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A few weeks ago, I posted the first in a series of blogs about Microsoft’s position on Desktop Virtualization. In that post, I explained the three layers to Desktop Virtualization consisting of User State, Application and Operating System Virtualization. Today, I’d like to spend a little more time discussing User State Virtualization and how to think about it now and in your future desktop strategy.
To recap, User State Virtualization (USV) separates the user’s data and settings from the physical device and replicates it centrally. Microsoft recommends that you start first with User State and Application Virtualization if you plan to incorporate virtualization into your desktop strategy. We make this recommendation because once these layers are configured they can be applied to users running traditional PCs or laptops, users running Remote Desktop Services (RDS) or users who are running their desktops via Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). Let’s take a closer look.
User State Virtualization enables user mobility and fast recovery of data in the event a device is lost. Because the data is stored centrally, delivered on demand when the user logs in, and synchronized based on policy configuration, users get their personalized Windows experience immediately regardless of which PC the login into. If they lose their primary device, IT delivers a machine with a more generic Windows 7 image, without needing to copy any data – enabling them to recover and be productive faster.
The concept sounds great but what does this really mean in the day to day life of a user and an IT administrator?
Let’s first take it from the user’s perspective – it’s about my data and my settings. In most cases, a standard user is typically assigned one PC. This user is “attached” to their PC in the same way they are attached to their phone. By this, I mean it holds some of their “identity” (desktop settings, files, applications, music, pictures) that makes their PC unique to them. For instance, take a look at my personalized Windows experience …
My desktop is personalized with the Windows 7 Aero Landscape theme.
Why? Because I love being outdoors. These images remind me of when I’m hiking, snowboarding or traveling to new places– when I’m not working! Another user might choose a different theme that is more reflective of their personality such as Windows Aero Architecture, maybe because they work in a design field. Both choices are personalized to the user that is logging into the desktop at any given time. If the PC is a shared device, each user wants to feel as if it is their device for the period of time they are using it.
For my taskbar, you can see that I use the Windows 7 default configuration which places it at the bottom of the screen. Some of my colleagues have moved their taskbar to the left side, possibly because their wide screen monitor has less vertical space or to they choose to move it to the top of screen. It looks strange to me but that’s the cool part of Windows, it adjusts to your personality and what you like, not necessarily what I prefer – so we’re all happy!
Lastly, I have many of my folders set up to be replicated to a remote server when I’m online and available locally for when I’m disconnected. This is because I want to make sure that if I have a device loss/failure or if I log in from a PC that is not my primary device, I can still get access to my most critical files whether I’m in Redmond, in Cambridge with the App-V team, or in other countries visiting customers. The net is, I get my personalized Windows experience whenever I login.
Now let’s look at it from IT’s perspective. I’m IT’s worst nightmare in some cases. I travel a lot which means I’m often disconnected from the network. I use Bitlocker on my laptop for security but corporate data still comes with me and like most users, if I wasn’t using User State Virtualization, I’d probably be pretty inconsistent with backing up local data. Lastly, if my PC is unavailable, it impacts my productivity. IT needs to get me a new machine, pull my hard drive or worst case - scrape the data from the hard drive, build a new machine and then give it back to me days later. So what’s an IT admin to do?
Enable User State Virtualization. Using Microsoft’s Folder Redirection, Roaming User Profiles and Offline folders, IT can deliver the user’s personalized Windows experience to any Windows Desktop they log into, physical or virtual.
- Roaming Profiles reflect the users choices in personalization even if they have to use a different PC than they are used to. By replicating my Windows settings to a server I could recreate my Windows anywhere. The user logs into any PC and it shows their familiar setup, which increases user satisfaction even on shared devices.
- Folder redirection replicates user data to a shared network location. This ensures that there is a copy and it is always available to me. It also simplifies the users upgrade to Windows 7 since IT no longer needs to migrate all the local data to the new device. When the user logs into any Windows 7 desktop with corporate access, their data is instantly available.
- Offline folders let me keep everything local in the event I have to jump on a plane, work on a train, or take a taxi ride to the next customer visit. The user has flexibility while feeling confident that they have replicated their data to a shared location for safe keeping.
