This week, Parallels announced that it has sold 1 million copies of Parallels Desktop, a Mac utility that lets Intel-based Macs run Windows alongside Mac OS X. Although EMC VMware's unit now offers a similar product, it was Parallels that pioneered this application.

And this application has played a significant role in making the Macintosh more widely acceptable in both personal and business environments, as it got rid of the "what if my app won't run on the Mac?" dilemma that overshadowed Apple for years.

For the masses (including senior execs who sign IT project checks), Parallels defines virtualization. And that's a good thing, as it works quite well. I believe that the Parallels example will be a key factor beyond the Mac universe: It will show a successful use of virtualization on the desktop, where its benefits are far from widely realized.

That can only help make the case for desktop virtualization as Microsoft, Citrix, and others continue to push that nascent technology further.