Server-Based Desktop Glossary

Desktop. Throughout this report, a user’s “desktop” is a collection of applications such as Microsoft Office installed on an OS, either Windows client or Windows Server, the user-specific data stored for the OS and applications, as well as the user interface and the user’s settings and preferences.

Local desktop. With local desktops, the OS and applications are installed and run on a user’s local computer or device, such as a laptop or a tablet computer.

Server-based desktop. With a server-based desktop, the OS and applications are installed and run on an infrastructure that includes servers in a data center, and the user connects to this desktop across a network from her local computer, thin terminal, or mobile device. Organizations typically deploy server-based desktops to reduce the costs of PC management, support a consistent user interface across a variety of different computing devices, including tablets and smartphones that do not run the Windows client OS, and increase security, because the organization’s data does not leave the data center where the server-based desktop is running on centrally managed and secured servers.