All the latest UK technology news, reviews and analysis

VMware updates virtual desktops for vSphere

by Daniel Robinson

10 Nov 2009

Be the first to comment

  • Tweet this
VMware
Updated view adds the PCoIP display protocol

VMware is aiming to add desktops to the other enterprise infrastructure that runs atop its vSphere datacentre platform with the release of View 4, a move that puts it into direct competition with Citrix and its XenDesktop offering.

Available from 19 November, VMware View 4 delivers an improved experience for virtual desktop users as well as easier management and deployment for administrators, the firm said.

View 4 makes use of the PC-over-IP (PCoIP) protocol developed by Teradici to deliver a remote desktop to various devices, such as thin clients, PCs, Macs, or even smartphones, and is said to offer an experience comparable to running applications locally on a standard Windows PC.

But the headline claim for View 4 is that it can deliver customers a 50 per cent saving in total cost of ownership, compared with running a fleet of Windows client PCs.

The savings come from simplified management, higher availability, faster provisioning of new users, but also savings on storage costs and no need for a PC hardware refresh, VMware said.

Dave Wright, senior director of Technical Services for VMware, said that the current climate has created a "perfect storm" to drive uptake of desktop virtualisation, as the technology is now in place and customers are looking for solutions to specific problems it can address.

"The desktop is a pain for IT because everyone wants their own desktop environment. We need to give users freedom, but at the same time control for the IT department," he said.

"We should be able to move the operating system, apps, and data to one central location, and then it shouldn’t matter what device I use – I just want it to look like I'm using a standard PC."

Wright said VMware is now in a position to deliver what it calls Business Infrastructure Virtualisation, where client systems can also be consolidated alongside everything else into virtual machines running atop vSphere.

"All this stuff can run on vSphere. If someone has a virtual desktop, it’s just another virtual machine, but it has the advantage that it is also backed up by vSphere like your servers are. It brings datacentre robustness to the desktop level that you don’t get with standalone PCs," he explained.

Do you agree?

 

Add your comment

We won't publish your address
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms & Conditions. Your comment will be moderated before publication.

Poll

Flame virus poll

Are you confident that the UK's IT infrastructure is secure from attack in the wake of the Flame malware revelations?

34%

0%

11%

55%

Connect with V3.co.uk

Sign up to our daily or weekly newsletters

Symanteccloud

Social networking: a guide for IT managers

Social networking is almost ubiquitous. This white paper examines the benefits and risks and it looks at the different ways companies can reconcile them

Riverbed

Mitigating the risks of IT change

The importance of understanding your infrastructure

Application Security SME, Penetration Tester / Ethical Hacker

Application Security SME, Penetration Tester / Ethical...

Java Developer

Java Developer Thomas Cook Online is the business unit...

Contract Systems Administrator, Windows £320 per day

Contract Systems Administrator, Southampton My...

PHP Web Developer, PHP, to £30k + 30% bonus

PHP Web Developer required to join my market-leading...

To send to more than one email address, simply separate each address with a comma.