Now let’s loop back around to my earlier point about using User State and Application Virtualization together. We just discussed how to separate the first layer of Microsoft’s Desktop Virtualization Strategy and the business benefits it delivers. If you combine that with our Application Virtualization (App-V), you’ve now created a dynamic, personalized Windows experience that is customized by the user along with specific applications delivered to them on demand when they need them - all managed by IT through existing tools. Each layer managed is independently, yet works seamlessly together. The combination of these two technologies can help IT migrate users to Windows 7 faster and with less user impact.
So how do I get User State Virtualization (USV)?
Microsoft offers roaming profiles, folder redirection, and offline folders to enable user state virtualization. Our offering is licensed as part of Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate so there is no additional cost. To understand more about the components required to enable User State Virtualization and the improvements that have been made in Windows 7, see the Springboard For IT Pros Blog where A.J. Smith, Windows Product Manager for User State Virtualization, talks technical about the how to’s, tips, and things to think about when spinning up User State Virtualization in your environment.
For additional insight for IT pros, take a look at how Microsoft IT’s Intellimirror Service is delivered with User State Virtualization. For a quick refresher on Microsoft’s Desktop Virtualization strategy, including User State Virtualization, check out this short video.
In the coming weeks and months, I will continue to discuss trends in Desktop Virtualization, express Microsoft’s position and deliver guidance on how you can take advantage of Microsoft virtualization in your environment. So keep checking back here and feel free to post questions or suggested topics so I can address them in future posts.
A couple weeks ago, Windows 7 turned one year old with over 240 million licenses sold. Following that anniversary, Rich Reynolds shared related information about customer successes and industry trends that are changing traditional client computing; causing vendors and customers to rethink how they do business, deliver services and gain the most from their infrastructure to enable better business agility. Today, I’d like to lay out Microsoft’s position on the Desktop Virtualization trend and guide you through how you can incorporate it into your Windows strategy for the future.
To provide some context around this trend, Gartner’s EXP Worldwide Survey of nearly 1,600 CIOs shows Virtualization as the #1 technology priority in 2010. In addition, the Gartner User Survey Analysis: Desktop Virtualization Is Top PC Investment Priority for 2011 (M. Escherich, Oct. 2010) indicates that globally, 42% of respondents plan to begin investing in or continue investing in desktop virtualization before year-end 2011 where infrastructure consolidation (45%) and application management (38%) are two of the main projects that will be enabled through desktop virtualization. In addition, IDC’s recent Virtual Client Computing Survey demonstrates that at least 30% of respondents are using one or more desktop virtualization solutions in production today.
So, what exactly do I mean when I say Desktop Virtualization?
Years ago, we approached the desktop in a manner that required treating it as a single entity – we installed applications into our base image, we tested the sum of the parts together to ensure that one didn’t break the other, and eventually rolled out many large images in mass deployment. These were the best practices we had at that time and those approaches served us well.
Now, Desktop Virtualization allows flexibility to deliver, test and manage the “layers” individually ultimately enabling you to roll out Windows 7 faster and manage it more easily. Microsoft’s virtualization technologies are completely integrated with the new Windows 7 UI, System Center and Office 2010. Let’s take a closer look at what I mean by the “layers” of Desktop Virtualization below.
- User state virtualization – separates the user’s data and settings from the physical device and replicates it centrally
- Application virtualization- separates the application from the operating system to prevent application conflicts by never changing the original Windows installation, files or registry
- OS virtualization –allows a single PC to run virtual machines side by side to address legacy application compatibility or to enable hosted virtual desktops in the datacenter
OK, but what are the benefits of using these new approaches? Let’s take them one at a time.
User state virtualization enables user mobility and fast recovery of data in the event a device is lost. Because the data is stored centrally and delivered on demand when the user logs in, they get their Windows experience immediately regardless of the location they log in. If they lose their primary device, IT delivers a “vanilla machine” without needing to copy any data. Microsoft offers roaming profiles and folder redirection to address user state virtualization.
