VMware has developed
virtualisation technology which it claims will give end-users
secure and reliable access to desktop software from any device.
The vClient initiative is a strategic move announced at
VMworld in Las
Vegas aimed to ensure VMware maintains its position in
virtualisation amid competition from Microsoft.
Paul Maritz, VMware president and newly appointed chief
executive officer, said the initiative is aimed at helping change
the way businesses provide client-side or desktop computing to
their users and solving what he called the "desktop dilemma" of
whether to switch to thin client computing or not.
He said many companies using thin client computing were trading
off a fat client experience for the cost benefits of thin client
computing through centralisation.
This means they are also unable to meet the demands for rich
end-user experiences on mobile devices.
"We believe we can use our client-side virtualisation technology
to give people the best of both worlds - where they can equip users
with the tools that those users need and have that permanently in
the datacentre or the cloud, ready to jump down to whatever data
device is being used," Maritz said.
The first step of the vClient initiative is the roll out of
VMware View, which is a set of products that extend VMware's
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) to include server hosted
virtual desktops and client virtual desktops that can run on any
laptop or desktop computer.
The vClient Initiative also includes several new desktop
virtualization technologies that will be introduced in 2009, such
as client virtualisation, image management and offline desktop.
"The desktop of the future will not be a single device like a
laptop or a thin client - it will be all the richness and
personalization of their desktop experience accessible from any
location," said Maritz.
Users want a desktop that follows them wherever they go while IT
wants to manage those environments securely, cost effectively, and
more easily than they do today, he said.
The vClient initiative is one of a slew of announcements by
VMware this week that show the company is determined to maintain
its leadership position through innovation and in the face of
increased competition.