System and method for providing virtual desktop extensions on a client desktop

1. A system for providing virtual desktop extensions on a client desktop, comprising:

a virtual desktop extension manager in communication with a client machine having a desktop interface, and in communication with a cloud computing environment, wherein the virtual desktop extension manager is configured to:

receive a request from a local application executing on the client machine;

receive the authentication credentials for the client machine;

determine, based on the received authentication credentials, at least a first virtual desktop extension from a first virtual machine instance and a second virtual desktop extension from a second virtual machine instance as available virtual desktop extensions to the client machine from a plurality of virtual desktop extensions in the cloud computing environment and identifying the first virtual desktop extension as including a first document converter for converting between document file types and further identifying the second virtual desktop extension as including a second document converter for converting between different document file types, identification of an application server to execute applications on a hosted virtual machine, identification of a virtual desktop for the second virtual desktop extension, and a personal disk for storing data of the virtual desktop; and

cause the cloud computing environment to make available to the client machine the virtual machine instances that host the available virtual desktop extensions, wherein information related to the available virtual desktop extensions is displayable by the local application.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual desktop extension manager includes a policy engine and an identity engine that are configured to determine whether the received authentication credentials indicate that the client machine has access to at least the first virtual desktop extension from the first virtual machine instance and the second virtual desktop extension from the second virtual machine instance.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the virtual desktop extension manager is configured to invoke one or more of the policy engine or the identity engine to determine whether to cause the first virtual machine instance that hosts the first virtual desktop extension to be launched in a public cloud computing environment or to be launched in a private cloud computing environment.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the virtual desktop extension manager is configured to invoke one or more of the policy engine or the identity engine to filter the available virtual desktop extensions based on one or more characteristics associated with a user of the client machine.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual desktop extension manager is configured to return remote console information to the client machine, wherein the client machine is configured to use the remote console information to interact with the first virtual machine instance that hosts the first virtual desktop extension in the cloud computing environment.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the remote console information returned by the virtual desktop extension manager is usable by the local application to create a virtual window on the desktop interface that the client machine uses to interact with one or more of an application server or a complete desktop environment that communicates with the first virtual desktop extension in the cloud computing environment.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the remote console information is usable by the client machine to interact with the application server or the complete desktop environment to run an application that supports a document that lacks support on the client machine.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the virtual window is configured to provide the remote console information that the client machine uses to interact with the first virtual machine instance that hosts the first virtual desktop extension in the cloud computing environment.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual desktop extension manager is configured to attach a personal virtual disk to one or more of the virtual machine instances that host the available virtual desktop extensions in the cloud computing environment, and wherein the local application is configured to display an icon on the desktop interface that the client machine uses to interact with the personal virtual disk in the cloud computing environment.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual desktop extension manager is configured to:

invoke an application server that hosts the first virtual desktop extension in the cloud computing environment, wherein the application server is configured to convert a document that lacks support on the client machine into a file type that the client machine supports through the first document converter; and

return the document converted into the file type that the client machine supports to the client machine.

11. A method for providing virtual desktop extensions on a client desktop, comprising:

receiving, at a virtual desktop extension manager implemented as instructions that are executed by a hardware server and the virtual desktop manager is in communication with a client machine displaying a desktop interface, a request from a local application executing on the client machine;

receiving, at the virtual desktop extension manager, authentication credentials for the client machine;

determining, based on the received authentication credentials and by the virtual desktop extension manager, at least a first virtual desktop extension from a first virtual machine instance and a second virtual desktop extension from a second virtual machine instance as available virtual desktop extensions to the client machine from a plurality of virtual desktop extensions in a cloud computing environment and identifying the first virtual desktop extension as including a first document converter for converting between different document file types and further identifying the second virtual desktop extension as including a second document converter for converting between different document file types, identification of an application server to executed applications on a hosted machine, identification of a virtual desktop for the second virtual desktop extension, and a personal disk for storing data of the virtual desktop; and

causing, by the virtual desktop extension manager, the cloud computing environment to provide to the client the virtual machine instances that host the available virtual desktop extensions, wherein information related to the available virtual desktop extensions is displayable by the local application.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the virtual desktop extension manager includes a policy engine and an identity engine that are configured to determine whether the received authentication credentials indicate that the client machine has access to at least the first virtual desktop extension from the first virtual machine instance and the second virtual desktop extension from the second virtual machine instance.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising invoking, by the virtual desktop extension manager, one or more of the policy engine or the identity engine to determine whether to cause the first virtual machine instance that hosts the first virtual desktop extension to be launched in a public cloud computing environment or to be launched in a private cloud computing environment.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising invoking, by the virtual desktop extension manager, one or more of the policy engine or the identity engine to filter the available virtual desktop extensions based on one or more characteristics associated with a user of the client machine.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising returning remote console information from the virtual desktop extension manager to the client machine, wherein the client machine is configured to use the remote console information to interact with the first virtual machine instance that hosts the first virtual desktop extension in the cloud computing environment.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the remote console information returned by the virtual desktop extension manager is usable by the local application to create a virtual window on the desktop interface that the client machine uses to interact with one or more of an application server or a complete desktop environment that communicates with the first virtual desktop extension in the cloud computing environment.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the remote console information is usable by the client machine to interact with the application server or the complete desktop environment to run an application that supports a document that lacks support on the client machine.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the virtual window is configured to provide the remote console information that the client machine uses to interact with the first virtual machine instance that hosts the first virtual desktop extension in the cloud computing environment.

19. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

attaching, by the virtual desktop extension manager, a personal virtual disk to one or more of the virtual machine instances that host the available virtual desktop extensions in the cloud computing environment.

20. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

invoking, by the virtual desktop extension manager, an application server that hosts the first virtual desktop extension in the cloud computing environment, wherein the application server is configured to convert a document that lacks support on the client machine into a file type that the client machine supports through the first document converter; and

returning the document converted into the file type that the client machine supports from the virtual desktop extension manager to the client machine.