As a system integrator, I have been using VMWare (free one of course) since 1999 to deploy OS (Linux & Windows), Lotus Domino, Exchange and MSSQL/Oracle server setups for our development teams. In the past, we used to have the Server applications installed at the developer workstations together with the development platform and utilities. This was an incredible mess. Each developer had different ways to install the servers, applied different patches and at the end of the day, I had to go to the customer site to resolve “stupid” problems mostly caused by missing patches. So introducing Virtual Desktops (servers in our case) helpded A LOT!

In my current job, I use Virtualization mostly for what I call “Parasite computing” that is, little servers and legacy systems running on a modern Host Server taking very little resources from the host server. This solution helped us get rid of extremely old servers which we wouldn’t be able to repair or even reinstall if the server broke down.

When it comes to the desktop, I find it useless to waste computer resources to have a computer within a computer. Nevertheless, if there is a strong security requirement, using virtual desktops makes sense. Imagine you are connecting into a datacentre server where you provide a 99.45% uptime. Would you use your PC (with all that it contains) and risk failing your SLA?. The obvious answer should be NO. In my previous job I have experienced a couple of viruses that got their way into the datacentre through a developer desktop. Same applies to Closed Networks, where the system resources are usually highly critical and thus, antivirus and patches do not fit into the equation. A couple of good examples are SCADA and TAS (Terminal Automation Systems).

Offline desktops? I must agree with you. I don’t really understand what is the point of cloning an entire system into your computer just to work on a couple of files during the weekend. If we continue using virtualization without thinking, soon we will be reading things such as “Virtual Desktop Theft” instead of laptop theft in the SANS Institute newsletter. Being human as we are, we will relax our host computer security and rely entirely on our safe, pristine virtual desktop. Because of that, Encryption of the Virtual Desktop will become a need and the only thing we will gain out ot that is a need for more powerful computing so that we can continue de-optimizing it again and again…

Those are my thoughts.