On mobile devices, application virtualization will provide access to documents, databases, and applications in a mobile-friendly interface; end-users will view and update documents and other corporate data and directly use the applications associated with that data. With the melding of mobile phone and PCs, OEMs and operators need to enable seamless delivery of enterprise applications and services to converged devices.

Extending virtualization from enterprise infrastructure to individual end-users is central to the vision of unified mobility. This extension is the locus of convergence, and enables delivery of corporate presence to any mobile device. Virtualization enables secure delivery and helps IT teams focus on delivery of corporate presence not managing the device itself. This paradigm sustains user choice and allows devices to serve both personal and business needs. With virtualization, instead of building new fleets of devices, corporate IT can deploy, manage, and secure applications on existing user devices.

The next billion devices
As consumer demand continues to drive innovation and push OEMs to develop new devices in ever-faster cycles, virtualization technology will make the next generation of mobile devices possible. It will be through virtualization that one mobile device will serve as the primary communication and computing tool for any individual. Virtualization will make these devices safe, affordable, protected, useful, and open, enabling innovation from the desktop to the mobile phone and beyond.

Steve Subar, president and CEO of OK Labs, cofounded the company following his term as NICTA's 2005 Entrepreneur-in-Residence. Subar can be reached at steve@ok-labs.com

References
1. "The Future of the Internet III," Janna Quitney Anderson, Elon University and Lee Rainie, Director, Pew Internet & American Life Project, December 14, 2008.

2. Virtualization Industry Predictions 2008, www.virtualization.info/predictions/, November 2008.