News, Analysis and Opinion for Virtual desktop software and vendors

July 27, 2020 27 Jul'20

Microsoft contemplates new DaaS product, 'Cloud PC'

Unexpected consumption costs mar companies' adoption of the cloud. The reported Microsoft Cloud PC, with per-user pricing, could ease that issue.

May 20, 2020 20 May'20

Design firm ups productivity with Workspot

Mead & Hunt is using Workspot virtual desktops to enable remote work during the pandemic -- and it's paying off in ways the firm didn't expect.

February 05, 2020 05 Feb'20

Workspot launches Cloud Desktop Fabric

Workspot claims its new Cloud Desktop Fabric architecture will improve virtual desktop performance by connecting users to the cloud resources closest to them.

December 06, 2019 06 Dec'19

Benefits of virtualization highlighted in top 10 stories of 2019

Based on our top 10 most-read stories of 2019, IT pros sought to learn the benefits of virtualization, as well as the drawbacks, as the technology gained ground.

August 08, 2019 08 Aug'19

Citrix Managed Desktops close to GA release

Citrix Managed Desktops, which will be released Aug. 26, is meant to make managing desktops for IT easier by having Citrix control the management aspects of virtual desktops.

July 31, 2019 31 Jul'19

Parallels Remote Application Server brings AI, 2FA to SMBs

Parallels added new capabilities to its Remote Application Server product, including better reporting and monitoring for management and easier access to daily applications.

July 29, 2019 29 Jul'19

Browser OS could turn the browser into the new desktop

In this Q&A, VDC Research's Eric Klein explains why Chrome OS has jumped ahead of the market by providing a browser OS that addresses enterprise use cases.

July 17, 2019 17 Jul'19

CloudJumper partnerships support Windows Virtual Desktop

CloudJumper has partnered with ThinPrint, IGEL and Nvidia to support printing, cloud workspace deployment and more in Microsoft's Windows Virtual Desktop.

July 17, 2019 17 Jul'19

Windows virtual desktop software gets closer to public release

As a potential release date for Windows Virtual Desktop looms, Microsoft is making sure its most popular applications are optimized to run within a virtualized environment.

June 14, 2019 14 Jun'19

Application virtualization breathes digital life into legacy apps

Manufacturing company Royal Technologies chose Cameyo to access its Windows-based legacy applications without the complexity of a virtual desktop infrastructure.

April 30, 2019 30 Apr'19

Dell Unified Workspace could make life easier for IT admins

VMware's integration into Dell devices and services as part of the newly unveiled Unified Workspace product could be a boon for IT admins.

April 26, 2019 26 Apr'19

Citrix SaaS products gain traction, a sign of IT's push to modernize

Citrix's quarterly earnings show an uptick in Workspace and subscription-based revenue. But not all the news was good, as CEO David Henshall also announced the CFO's resignation.

April 04, 2019 04 Apr'19

Reports of Citrix layoffs may be overblown

Citrix responded to a report of substantial layoffs that a few positions were eliminated during a marketing restructuring and that no leadership or C-level positions were affected.

March 27, 2019 27 Mar'19

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops gets UX, security upgrades

Citrix continues to add new capabilities to its cloud products, but getting consumers to adopt as-a-service offerings remains a hurdle.

March 21, 2019 21 Mar'19

Windows Virtual Desktop enters public preview

The highly anticipated release of Windows Virtual Desktop will provide a cloud-based desktop and app virtualization service, integrated with Office 365 ProPlus and built on Azure.

November 20, 2018 20 Nov'18

Microsoft acquisition of FSLogix to help push cloud desktops

FSLogix can help Microsoft solve problems that have plagued the integration of Office 365 and virtual desktops, and it will immediately benefit the new Windows Virtual Desktop.

May 11, 2018 11 May'18

ControlUp targets virtual desktop, server overprovisioning

If IT pros overprovision virtual desktops and servers, they waste money and resources. But there are other problems associated with poor resource allocation.

January 25, 2018 25 Jan'18

Meltdown and Spectre patches hit XenApp performance especially hard

Organizations with VDI and RDSH will likely take a performance hit after patching Meltdown and Spectre, according to test results from Lakeside Software.

January 11, 2018 11 Jan'18

Citrix enables Nvidia vGPU live migration

Virtual desktop users are averse to downtime. A new capability from Citrix and Nvidia allows for live migration of vGPUs so VDI shops can keep graphics processing up and running.

