This week we’ll be discussing VDI, BYOD and two Microsoft announcements that are getting IT pros riled up. First up – an overview of VDI and whether it is still viable.

Bruce Hoard of Virtualization Review wrote a great article about the viability of VDI.  First, Hoard addresses the issue of expense. Many experts say that the large expense associated with VDI is the biggest obstacle to its success, although this is a hard issue to quantify. Some companies report a gain in savings and productivity, while others maintain that virtual desktops cost 1.4 times the amount of physical PCs. Another major factor of consideration for deploying VDI is the amount of complexity it can bring to a workplace’s technology infrastructure. Other reasons companies cited for hesitating to adopt VDI include the management of applications and security challenges. Overall, Hoard’s article shows us that VDI is still a hotly debated topic – some sing its praises while others shy away from it due to the aforementioned issues. For more information on VDI’s benefits, check out Virtual Patrick’s blog post from last year.

Microsoft Windows made a big splash in the news this week with two announcements that IT professionals aren’t too happy about. Tim Greene wrote an article on ITWorld about Windows RT, the new edition of Windows that will be on the upcoming Windows 8 tablet. Microsoft announced the release of four tablets last week with the Windows RT tablet being the least business-friendly. Greene outlines its features (or lack thereof) and how it will affect BYOD. The biggest complaint Greene says businesses will have with the tablet are its lack of virtual client support, domain connectivity and PC management. Greene concludes that Windows RT does have its place in business because of its standard tablet features, but that the true BYOD tablet user will need the Windows 8 Pro and Windows Enterprise.

In other Windows 8 news, Brian Madden outlines the virtual desktop licensing changes Microsoft announced this week. The license, called the “Companion Device License,” is for users who access their Windows desktops from personal non-licensed devices at work. Madden notes that this license is supposed to solve a problem that the majority of people do not even know existed. When a user brings a personal non-licensed device into the office and uses it to access a licensed Windows desktop, the company is supposed to buy a VDA license for every device the user uses. Madden points out a few issues with this. First, that requirement holds the company accountable for keeping track of each device their employees are using, which can be almost impossible in today’s BYOD world. Second, the new license requires companies to purchase CDL along with software assurance (SA) which can add up to exorbitant amount of expenses.  One way Windows users can avoid CDL is by using the Windows RT tablet mentioned in the previous paragraph. Windows RT users are covered through the “Extended VDA” rights, which makes the new CDL license even harder to swallow for Madden and other IT pros.

Enjoy the weekend!

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