Microsoft is getting its virtualization act together

The Kidaro acquisition is a sure sign that Microsoft is getting their virtualization act together. It seemed for a while that Microsoft would miss the market's virtualization momentum while it sorted out the effect on Windows business models.

In the data center, resource sharing across operating systems and versions, and server reduction are key drivers for virtualization. Microsoft prefers enterprises to upgrade Windows Server, rather than extending the life of NT as a VM. However, desktop virtualization drivers center around lower provisioning costs and enhanced data security. The simple administration of endpoints is strategically important to Microsoft. The Kidaro technology improves Microsoft's ability to manage desktop VMs and will allow organizations to do more with their Windows infrastructure.

One of the main reasons that organizations are moving desktops into the data center are the high costs of maintaining agent software on endpoints. It is much less of a burden on the enterprise for the professionals in IT to centrally configure virtual desktops, than it is for amateur end-users to administer software. (Amateur here means there is no teenager in the house to do it right :). Virtual desktops allow the business to more easily control application integrity and to protect confidential data whether the user is at their desktop, at home, or on the road.

One of the early problems with desktop virtualization is management of the proliferation of desktop images. Kidaro's approach to protected workspaces gives Microsoft a good story for improving the security of endpoint environments and for reducing the operating costs of deploying software. Successful technology always enables significant business benefits. Microsoft plans to include the Kidaro capability in its Desktop Optimization Pack which is the right place to introduce technology to custoemrs while engineering tackles tighter integration .

Microsoft now has Virtual Server in the data center, SoftGrid for application streaming, and Terminal Server for basic presentation virtualization. The pieces are there, but they are still just pieces. VMware owns the datacenter and Citrix is still the best end-to-end virtualization play. It will be interesting to see if Microsoft can get them integrated to give IT a coordinated end-to-end virtualization architecture.