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The past few years have completely transformed the working world as we know. Concerns over the protection of health, government guidelines and restrictions and rising business running expenses have pushed the trend of remote and hybrid working models all over the United States. While the pandemic made remote working a necessity for some, even after restrictions eased it has become the new norm for many.
In a recent survey, of 25,000 Americans questioned this spring, 58 per cent of them reported that they have the opportunity to work from home for at least one day every week. 35 per cent surveyed stated that have the option to work remotely five days a week. Workers is all kinds of jobs, in almost evert industry, in every part of the nation, within every sector of the economy, have the option to work from home. This flexible new working world is revolutionary, being a blessing for many yet a curse for some. As many advantages as there are to working in your comfy clothes at the kitchen table, there are challenges to working remotely that make it difficult at times.
Fortunately, advancements in technology have greatly assisted in this newfound desire to work away from the office. Zoom meetings bring team members together, collaborative programs allow individuals to cooperate on tasks, and cloud-based tools help employees to access the data they need to do their work. One of these technological tools that are in use is a desktop as a service. If you want to know more about this solution, read more!
In this article, we will consider what a desktop as a service, the pros and cons and how to know if this is the right solution for you and your business.
What is a Desktop as a Service (DaaS)?
Desktop as a Service (known as DaaS) is a way or virtualising your business’s desktop allowing access to work desktop functions, files, and software wherever the user may be. With the use of a public cloud provider or an on-site data centre, the desktop user experience is separated from the physical client device and employees can work anywhere, anytime. With this advancement in cloud computing, you can build an infrastructure that will support any model of working, in-person, remote or hybrid, so that the company can focus more of their efforts on their other endeavours.
The Pros of a Desktop as a Service
Technology always brings critics, so while perhaps not everyone is a fan of DaaS working, there are a great number of benefits to this investment.
- Improved IT Support. If anything goes wrong on the IT side, support is available quickly as with secure remote access workers can keep working regardless of any IT issues.
- Increased Security of Data. You won’t run the risk of employees losing their physical computers with the potential to expose the data on them. Sensitive data can be consolidated and centralised in one safe, secure cloud-based storage system. These systems are kept up to date and backed up regularly, providing greater security than other methods.
- Saved Money and Streamlined Budgeting. Upfront costs are lower and the monthly subscription works out to be a lot more economical than paying for new machines and extra storage. Hiring new employees isn’t quite as expensive an endeavour and the monthly payments are predictable, making it easier to budget for them.
- Ability to Scale and Adapt. It’s a lot easier to scale up or down a virtual system than a physical one. You will be able to easily make changes as your business changes.
- Flexible Access. The virtual desktop can be accessed quickly without the need to invest valuable time and money in purchasing new hardware, downloading software, and setting up an employee on the machine. It’s easy to shut down access too so it will relive the management burden that would be incurred by having to keep track of physical desktops that aren’t in use. Employees can access what they need to do their work anytime, anywhere. It provides an easy to use platform for both system users and system managers.
The Cons of a Desktop as a Service
To have a balanced understanding of a DaaS system it’s important to be aware of the disadvantages, as well as at the advantages. Here are a few things to be cautious of as you weigh up whether to take the leap.
- Higher Long-Term Costs. While the upfront costs may be less, over time the subscription costs can add up eventually. You can end up spending a lot of money on licenses that you don’t use if you can’t use the licenses that you already pay for through the virtual desktop.
- Restricted Application. Many DaaS systems take a one size fits all approach which might not be ideal for your business. It can be a challenge to find the one system that will fit perfectly with your organisation. Different providers will offer different levels of customizability so it may take some time to find one that works for you.
- It Relies on a Strong Internet Connection. If the Internet goes down, so does the access to the virtual desktop. Employees and the business need to have strong, reliable, high-speed internet in order to use the DaaS.
- It’s a Training Challenge. It will take some time to get your employees used to the new system and it will require some investment in training to get things up and running.
- There is Less Control. There is little control over updates and security so that can prove to be a challenge for IT Teams and the organisation’s productivity.
How to Know if a Desktop as a Service is Right for You
By weighing up the benefits and disadvantages of DaaS, you will be able to make a well informed decision on whether to make the investment for your business. Get to know your business well, understand your workers and your goals, and see if you can find a system that will work for you.
