click the icon once to view your open apps, or double-click it to open the Setup dialog box. Beyond that there's not much to the program, which is just fine if you're "cultivating a minimalist vibe," as they say in the movies. (Bonus points if you know which one I'm quoting.)
Customize with Virtual Dimension
There are many more similarities than differences between VirtuaWin and Virtual Dimension, but the differences are noteworthy.
Virtual Dimension lets you give each virtual desktop its own wallpaper, which makes it much easier to distinguish between desktops. The program is also much easier to configure via its Settings dialog box: you can assign various operations their own keyboard shortcuts for moving between windows, adjust the transparency of open windows, and tweak the utility's appearance in other ways.
Give each of your Virtual Dimension desktops its own wallpaper via the program's Settings dialog box.
(Credit: Virtual Dimension)Click the program's system-tray icon to open a small preview window that includes the names you've assigned to each desktop. Choose one of the previews to open that desktop, or click the system-tray icon again to close the preview. In addition to using keyboard shortcuts, you can jump between desktops by right-clicking the icon and choosing one from the pop-up menu that appears.
Get Vista's Aero effect with Vista/XP Virtual Desktop
This program's main claim to fame is its full-screen desktop previews in Vista, which take the guess work out of identifying the desktop you're looking for. You can create a separate system-tray icon for each active desktop, and assign each desktop its own background. The program also lets you adjust the size of the preview windows, but not their transparency as you can with Virtual Dimension. You get fewer keyboard-shortcut options with this program than with Virtual Dimension, though both let you designate programs that will appear on all desktops.
Customize the keyboard shortcuts for switching between virtual desktops in Vista/XP Virtual Desktop Manager's Options dialog box.
(Credit: Z-Systems)
Two virtual winners
The Aero support and full-screen previews in Vista/XP Virtual Desktop Manager make it a good choice for that OS, but Virtual Dimension's easy customization and inclusion of the desktop names in its preview window give it an edge on XP systems.
Whichever program you choose, you'll find the ability to jump between workspaces makes Windows much easier to work with.
Tomorrow: fixes for applications that don't know when to quit.
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