Example 2: Multiple Home Users Under the Same Roof

One older family friend has several people using his computer. Each uses it for different things. He uses the computer for web surfing, email, and doing taxes. Someone else uses it for light office work, and the guest account uses it for web access.

In this case, there really isn't any point in using virtualization. Separate user accounts provide all the access control needed, and there isn't a significant gain to be had from providing separate system environments.

Example 3: Freelance Graphic Artist and Publisher

The second example is a freelance graphic artist, photographer, and small-press publisher. She works from her home, working around her two daughters. During her downtime, she lets the girls use the office computer for games and schoolwork.

Because she wears multiple hats, and they're all "small business" hats, our friend the publisher needs more than one system. She needs a highperformance graphic arts/publishing system, an "office" desktop-and she'd like to have a separate system for the kids to do their work on that protects her work environment from being infected by viruses or running into problems from games.

For her purposes, virtualization is almost ideal. She can configure a common "basic" desktop and then set up separate virtual systems for her graphic arts work, for her office needs, and for the kids. This keeps any security risks to a minimum and provides an easy method of backing up her artwork and production environment-she can simply back up the appropriate virtual system. It also provides a nearly impenetrable way to isolate the effects of her kids' web surfing from her office and work environments.