Over two-thirds of organisations plan to increase virtualised desktops by 2015

Over two-thirds (73 per cent) of UK organisations plan to increase the footprint of virtualized desktops in the workplace by next year despite substantial usability and migration concerns according to independent research commissioned by UK software company AppSense. Only one-fifth (20 per cent) revealed that they had no plans to increase levels of virtualized desktops, while a further 7 per cent were undecided, demonstrating a clear desire for IT decision makers to increase the penetration of virtualization into the enterprise environment.

The survey, of 100 UK IT decision makers (ITDMs), also identified that usability was the biggest challenge facing adoption of desktop virtualization with nearly half of respondents (49 per cent) believing that the technology offered a poor user experience. A further 41 per cent of ITDMs saw migrating users to a virtualized environment as a key challenge, suggesting that migration and adoption could be higher if this particular challenge was overcome.

“Desktop virtualization is becoming an increasingly attractive options for a range of different businesses, so it is not surprising to see demand grow,” explains Simon Townsend, Chief Technologist, AppSense EMEA. “As the technology matures, it is becoming more versatile and can help solve a number of IT management problems such as a mobile or dispersed workforce and data security.

“Migrating users to virtualized desktops can cause a lot of friction in organizations. Poor planning and lack of training or proper communication can lead to a less than satisfactory experience for users and support staff alike. It’s important for organizations to properly plan and seek specialist advice for all migrations, no matter how small, to ensure the best possible experience for all parties.”

Businesses were most likely to seek gradual increases in the amount of virtualized desktops rather than totally overhauling IT estates, with the most common increase sought (24 per cent of ITDMs)a further 5 to 10 per cent of existing desktops to be virtualized. No organisations planned to increase the amount of desktops virtualized by over 50 per cent, while only 4 per cent or organisations planned an increase of between 25 to 50 per cent of desktops.

The survey highlighted that most organisations saw a blend of both physical and virtualized desktops as the optimal strategy for desktop management with the average preferred proportion among ITDMs being 61 per cent physical desktop to 39 per cent virtual. Only 5 per cent of respondents believed an entirely physical desktop estate was the best option, while at the opposite end of the spectrum, another 5 per cent preferred all desktops to be virtualized. The survey also revealed that the current average of virtualized desktops currently is 23 per cent suggesting there is some way to go for many organisations before a preferred blend is reached.
“Desktop virtualization is no longer just the preserve of financial services or other data-heavy business sectors,” continues Townsend. “Adoption can transform IT processes for businesses, but modern solutions can allow organisations to gradually roll-out virtualized desktops to the parts of the business that can benefit most from the flexibility and security on offer.”

“The end goal should be all about making the technology work best for the organization and the user, and in many cases this means a blend between the physical and the virtual. There’s no rule that says you need to be 100 per cent virtual or 100 per cent physical, there are very few that these scenarios would actually suit.”