The most visible approach to digital inclusion involves distributing new devices. It is concrete, measurable, and easy to communicate. Haroldo Jacobovicz has pursued a different model — one that starts from the observation that many people already own devices that work perfectly well physically but cannot handle modern software.

Replacing those machines creates two problems simultaneously: it generates electronic waste, and it places a cost burden on households and institutions that are often already operating with limited budgets. Jacobovicz arrived at computer virtualization as a way to address both. Rather than requiring users to upgrade hardware, the technology processes demanding applications remotely and streams the results back to whatever device the user has. An eight-year-old laptop performs as though it were current; the device becomes a window to computing capacity that it could not otherwise access.

This has practical implications across multiple contexts. For small businesses with aging equipment, it means continuing to use machines they already own without falling behind on the software their operations require. For schools that cannot afford regular hardware refreshes, it means students can access modern educational tools on whatever is available. For remote workers whose devices were not designed for the demands of video conferencing and collaborative platforms, it eliminates a hardware barrier without requiring new spending.

The model also reflects something broader in how Jacobovicz thinks about technology design. Inclusive technology, as he defines it, adapts to the user’s circumstances — participation should not depend on upgrading those circumstances first. A solution that only works for people with modern devices, fast connections, and existing technical comfort is not a solution for inclusion — it is a product for people who are already included.

He is equally direct about what virtualization alone cannot accomplish. It removes the hardware barrier; it does not address the confidence barrier, the language barrier, or the trust barrier that keeps many people from engaging with digital tools at all. Effective inclusion requires attending to all of these simultaneously, through design choices that prioritize empathy and sustained support alongside technical performance and accessibility.