Desktop virtualisation software provider Citrix has been recognised for its services in a new International Data Corporation (IDC) report.
The vendor was the only one placed in the ‘leaders’ category on the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Desktop Virtualization 2011 Vendor Analysis study.

Citrix was praised for the comprehensive set of technologies it provides its customers with, as well as the “firm strategic grip” it has with regards to advancing its product offering.
Ian Song, senior research analyst at Enterprise Virtualization Software, one of IDC’s continuous intelligence services, said as desktop virtualisation becomes a more mainstream trend, the solutions offered by Citrix and other vendors will starting maturing “at a quickened pace”.
Over the next year to two years, “desktop virtualisation technologies will move beyond just managing PCs and become a solution that can provide a holistic management paradigm addressing many different facets of end-user computing,” he added.
A recent study by ABI Research revealed that the desktop virtualisation market is expected to grow to reach $5 billion (£3 billion) by 2016.

The report, IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Desktop Virtualization 2011 Vendor Analysis (Doc #228619), evaluates vendors in the desktop virtualization space by analyzing their current capabilities as well as their longer-term strategies that impact their ability to provide solutions and gain market share going forward. It utilizes a scoring and ranking model based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria, which results in a graphical illustration of each vendor’s position in the competitive landscape. The study is supported by a discussion of the key criteria that contribute to a vendor’s current and future success in the market and highlights the differentiators that play a role in each participant’s competitive placement.

Among the vendors evaluated in the report, IDC placed just one – Citrix – in the “Leaders” category. Citrix was recognized for its comprehensive set of technologies and a firm strategic grip on where it wants to take its product lineup. IDC placed seven vendors in the “Major Players” category – Desktone, Kaviza, Microsoft, MokaFive, Quest Software, Virtual Bridges, and VMware. These vendors all have strong capabilities and good prospects for long-term success in the desktop virtualization market. The vendors that were placed in the “Contenders” category were Red Hat, Unidesk, Virtual Computer, and Wanova.

“As desktop virtualization gains more mainstream attention, the solutions offered by these vendors will continue to mature at a quickened pace. In the next 12–24 months, desktop virtualization technologies will move beyond just managing PCs and become a solution that can provide a holistic management paradigm addressing many different facets of end-user computing,” added Song. “It is very likely that larger vendors will introduce unified management platforms in the near future to bridge the management between desktops, mobile devices, and cloud services. Smaller vendors will also move up-market and take advantage of unified management, but due to the size and resource limitations, they will remain serving SMB customers, or larger customers on a per use case basis.”