In our position we lots of IT initiatives succeed and fail. It’s not something we like to see but there are ways to prevent these projects from going off the rails and we think it boils down to experience at implementation. We find many times other companies sell software in an almost “reseller” situation and then move on to the next client. In our experience if you don’t have open communication and a long term implementation relationship which discusses what could be road hazards on the path to a successful desktop virtualization project.

Recently we were reading this interesting blog post at breathingdata.com regarding why desktop virtualization projects fails and what some top barriers are to wide-scale adoption. I think in summary it’s about customers believing the sales hype that it’s all lower cost, simpler overall management and that it brings greater mobility and in best case scenarios this is true but like any technology it comes down to working with companies and individuals you trust because they can help make your life easier through their knowledge of what works and what doesn’t. Also educating your company, school district or municipalities about what lies ahead.

For instance…

Tip: Client costs are only part of the picture. Desktop virtualization can reduce capital expenditures but do not expect that to be the case in the first year. Building the infrastructure is expensive (storage, servers, licenses, etc.) and may be the same in the first year. Think about using existing PCs as clients instead of replacing them with thin clients. Thin clients are cheaper than PCs but the reduction in hardware costs may not be seen for a couple of years due to the infrastructure needing to be built. More importantly, operational expenses will be seen immediately and that is where the true cost savings can be found.

Read the full blog post here.