Read this post on virtualization
I'm loving this article from Mike Neil in the Windows Server group. Especially the quote below. I can't tell you how much time I've spent in the last few months thinking about this very concept. Education could really benefit from a widescale virtual application delivery model.
"And in my mind’s eye, I see a time when application virtualization will allow customers to easily move to an on-demand computing / services model for the hundreds of thousands of Windows applications built by partners, customers and Microsoft."
Source: Windows Server Division WebLog : Where we're headed with virtualization