Looking after desktops (be they fixed workstations or laptops) is a core function for IT. However, until recently it has remained largely unchanged from the days of walking around swapping floppy disks and checking “is it plugged in / switched on?”.

Needless to say, a well-functioning desktop is a critical part of keeping an organisation productive. But there have been long standing challenges with managing the traditional desktop – hardware investment, refresh cycles, capital expenditure, lack of flexibility & mobility – the day-to-day management of these devices can be a huge time sink.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) was supposed to address many of these challenges, but it came with its own set of issues. While it has been promoted as a technology that can save businesses money, large upfront capital expenses and complexity have created barriers to virtual desktop adoption.

Remote Desktop Services (RDS), formerly Terminal Services, has been a popular desktop management option for many organisations. Although it is quite limited by virtue of being a shared system, there are still lots of good use cases for RDS and this is a technology that we will still recommend & deploy, depending on client requirements. RDS deployments offer scalability, centralisation & consistency across desktops. However, RDS lacks a lot of the power of a dedicated virtual desktop.

Enter DaaS: Desktop as a Service (DaaS) is a cloud service in which the back-end of a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) that we host and manage for you. You just say how many desktops you need & what applications you need and presto – you’re up and running.

DaaS solutions are secure, cost-effective, easy-to-use and portable – you can get the same desktop on any device. DaaS is a great option for a small or mid-size businesses (SMBs) that want to provide their end users with the advantages a virtual desktop infrastructure offers, without the cost & complexity of deploying an in-house VDI solution.

According to the 451 Research Group, “Interest in third-party DaaS is at a fever pitch.” IT consumerization, BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) initiatives, increase in mobile workers, Windows 7 migrations and security/IP concerns are driving organizations to re-evaluate their desktop strategy.

With DaaS, savings come from operational expense reductions from centralising and reducing administration and hardware savings over time. DaaS delivers faster desktop deployment, enhanced security, less downtime and lower support costs – and can enable a truly mobile workforce.