Original blog posted by DataEndure Infrastructure Practice Manager, Bryan Chun on linkedin.com
The changes to accommodate remote work have put many IT organizations at a disadvantage. Companies were caught off guard, having put off low priority remote access projects for a later time that are now critical to business operations. The global pandemic forced shelter-in-place for many and will continue to affect where and how people work for the foreseeable future. We have seen a significant uptick in interest and adoption of VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) and DaaS (Desktop as a Service) initiatives to help mitigate work from home challenges.
Why is this? VDI and DaaS offer benefits to the employee and the organization:
- Your IT team is more productive and responsive with centralized and simplified IT desktop management (greater security by remotely managing security features on a company-wide scale, accelerated updates and upgrades)
- You benefit from reduced cost and hardware requirements (eliminating the need for new equipment, VPN hardware, licensing)
- Your employees gain increased mobility and remote access – they can securely access their desktop anywhere from any device – with all applications, documents and data consumable to them as if they were working in the office.
ESG research validates that the top benefits of VDI are improved security, reduced operational expense, and improved employee productivity gains. This is exactly what businesses need right now.
Over the past months, providers have quickly adapted to better meet the needs of businesses. “In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Citrix and VMware are enabling customers to rapidly expand VDI licensing to get remote workers connected to their work resources. As enterprises, agencies and organizations rapidly expand their VDI deployments, user performance is critical.”
Some have used this opportunity to migrate to DaaS (Desktop as a Service) as a way to free their IT resources. Designing, building, running, and maintaining VDI in-house can be challenging due to constraints that may include skills, datacenter space, budget limitations, and staffing. DaaS provides many of the same capabilities and advantages as VDI for end-user: anywhere access to applications and desktops, no data on the end-point, and consume it as a service, from a provider who develops and operates the platform to satisfy your virtual desktop and application needs.
Some popular DaaS providers:
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) - WorkSpaces
- Citrix – Managed Desktops
- VMware - Horizon Cloud
- Microsoft Azure - Windows Virtual Desktop
2020 has forced us all to accommodate a much more dynamic work environment, and companies are needing to be able to quickly adapt to changes known and unknown. Whether it’s an on-premises solution, cloud instance, or managed service, DataEndure is here to help you make the right decision for your business outcome.
