The days of stupid old computer terminals connected to a mainframe that encompassed an entire room are long gone. Most students weren't even born yet at the height of the mainframe generation. Desktop virtualization is the latest and greatest emerging technology that requires some sort of reinvention of these dumb terminals. Although there is not yet a universal definition of what a virtual desktop is, the basic idea is that one or more servers run the application software that the business user connects to. The physical desktop does not run the application itself because it resides on the server. Windows and Linux are just two of many companies offering virtual desktop programs and applications. Applications run the gamut from cutting-edge GUIs that can be switched between multiple monitors to basic, no-frills word processing functions. Although the popularity of desktop virtualization has increased in recent years, there are advantages and disadvantages to a business adopting virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). Many IT professionals spend up to 80% of their day traveling from office to office maintaining the system. large client office. Even though the big client will exist in the near future, IT shops are looking forward to the day when the virtual office becomes a reality. In a mid-to-large organization, this could mean hundreds of work hours per week in savings that could be better spent if virtual desktops were the norm. As virtual desktops become commonplace within an organization, management of applications and desktop configuration will be shifted to control and...... middle of paper ...... we know for sure whether the technology will catch on. en masse, we can only imagine what is possible and see what the clouds have in store for us.Works CitedAnthes, G. (2007). The virtual office. Computerworld, 41(10), 22. Retrieved from MAS Ultra – School Edition database. Bailey, D. (2010). Top 5 business reasons for deploying virtual desktop infrastructure. Retrieved July 25, 2010, from http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/snslysis/2266634/top-five-business-reasons-rollBrodkin, J. (2010). Customers are interested in desktop virtualization. Network World, 27(7), 10. Retrieved from Computer Source database. Dubie, D. (2009). Weighing desktop virtualization. Network World, 26(22), 16-32. Retrieved from Computer Source database. Sarrel, M. (2010). Promises and pitfalls of VDI. eWeek, 27(5), 14-18. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.