November 21, 2017 21 Nov'17

Cloud-hosted apps catching on to meet user demand

With the ever-increasing popularity of cloud computing, organizations are also considering streaming their applications. Several cloud-hosted app services can help.

July 20, 2017 20 Jul'17

Android apps on Chromebooks hurt appeal as thin clients

All future Chromebook releases will support Android apps, which brings concerns regarding their security, management and overall usefulness as thin clients.

July 17, 2017 17 Jul'17

VDI product bundles aim to urge adoption by improving customer support

Organizations don't want to go through the headache of involving multiple vendors in their VDI environment, so vendors aim to mitigate this and other negative aspects of VDI.

July 06, 2017 06 Jul'17

Ivanti makes surprise buy of UEM provider RES Software

Ivanti acquires user environment management vendor RES Software for its automation and identity management tech. The deal follows Ivanti's 2016 deal for RES competitor AppSense.

June 02, 2017 02 Jun'17

VDI on Windows 10 S provides a Windows Store workaround

The knock against Windows 10 S is it only supports Windows Store applications. Businesses that really want to adopt the OS can you use VDI to deliver other types of apps.

May 26, 2017 26 May'17

IGEL CEO talks shift to VDI endpoint management software

As thin client vendor IGEL expands beyond hardware, CEO Jed Ayres sits down at Citrix Synergy 2017 to talk about the future of the desktop virtualization market.

March 01, 2017 01 Mar'17

XenDesktop 7.13 HDX feature a big win for users on weak networks

Remote workers often struggle on high-latency networks. Citrix HDX Adaptive Transport allows them to access their virtual desktops and apps with no lag.

February 13, 2017 13 Feb'17

VMware DaaS goes hybrid with Horizon Cloud

VDI versus DaaS is no longer a one-or-the-other choice. VMware Horizon Cloud lets businesses manage on-premises VDI and cloud-hosted desktops from one control plane.

August 25, 2016 25 Aug'16

IT's VMworld 2016 wish list: Bring VDI costs down

IT experts share their wish lists for VMworld 2016. For SMBs, it's high time VMware brings cheaper VDI to the table.

August 04, 2016 04 Aug'16

VDI ROI doesn't include hard cost savings

Virtual desktop infrastructure is more expensive than desktop PCs, but the benefits of VDI make it worth the price tag, says Teradici CTO Randy Groves.

May 27, 2016 27 May'16

VDI shops welcome cheaper Citrix-Nutanix HCI options

Hyper-converged infrastructure can help VDI admins scale their deployments more easily, but many of today's offerings are too expensive.

May 27, 2016 27 May'16

GPU virtualization isn't just for graphics-heavy apps

GPU virtualization is known for helping support graphics-heavy applications, but knowledge workers using Office apps and browsers can benefit, too.

May 25, 2016 25 May'16

IT not yet buying into workspace management suites

Workspace delivery and management suites have started cropping up, but IT customers don't see the benefits of locking into one vendor for their entire desktop and app delivery just yet.

May 05, 2016 05 May'16

Parallels RAS 15 targets price-conscious Citrix, VMware shops

Parallels Remote Application Server 15 automates several tasks that frustrate IT, and it includes many of the same features as Citrix and VMware's app publishing products.

April 18, 2016 18 Apr'16

Dell vWorkspace discontinued as EMC deal looms

Dell is ending development of its vWorkspace product. The move may be a result of preparation for the Dell-EMC deal that brings competitor VMware under its hood.

December 23, 2015 23 Dec'15

How Dell's acquisition of EMC affects VMware EUC, Citrix

Analysts and IT experts weigh in on how Dell buying VMware’s owner, EMC, will affect the company’s end-user computing business, and where this deal leaves Citrix.

July 27, 2015 27 Jul'15

Virtualization trends from BriForum 2015 center on mobility

BriForum 2015 included its usual focus on VDI, but the virtualization community is searching for ways to deal with mobility, too. Several vendors showcased advancements in app refactoring and virtual mobile infrastructure.

March 12, 2015 12 Mar'15

Unidesk adds Hyper-V support, bolsters Microsoft VDI

Unidesk 3.0 includes support for Microsoft VDI, giving some VMware Horizon users reason to consider a move to Hyper-V.

