Recently, I blogged about the market opportunities for virtualization, both in desktop and server. I now want to give you a better glimpse into the reality of implementing desktop virtualization solutions.

While there is a lot of talk out there about the benefits of virtualization and cloud-models, a lot of business are asking where the heck you are supposed to start. Let’s slow down and understand something first: one size does not fit all.

Something I’ve become a big proponent of is what I’ll call a hybrid model. What I mean is that you can think about virtualization and cloud computing in different pieces, and integrate those solutions without overhauling your entire infrastructure. In the spirit of practicing what you preach, we saw this success within AMD’s own Sunnyvale campus. In our IT department in Sunnyvale, about 100 engineers deployed server-hosted virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) so that they could share resources and a common desktop management infrastructure. The desktop virtualization runs as part of AMD’s HP blade server farm and storage environment consisting of HP’s EVA 8100 SAN and HP BL685 and BL465 blade systems with AMD Opteron^TM processors.

This method of desktop virtualization provides users with access to server-based applications and related data via sessions running from central servers in the data center. We are currently able to host about 50 virtual desktops on one server! This has been a simple measure to improve the efficiency of our IT department, who could then provision the desktops of employees to more effectively manage issues without actually having to be at the physical computer. This VDI virtualization implementation increased responsiveness to ongoing project demands while helping to save operations costs.

Utilizing VDI within AMD is just one example. You can find a myriad of benefit from adaptive server and desktop virtualization. For example, security and management. In the VDI example data and applications reside on the server, not the client, which contributes to a more secure environment and on that is more easily managed by IT. It also enables more efficient software provisioning and patching. And the good news – you don’t have to implement expensive client systems with a lot of proprietary technology like Intel’s vPRO to reap these benefits.

During VMworld Conference, we plan to feature presentations from Citrix, Microsoft, and Wyse in the AMD “Masters of Virtualization” Theater, providing insights into this emerging world of desktop virtualization.  Our own Tim Mueting will also feature a customer case study on desktop virtualization during his VMworld session – check out his blog for detail.

So what can you take from all this? Technology is made to empower you, not confuse you. Virtualization and cloud computing are receiving a great deal of attention because of the potential they offer to improve efficiencies and maximize resources, but there is always room for a hybrid approach. In fact, AMD’s very own Neil Kelly was at BriForum last month talking up this exact topic with Wyse Technology. In particular, they discussed solutions that are aligned at simplifying access to mixed data center cloud environments with superior user experience quality.

In this economic climate, I always encourage playing it smart. But, don’t just take my word for it – leave your experiences in the comment section.

Margaret Lewis (@margaretjlewis) is a Product Marketing Director at AMD.

Her postings are her own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.