The Citrix announcement, by contrast, focused on extending a Windows desktop out to the iPhone. Presumably leveraging its well-established application virtualization technology, this moves client virtualization way out of the desktop league. Enabling access to an application, while ensuring that security is enforced through data partitioning (i.e., the data resides back in the data center) supports mobility while reducing security issues. Since the iPhone uses ARM technology, it seems to me that other devices could be supported as well with incremental engineering effort.

The upshot of these two announcements: virtualization will soon extend from the handset to the cloud. If you're an IT organization, you need to examine your virtualization plans with a much more sophisticated eye. Tomorrow's virtualization will not be a data center-bounded technology of interest only to IT.

Virtualization will be much more like Parallels is today—a quasi-consumer technology designed to enhance individual productivity. Of course virtualization will continue to transform the data center; it's just that the role of infrastructure supercharger will be superseded by a role of end-to-end computing. If we're really fortunate, that role will be accompanied by a breakthrough regarding mobile openness, moving competition and innovation to the operating environment.

Bernard Golden is CEO of consulting firm HyperStratus, which specializes in virtualization, cloud computing and related issues. He is also the author of "Virtualization for Dummies," the best-selling book on virtualization to date.