Microsoft pushing desktop virtualisation

Stephen Withers
Friday, 19 March 2010 08:52

Business IT - Technology

Microsoft is throwing more weight behind desktop virtualisation, an area where its commitment has previously seemed lukewarm. And Windows 7's XP mode no longer requires hardware support.

While Microsoft has been active for some time in terms of virtualisation software that runs on servers and desktops, virtual desktop technology seems to have received relatively less attention from the company.

Microsoft's Terminal Services has been around for years, allowing multiple devices to simultaneously connect to Windows desktops running on the server. However, companies such as Citrix have increasingly been tapping the capabilities of the client device in order to provide richer user experiences.

Microsoft has now made a series of announcements aimed at making desktop virtualisation more attractive to customers.

Some of the announcements ease licensing requirements. From July 1, 2010, the Windows Client Software Assurance licence will include the right to access the same operating system in a VDI environment.

From the same date, Windows Client Software Assurance and new Virtual Desktop Access licences will include the right to access a virtual Windows desktop and Microsoft Office hosted on VDI technology on "secondary, non-corporate network devices, such as home PCs and kiosks."

There are also technical and marketing announcements, so please read on.