Desktop virtualization, or Desktop as a Service (DaaS), is a cloud-hosted service that allows a service provider to provide businesses with access to virtual desktop infrastructure from anywhere over the Internet, under license, and on a per-user subscription basis. It is a modality that offers many advantages, especially to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The Desktop as a Service (DaaS) market is expected to reach almost $10 billion in 2030. Remote access to all services, the agility of implementation, as well as scalability, and flexibility are the main benefits of DaaS.
An end user’s personal information is usually replicated to and from the virtual desktop at sign-on and sign-off, and availability to the desktop is not reliant on a particular device, region, or connection.
What is the process for desktop as a service?
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is a desktop interface virtualization technology. The operating system, generally Microsoft Windows, is hosted and administered on a remote server within a Data Center, and the user accesses it via the Internet. The virtual desktop image is transmitted over a network to the endpoint device. This allows the user to interact with the operating system and its applications as if they were running locally.
The terminal can be a traditional PC, a thin client such as a tablet or a mobile device, or a smartphone. This concept of desktop as a service (DaaS) is now offered by all the major publishers, and there are several solutions available on the market, such as VMware Horizon, Microsoft VDI, Azure RemoteApp, and even AWS Amazon Workspaces.
Top 5 benefits of implementing desktop as a service (DaaS)
The main advantage offered by DaaS, like similar services, is to provide access to virtual desktops from anywhere in the world just by having an Internet connection.
One of the biggest benefits is the ability to reduce costs and save energy, as devices running DaaS require much less processing power than a traditional laptop or desktop. Similarly, with DaaS, the security risks are much lower, since the data is stored in the data center and not on the devices. In other words, if a user is the victim of theft of a laptop or mobile device, all they have to do is disconnect it from the service.
Finally, both updates and security patches are also easier to install in a DaaS environment, since all desktops have the particularity of being updated from a remote location and simultaneously.
Virtual desktops have a number of benefits that will help your business mobile environments maintain a very similar experience to traditional desktops. Being such a versatile tool, its use is constantly growing and Muscatech highlights the five main advantages of implementing DaaS.
- Secure environment
The virtual desktop infrastructure is managed through a single console. This makes it easy for the administrator to set a desktop access policy, complete application control, and monitor other actions.
Likewise, it guarantees that there is no loss of data or that there are external threats to the information, applications, or desktop.
- Business mobility
The continuity of the company is guaranteed in the event that there is a crisis or problem that does not allow employees to physically move to the offices. They will have complete access to all the information and corporate tools they need to carry out their daily activities through any device or location.
- Cost reduction
One of the biggest benefits of using virtual desktops is that the user does not need to have a new computer or device and that it has a large memory capacity. Everything is managed through the platform, so you don’t need to make a big investment in IT equipment.
Also, a user can access all their applications and files in a few minutes through a single platform, saving time on low-value activities, increasing their productivity, and reducing distractions.
- Reduction of time in technical support
The console administrator can respond to any equipment problems and quickly support or maintain them. All thanks to the fact that these activities are managed and monitored through a single administration console.
- Homogeneity
They provide a consistent experience for all users. They will have the same access to desktops, applications, tools, and data regardless of the device they use.
When to use the virtual desktop infrastructure?
The virtual office infrastructure is now a real alternative to individual and local infrastructures, as well as a powerful tool at the service of the digital transition of companies. Employees on the move or telecommuting, business organizations without a fixed office, collaborative spaces, open space, and nomadic missions so many new ways of working that benefit from VDI technology.
Employees in immobilization conditions will also find their accounts. Similarly, companies will appreciate being able to control and secure access to internal resources for their contractual employees and temporary service providers.
However, to really benefit from all the advantages provided by the virtual desktop infrastructure or desktop as a service (DaaS), it is necessary to check a few essential points.
In addition to the previously mentioned virtual desktop software, dedicated compute and storage resources for VDI are required. Indeed, those that exist cannot be shared as part of the desktop virtualization process. Although it is temporarily possible to share the same server storage for small deployments, VDI has very different operational characteristics. By having to compute and storage resources dedicated to the VDI environment, enterprises deploy, manage and scale this environment appropriately. They ensure that virtual desktop workloads do not impact the server environment.
Conclusion
In recent years, the emergence of new technologies has transformed the services of cloud providers, allowing them to offer more innovative products that adapt to new work needs. In the context in which we find ourselves, these types of technologies are increasingly useful for companies, which can access the same services for a fraction of the cost.
With DaaS, it is possible for desktop operating systems to run inside virtual machines on servers that are hosted in a cloud provider’s data center. All the necessary supporting infrastructure, including network and storage resources, is also hosted in the cloud.
As with on-premises VDI, a DaaS provider is responsible for issuing virtual desktops over a network to a customer’s endpoint devices, where users can access them via the client software or a web browser.