February 27, 2015 27 Feb'15

Low-cost app publishing alternative to Citrix and VMware emerges

Parallels acquired 2X Software to add app publishing, but faces a difficult battle with entrenched virtual desktop vendors Citrix and VMware.

August 20, 2014 20 Aug'14

Anonymous logon returns in XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6

After alienating some customers by removing several XenApp and XenDesktop features last year, Citrix will start to bring some back in version 7.6. The improvements were in the works before VMware stepped up its competition, the company said.

May 23, 2014 23 May'14

Smackdown: Microsoft vs. Citrix vs. VMware VDI for 3-D graphics

Virtual desktops and 3-D graphics can mix if you use the right approach. Here's how Citrix, Microsoft and VMware VDI's GPU support compares.

January 06, 2014 06 Jan'14

VMware EUC group replaces CTO, poaches two from Citrix

VMware has replaced CTO Scott Davis with a promising engineer who may help the company succeed in the end-user computing space.

December 16, 2013 16 Dec'13

GPU virtualization is right for some VDI shops -- but not all

Not all VDI environments need GPU virtualization technology. In fact, sometimes protocol offload will do the trick.

August 15, 2013 15 Aug'13

FlexDisk to deliver personalized desktops with stateless VMware VDI

With Liquidware's FlexDisk, apps can now be connected directly to users at login, creating personalized virtual desktops in nonpersistent View shops.

July 30, 2013 30 Jul'13

Affordable VDI alternatives to Citrix and VMware

Thanks to a handful of vendors or architectural choices, virtual desktops infrastructure can be an affordable option for organizations.

June 15, 2012 15 Jun'12

Q&A: Former Citrix CTO Simon Crosby reveals micro-virtualization plans

Former Citrix CTO Simon Crosby hasn't provided much detail about what he's been up to at Bromium -- until now. In this Q&A, Crosby discusses how micro-virtualization could change the industry.

May 23, 2012 23 May'12

VMware's Wanova acquisition extends VDI to physical desktops

VMware's acquisition of Wanova gives View shops software to centrally manage virtual and physical desktops and a way to support departmental and user installed apps with VDI.

April 04, 2012 04 Apr'12

Microsoft App-V 5.0 brings native app experience, reduces storage

Microsoft App-V 5.0 offers a native app experience. It also gives IT pros a way to reduce storage requirements and more flexible management options.

April 04, 2012 04 Apr'12

Microsoft updates roaming profiles for the desktop virtualization age

Microsoft has finally delivered a new version of its roaming user profiles tool called UE-V, providing profile management for virtual desktops.

February 21, 2012 21 Feb'12

Mitel and VMware roll out integrated virtual desktop and phone

If your enterprise has a VMware-centric VDI initiative, why not pair it with Mitel's virtual softphone application and kill two birds with one stone?

January 03, 2012 03 Jan'12

Diebold turns ATMs into VDI clients

ATMs hold data and software that can be compromised by sophisticated criminals. Diebold will blunt threats by transforming ATMs into VDI-based zero clients.

September 14, 2011 14 Sep'11

VMware delivers View 5 with persona management, PCoIP boost

VMware View 5 is available this week with profile management, more client device support and better PCoIP WAN performance.

March 30, 2011 30 Mar'11

Obey Microsoft licensing rules and run IE6 on Windows 7

It's still illegal to use application virtualization to run Internet Explorer 6 apps on Windows 7. But new software skirts Microsoft's rules and runs IE6 apps in IE8 browsers.

November 16, 2010 16 Nov'10

Product Spotlight: Application virtualization with InstallFree Bridge

Want to virtualize applications like IE6 without a hypervisor or virtual machine? InstallFree Bridge may help you create a virtualized execution environment based on Windows XP.

July 28, 2010 28 Jul'10

Where does OS streaming make sense?

Desktop virtualization is more than virtual desktop infrastructure. OS streaming -- which doesn't involve a hypervisor -- may work in your IT environment.

March 31, 2010 31 Mar'10

XenDesktop updated for speed, better integration

Feature Pack 1 for Citrix XenDesktop 4 -- released with XenApp 6 -- addresses several architectural issues that users have been waiting for.

October 07, 2009 07 Oct'09

What is Citrix HDX?

Citrix's updated desktop virtualization product, XenDesktop 4, features upgrades to HDX -- but what exactly is HDX?