BANGALORE: With virtualisation being the latest buzz word, Microsoft Corporation looks to grab a fair share of the market with its MDOP software. With companies looking for ways to leverage and maintain their IT infrastructure without incurring additional costs, the software behemoth's optimisation claims to reduce desktop maintenance costs considerably.

Speaking to CIOL, on MDOP's features, Prasanna Meduri, Director, Windows- Client, Microsoft India said: "Virtualisation is just one part of the entire stack. There is a huge opportunity to bring down the cost of the IT environment and give more options (to the customer) in terms of mobility. "

 

Elaborating further on the cost advantage for enterprises, Meduri said, "Today, the cost of procurement of a PC is just 30 per cent of the total cost of ownership (TCO). The other 70 per cent can be attributed to hidden costs related to downtime, updating, etc. which people don't track. A lot of components in MDOP help bring those costs down."

 

The MDOP pack which is a combination of its SoftGrid software and Kidaro, a desktop virtualization startup recently acquired by Microsoft, enables the user to access his /her PC from anywhere thorough a user interface. Remote access of data is one of the key advantages of having a virtual desktop environment. Centralised upgradation of PCs and remote troubleshooting are some additional advantages.

 

Essentially, desktop virtualization enables encapsulation of an entire desktop - operating system, applications, tools and data - into a virtual machine that can operate as an isolated workspace on any computing platform. It enables a wide variety of benefits, including simplified desktop management, improved security, hardware independence, improved application compatibility, and enhanced mobility.

 

According to Meduri, Kidaro's scalable, mobile desktop virtualization enables the creation of a workspace, delivered for local use via DVD, over the network, or for ultimate mobility, virtual desktop on a USB flash drive. Once the virtual workspace is delivered, users simply authenticate to get started. Predefined applications, resources and network settings become available on their desktop, protected from data leakage, loss or theft, and isolated from vulnerabilities on the underlying PC, he said.  Microsoft is working to incorporate the 'fully operable desktop on a USB flash drive/hard drive' feature from Kidaro into the MDOP. The final features are to be available in early 2009 as Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization.

All virtual machine management, deployment, and policy enforcement is automated and centrally controlled. These virtual desktops can be used as an everyday remote computing platform, or can be installed on-demand for business continuity. "Kidaro's Single Desktop interface makes virtualization invisible for end users, eliminating the need for training. Users simply install the software; authenticate and launch corporate workspace applications just like any other application, from the Start menu or a browser", said Meduri.

 

While this software removes the need for applications to reside in each PC, the licensing policies of Microsoft however, remain stringent. It does not allow the organisation to cut back on the number of licenses that need to be purchased, as it is a 'one license per user' policy. If at all an unlicensed user tries to use the applications apart access will be denied. Only in certain applications, which is based on concurrent user basis, will there be a cost saving, said Meduri.