Jeff Fisher

Jeff Fisher's "Desktops as a Service" Blog Generally speaking, DaaS is about transforming desktops into a cloud service. However, there are already a number of different approaches to DaaS and they vary considerably. To start, I thought it would be helpful to classify the different versions of DaaS as they exist today. Cloud computing has reached an absolute frenzy in the IT media. It seems like the cloud is well on its way to displace the virtualization craze that started last summer and which has carried us through the past 12 months. As a result, I thought it would be an appropriate time to discuss how we think DaaS fits into the cloud phenomena. Generally speaking, DaaS is about transforming desktops into a cloud service. However, there are already a number of different approaches to DaaS and they vary considerably. To start, I thought it would be helpful to class... (more)

Cloud Hosted Desktops

It's August 2007. VMware goes public and virtualization, in all its forms, reigns as the leading IT infrastructure megatrend. Fast forward to the summer of 2008 and virtualization is already giving way to the new king of IT media - cloud computing. All of a sudden, the conversations about how virtualization will transform existing enterprise infrastructure shift to talk about how virtualization will enable the adoption of cloud computing in the enterprise. Every virtualization industry event either becomes a virtualization + cloud computing show or acts as the venue for major ven... (more)

DaaS Session at Virtualization Congress

I wanted to let you know that we've submitted a session in response to Alessandro's call for papers for his upcoming Virtualization Congress.  I thought it would be useful to start sharing our view on how state separation relates to VDI and DaaS.  As you probably know, our industry has convinced itself that state separation is not only a pre-requisite but an absolute requirement for doing VDI or DaaS.  We couldn't disagree more and will be further explaining our position in upcoming blog posts, articles, etc.  In the meantime, please take a look at the session description and if ... (more)

"Virtualize. Centralize. Optimize."

This post has been a long time coming. It’s basically one of the core philosophies we live by at Desktone and it happens to run contrary to everything else you’ve read about virtual desktops and state separation. At the core of the argument is the premise that deploying virtual desktops and achieving state separation in client operating environments are two fundamentally different objectives. I’m not going to claim that they aren’t related and that ultimately they will cross paths. However, I do believe that viewing them as one in the same has led enterprises down the wrong pat... (more)

VMware embraces cloud-hosted desktops

VMworld Europe 2009, currently underway in Cannes (no, I'm not there), has been an opportunity for VMware to reiterate the key areas of a strategy it unveiled at VMworld 2008 this past fall. So they're talking about vCloud (their service provider strategy) and they're talking about vClient (their enterprise desktop strategy based on View). But what's different from the last event is that they're now also talking about cloud-hosted desktops, which in essence tie the vCloud and vClient initiatives together. ... (more)