The Citrix Global work shifting Index indicates that, by end 2013, 93% of organizations would have implemented work shifting policies, up from 37% currently offering work shifting for part, or all, of their workforce. 91% of organizations are planning to implement desktop virtualization, considered to be an enabling technology for work shifting, by end 2013. Of those implementing desktop virtualization, 57% indicated they were implementing or would implement it to enable work shifting. Desktop virtualization enables organizations to access full desktops, applications and data from wherever they are, whenever and from any device a worker chooses. In addition, the security benefits of desktop virtualization ensure that confidential business information is protected from loss and theft in order to meet privacy and compliance standards. According to those surveyed, 92% of organizations had adopted or were adopting desktop virtualization in order to improve information security.
Indian respondents formed 10% of the global sample for the survey. 47% of Indian respondents polled currently were providing a flexible work environments for employees, a percentage that was higher than the global average of 42%. 38% of Indian respondents in this survey were using personal devices at the workplace; again higher than the global average of 34.2%. India was fourth preceded by Brazil, China and the Netherlands in that order. 50% of the Indian respondents mentioned that they would use a personally owned device at the workplace within the next two years. By 2013, India would beat Netherlands to be the third largest adopter of personal devices at the workplace after Brazil and China. The increasing use of personally-owned devices was a concern for most Indian respondents. 67% of the Indian respondents felt a heightened level of concern over security, one more higher than the global average of 43%.
Desktop virtualization is seen as a key way of managing the infrastructural changes that the expansion of flexible working will necessitate. Although the current adoption of virtual desktops is at a relatively nascent stage, Indian organizations are considering it strongly from a short term adoption perspective. 77% of Indian respondents stated that desktop virtualization was effective at protecting security while providing access to people while they worked. 29% of Indian respondents had already implemented desktop virtualization in their organizations and 48% mentioned that they would look at implementing in the next one year.
Of the respondents who had implemented or would implement desktop virtualization in India, 73% of them considered it for improved support for an increasingly remote and mobile workforce and 81% for reduced IT and business costs.