Application virtualization enables IT to deliver applications much faster to their end users with fewer interruptions. With streaming, applications are delivered on demand when the user needs them, not when IT decides to push them. Application updates happen automatically on launch without the requirement of installation or rebooting. Overall, it reduces IT labor effort in all aspect of the application lifecycle to deliver higher-quality, more responsive services to the business. Microsoft offers App-V and RemoteApp for local & hosted virtual application delivery.
OS Virtualization offers benefits in two areas. When installed on a local PC it allows you to run two versions of Windows simultaneously on the same device to address legacy application compatibility issues. I described this in my MED-V 2.0 Beta post last month.
The second approach is to virtualize the operating system and host the desktop in the datacenter. The primary benefit is that hosted virtual desktops enable IT to keep critical data secured in the datacenter by preventing applications and data from being stored on the end point devices. This approach also enables flexible work scenarios such as hot-desking, work from home and can provide better business continuity and faster return to productivity for disaster recovery scenarios. Microsoft offers VDI Suites and Remote Desktop Services to address hosted desktop scenarios.
Now you may be thinking … How can I apply this to my desktop strategy now and in the near future with Windows 7?
We recommend that you start with User State and Application Virtualization first. Both of these layers can help you realize monetary and technology benefits across all approaches to desktop management. These virtualization technologies can be applied to physical or virtual desktops, running locally on a laptop or desktop; or as a virtual desktop hosted in the datacenter.
When thinking about the OS Virtualization layer ask yourself these basic questions…
- “Is the application compatible with the new operating system?” If no – Use OS Virtualization.
- If OS virtualization is appropriate, “Do I need to run the application locally or offline?” and “Do my desktops have enough space and memory to run two operating systems?” If yes – MED-V. If not enough local resources, then RDS and VDI become options.
- “Do I need to secure corporate data and prevent it from going off premise?” If Yes – RDS or VDI.
- “Do I want my user to have as close to a local experience as possible including personalization, high fidelity and security without delivering a desktop or laptop?” If yes – VDI.
A key point to remember is that hosted desktops in the datacenter always require network connectivity.
Customers who are already invested in Citrix technologies will be pleased to know that you can integrate Citrix XenDesktop and XenApp with all of Microsoft’s Desktop Virtualization offerings. This whitepaper details additional information on leveraging MDOP’s App-V and System Center with Citrix technologies. To get a sense for how customers are taking advantage of these technologies together, check out the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Telcom Italia case studies.
Although we didn’t discuss management in depth here, we will in future posts. If there is one thing you need to keep in mind, it’s that management is critical to your success. While some virtualization technologies will make management faster and easier, management is not displaced. Management is critical and if you have strong practices now, those disciplines can directly apply to virtualization as well. If your management is inconsistent, you will find it to be just as challenging when applying virtualization. Microsoft has simplified management of physical and virtual environments while ensuring that System Center can address both with minimal to no additional infrastructure investment.
Get it. Got it. Now you want more …. Where do you go?
David Trupkin, Sr. Product Manager for App-V/Med-V and Skand Mittal, Desktop Virtualization Product Manager are live at TechEd Europe in Berlin this week and have a great blog post over on Springboard for IT Pros where they are talking to MVPs, Partners and Microsoft Program Managers about where to get started as well as some exciting news about what’s coming in App-V 4.6 SP1! In addition, they had a chance to catch up with longtime partner Citrix, who gave a sneak peak on some new capabilities that really showcases the integration of XenDesktop with App-V, System Center, and RemoteFX.
For additional technical information, check out our newly launched Microsoft Desktop Virtualization Zone.
For cost savings and business case content, see the App-V TCO study, VDI TCO Study, and Forrester’s Total Economic Impact of App-V study and TEI companion worksheet for your environment. You can also take a look at the newly released Windows Optimized Desktop eBook which provides an overview of Windows 7 and Desktop Virtualization together in real world business scenarios.
In the coming weeks and months, I will continue to discuss trends in Desktop Virtualization, express Microsoft’s position and deliver guidance on how you can take advantage of Microsoft virtualization in your environment. So keep checking back here and feel free to post questions or suggested topics so I can address them in future posts.
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
