The corporate world has gone through intense changes in the way companies utilize the internet. It seems like yesterday that we shifted from file cabinets to floppy disks. In no time, companies moved from floppy discs to backup drives, and now everything is migrating to cloud computing services.
All cloud computing services fall into four main categories. The four categories include:
- Platform as a Service (PaaS)
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Desktop as a Service (DaaS)
You can choose any of the four services depending on the needs of your business.
Today we are focusing on DaaS, which is also known as the cloud desktop service. DaaS offers a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) that is hosted by a third-party cloud service provider and is typically based on a monthly subscription fee model.
When researching more information on the cloud desktop, you’ll be inundated with articles about VDI and cloud desktop as a service so it’s important to first know the basic difference between the two services.
Difference between cloud desktops as a service (DaaS) and VDI
The difference between cloud desktops and VDI can be compared to the difference between leasing a car or buying one.
With DaaS, your chosen service provider manages your virtual infrastructure, meaning your internal IT departments no longer have responsibility for the network, the servers, the user desktops, and the hosted applications (depending on which of the main four cloud computing service you choose).
About cloud desktops (DaaS)
A cloud desktop is essentially a web-based desktop. Cloud desktops harness the power of the internet to provide you easy access to your company files and applications from any device that’s connected to the internet.
Traditionally, applications and files were kept on a physical computer or in a drive.
With the cloud desktop, company files and applications now exist in a shared system that is easy to access. Using the cloud desktop is as simple as opening an app on your iPhone.
7 benefits of migrating to DaaS or a cloud desktop:
1. Availability
Most of the campaigns you see for cloud desktop services sound something like “access your device wherever, whenever” or, “any time, anywhere”.
This is because cloud desktop isn’t bound to a device or office. The only thing you need to access the desktop is a connection to the internet. This provides more flexibility and freedom for your employees. Need to work from home or forgot to finish up a project before leaving for the day? Just sign-on when you get home and wrap up what is needed.
Also, the ability to work remotely has proven to improve company morale which is why so many businesses are providing an option to work from home.
2. Reduced hardware expenses
When onboarding new employees, you need additional desktop computers and/or laptops for remote work. With a cloud desktop system, you save on those costs as well as the initial setup costs.
Switching to the cloud desktop means that license upgrades and servers are removed from your budget almost entirely, allowing you to use your capital for other investments.
Maintaining and upgrading traditional hardware is costly. Cloud service systems are updated rapidly and cost-effectively, rather than every few years.
3. Reduced IT Costs
Every functioning business needs a good team of IT professionals to fix program or hardware issues. But, if your desktop and company laptops are at a minimum then you can use your IT spend elsewhere.
When your desktop is on the cloud, you spend less time maintaining and managing your IT system. You would only require the services of your cloud desktop service provider and a small IT team to deal with other internal IT needs.
4. Centralized Data
Have you ever spent hours looking for files or information on several drives or different computers? With a cloud desktop, data is held in a central place.
Locating files is as simple as searching the main network that everyone is on. This reduces the time and effort wasted on locating important documents.
5. Collaborative work environment
The cloud desktop helps you and your employees save 3 steps when sharing files.
The old way of sharing files:
- asking for a file
- the employee looking for it (when they see your email)
- The employee sending the file (if they remember where they stored it)
The new way of sharing files:
- you can now simply access files yourself because files are saved to one central location
This is instrumental in improving productivity by giving you the ability to seamlessly share folders, documents, and calendars across your team.
6. Data Safety:
A sound example of desktop security versus cloud security is the difference between keeping your money under your mattress rather than in a secure bank.
The former makes you feel safe because it’s within your control, while the latter is safe because it’s kept secure by professionals who specialize in keeping up to date on defenses against those trying to infiltrate that security.
It’s a common myth the cloud computing is LESS secure than traditional data storage because companies no longer have complete control over the storage. Research has debunked this myth.
Data has shown that the physical location of your data matters less than the means of access. If you’re interested in data safety: here is a good article about how data security in the cloud is more secure than traditional methods.
7. Disaster Relief and Prevention: Business Continuity
When hardware goes down or files get destroyed through malfunction or disaster they are gone forever.
When hurricane sandy hit in NJ, countless companies were forced to close because of the disaster. If your company has important data stored on computers, you’re putting your company at risk. (article on disaster recovery here
Within the cloud, data is not deleted and it can easily be recovered.
As you can see, the cloud desktop offers solutions to common concerns and it advances a company’s success in a myriad of ways. From everyday office use to remote employees, security, and data loss prevention, the cloud covers it all.
