Microsoft, Citrix and Wipro have signed an agreement to outsource virtual desktops. The cunning plan is to use Citrix's new XenDesktop 5 and Microsoft VDI, and Wipro's 'Desktop as a Service' idea to snare new customers.

It is likely that initial costs probably won't be lower than buying a new Windows 7 PC but the overall cost of setting up a Windows infrastructure will probably be cheaper. This will be because the cost of management will be down because everything is outsourced to India.

Wipro senior vice president Deepak Jain said that it means that it would be possible to free workers from having to support Windows clients. It is all part of the cloud based computing idea which looks like it will be what the outsourcing fad was for the early part of the century.

The heart of the Wipro DaaS idea is Citrix's new virtual desktop, XenDesktop 5 which includes Citrix's new device client, Citrix Receiver. Citrix Receiver let's virtual applications run on any device using it, including PCs, Macs, laptops, tablets and smartphones. It includes touchscreen support.