Note from Blog Admin: The balance of this comment has been deleted because, in our judgment, it crossed the line between providing information and trying to use our blog to promote your product. However, organizations that need to manage a mixture of virtualization methods may want to note that Ericom has a product, “PowerTerm WebConnect,” that is specifically designed to manage mixed environments. Moose Logic does not have direct experience with this product, and therefore does not endorse it. Those who may want more information can find it at http://www.ericom.com.

IMHO many users don’t want to give up their laptop/desktop/tablet for a virtual desktop….fearing they will be limited in functionality. Nor do they want to give up their apparent “right” to install whatever, whenever, however, wherever they want.

In talking with a customer awhile back, I asked if they had rolled back local admin permissions and the answer I got was, “We did…for about a week. Then the CEO walked in and said, ‘I want users to be able to install apps when they want!’ We tried explaining it but he wouldn’t listen.” None of this was very surprising to me – what was surprising was after studies were done and results were shown how it was far more costly (in hours and $$) to allow local admin permissions, the CEO still decided to allow all users local admin permissions…so it boiled down to User Entitlement.

Of course I have a vested interest in this area as I work for Atlantis Computing. However there are several different ways to reduce IOP’s and all will have an impact TCO/ROI.

One great benefit of VDI/HVD is that it delivers the flexibility to target different user communities with computing solutions that meet their needs and IT budgets. To be successful, we’ve got to offer something that our users actually want to use.

I agree personalization in many respect is the wrong word. Too narrow. I think it’s more about simplifying the desktop full stop. IMHO, that’s the bigger goal we must all strive towards if we want to realize hard cost benefits of desktop virtualization.

Anyway, I think personalization is the WRONG word. But my vocabulary is too limited to find a new one. I can agree that in large (risk minimizing) orgs that lock down the desktop traditional personalization often is shunned. BUT, personalization is not profiles (as we both know) and things that we don’t think of as “user stuff” is getting wiped out with PVS or linked clones (Think encrypted keys in HKLM added by apps, GUIDs for Symantec enterprise or other End point mgmt and monitoring apps).

Often we hit the issue with hammer. Maybe different hammers like a trim hammer, or framing hammer or ball peen hammer, but always a hammer. But sometimes… the problem isn’t a nail. It’s a bolt.

With that said someone I had dinner with in NYC once said that a CTO’s job was to take an idea that isn’t real and try to sell it and turn it into reality. Kind of like CTXS’s Anywhere Any Device back in like 2000… Allowing personalization (IMHO) is one of these things. Enabling users? Pulling them into the environment vs Pushing them. We’ve tried pushing VDI. It’s time to pull.

Had a good time at Synergy. Sorry I missed you there.