Application virtualisation and desktop virtualisation solutions break the link between the applications, operating systems and end-users. This approach can improve IT efficiency and provide a rich desktop experience for users.
Many organisations look to manage the desktop complexity through a unified approach in order to reduce IT operational costs and provide better solutions that will allow IT to deliver and manage applications with the flexibility and agility to support increasing user demand.
Many companies have started migrating toward Windows 7 while the Windows XP end-of-support date is expected in 2014. The Windows 7 upgrade is not an easy process, as many legacy applications are still incompatible with Windows 7. The upgrade process is long and complex, requires long test cycles, and might break application compliance.
This process can cause loss of user productivity and increase help desk support calls, adding significant costs to the upgrade process.
With the traditional approach, users get device-centric computing, where all components (applications, OS, data, user profiles) are bound to a specific device. This approach is difficult to maintain and support, as a problem at one layer can destroy the entire stack. Device and data recovery are also difficult and expensive, and flexibility and mobility are constricted as DR solutions require application customisations.
Defining a Strategy
Proper design should help define and prioritise the application packages that are required, finding the dependencies while taking into consideration prerequisites, best practices, future maintenance and support, security, and availability.
Proper application management and solid procedures are sometimes overlooked. One of the goals of desktop virtualisation is to simplify the management of the desktop environment. Remember, the desktop is the easy part. Spend your time looking at your application; sometimes it will be easier to virtualise applications before trying to upgrade the applications to reduce time and costs.
Perform a proof of concept and agree on the right solution, define the critical success factors that will meet the business requirements, and identify risks. Those assessments will define the required software and hardware at each site.
These projects usually gain high visibility in the organisation, but there is an impact on user productivity. The new approach might introduce its own risks and issues, which should be mitigated with the right methodology.