Research firm Ovum has released a new report into the perception CIOs have of desktop virtualization and an immature market poses risks when trying to procure the most appropriate technology.

NSW electricity grid operator, TransGrid, will move as many as 500 of its desktop PCs to virtualised thin clients in an effort to reduce costs and extend the hardware refresh cycle to seven years.

The utopian vision of a fluid and easily managed desktop infrastructure has floated around IT since the dawn of the desktop era. There have been many attempts at corralling the desktop hydra, but none have provided a universal solution. Microsoft Terminal Services, Citrix XenApp, and a host of others have found markets, but the quest for desktop salvation continues.

Organizations hoping to streamline their deployments of Linux got two new options this week for running the open source OS remotely.

Stressing desktop virtualization as a cost-saver for smaller enterprises, Kaviza is partnering with Citrix to boost Kaviza's VDI-in-a-box (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) technology.

Desktop virtualization has a predicted growth curve that leaves much of the PC and IT services industries smiling: Yet none of the technologies or service providers promising to offer hosted virtual desktops are ready to step into key roles in enterprise IT infrastructures, according the same well-respected analysts who set the server virtualization market on its ear with a similar conclusion last year.

Most CIOs have started considering virtual desktop infrastructure and other types of desktop virtualization, but only a minority has reached the deployment stage. (See related story, "As Windows 7 gains steam, VDI set to rise".) Virtual desktops can potentially provide more flexibility for users, make it easier to apply patches and reduce IT help desk calls, but there are still numerous problems that keep desktop pros up at night. Here are five pitfalls to watch out for.