So the virtualisation machine has rolled through servers and storage and is now rumbling onto desktop and network virtualisation.

The latter is no biggie – virtual private networks anyone? – but the former hasn’t taken off as anticipated. Desktop virtualisation refers to either removing the desktop and replacing it with a thin client device, or retaining the hardware but virtualising the operating system and software. In either instance, the user’s desktop is stored as a virtual machine on a central server and delivered to whatever hardware they log on via. This, as with everything, has benefits and challenges.