Second, you can lock down virtual desktops because they are controlled centrally and therefore easier to provision—
just create one single desktop image, lock it down and copy it as often as needed.
I You spend less time on endpoints—the actual physical PCs—because they no longer need to be managed as tightly. After all, you only need these endpoints to provide an RDC to the virtual desktop.
I You can provide service level agreements (SLA) only for the central desktop and not for the endpoint itself. Users can be administrators on the endpoints, but locked down on the virtu- al desktop. This lets them do what they want to the endpoints, but remain controlled within the corporate PC environment.
I You can reduce costs and improve service stability because you know where the starting point for each PC is: from your golden virtual desktop image.
I You can create virtual desktop images that can be time- controlled to meet timely requirements. For example, if you have a staff influx to meet a seasonal business need, then you can generate time-controlled PC images for the duration of the effort and wipe them out once the requirement is met.
I Information can be secured by keeping the virtual desktop inside the datacenter. This can give you more control over intel- lectual property (IP); all you have to do is lock down the image you create so that it does not have access to external devices. This makes it considerably easier to maintain compliance since the IP is stored centrally and does not leave the datacenter.
I Complex or sensitive applications can be encapsulated and isolated into specific PC VMs to ensure proper operation. This way the application does not need to interact or coexist with any others.
I New operating system migrations can be easier to per- form since resources are only required centrally, not locally. There is considerably less impact on hardware refresh since endpoints don't need to be upgraded to provide the RDC link to the central desktop.
I Mergers and acquisitions are easier to manage since all desktops are centralized and can easily be provided as is to new users.
I Alternative workspaces can be provided on an as-needed basis to employees when they need them.
I You can use custom virtual desktops to provide contractors with secured, encrypted machines to work in your environ- ment. This way their own machines only need to connect onto