A vendor recently touted their type-1 client hypervisor as the “killer app” for Windows 7 and desktop virtualization adoption. Client hypervisors are great. I get it. You can run XP side-by-side with Win 7. You can have a personal desktop completely separate from your corporate desktop. But how exactly does that dramatically simplify management? A client hypervisor by itself does not automatically improve manageability. You multiply the number of operating systems on a desktop and introduce another layer to manage on the hardware. Some things are easier, conflicts are isolated, but a hypervisor doesn’t necessarily transform desktop management for the better.

Server virtualization changed the data center. The hypervisor’s ability to isolate and run multiple applications on a server continues to drive huge returns. On the client side, desktop virtualization provides the potential to improve the manageability of desktops. However, desktop virtualization is not tied directly to the client hypervisor. End-users aren’t screaming for more sessions running on their PCs. They want to be productive. For many users this means at work, on a plane, at home, wherever. When it comes to things to think about, patches, upgrades, back-ups, are not at the top of their lists. On the other hand, if their laptop is crippled with a virus or they have to wait a couple of days to replace a fried laptop, then you can bet that the corporate helpdesk will be the first to hear about it.

The critical issue for IT is how to more effectively manage, protect and support all of the PCs in an organization without affecting the end-users. The more transparent the management is to the end-user, the better. If that solution includes a hypervisor as a component, great, but end-users don’t care. And it’s not a requirement for IT either, especially if IT can centralize management and control without deploying and managing a client hypervisor.

The bottom line. Desktop virtualization does not need to be based on a client hypervisor. Desktop virtualization is bigger than that.