Cloud Desktops Are Here to Stay, and Here’s Why
With its array of folders and files and its familiar background picture and theme, a desktop is your customized control panel. This is the first thing you’ll encounter when you power up your Mac or PC and contains everything you need for your entire day’s activities.
Customarily, the hard drive stores all the desktop elements, so only a single device contains the documents, applications, and other daily business essentials. But the Cloud Desktop is altering this norm.
With the revolutionary cloud desktop, the elements that appear on your desktop, including your operating system, preferences, and settings, are no longer stored in the hard drive. Instead, they’re on the web.
This allows you to access the Cloud Desktop (also known as the virtual or hosted desktop) from any device or location through an internet connection. As a result, working on the go and remote work settings are significantly easier to achieve and with higher productivity levels.
What Does a Cloud Desktop Entail?
The Cloud Desktop is sometimes called a hosted desktop, desktop-as-a-service (DaaS), or virtual desktop. Crucially, it serves an end-user like their devices’ standard desktop. So whenever they power up their computer, they’re presented with every software or file they need for work. The only difference with the traditional Microsoft Windows desktop is that the necessary data, settings, and OS are delivered via the web.
A Cloud Desktop leverages the internet’s power to deliver an easy to use and quick computing system. This provides the flexibility to access a collection of apps and services through a smartphone, tablet, or other devices. Instead of being tied to your desktop, you’ll enjoy the freedom of performing different functions from everywhere.
Cloud Desktop vs. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)?
The Cloud Desktop is mostly confused with the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, but they’re different. With a VDI, your in-house IT team loads and manages the server hosted within a datacenter. You’re also responsible for managing licenses, hardware, software, and how the infrastructure is used throughout the organization. If this feels like a heavy responsibility and too much work, it is.
Another setback is that a weak network connection can compromise its performance and efficiency. Scalability is also a challenge. Expanding the VDI infrastructure as your company grows makes it hard to balance the greater capacity with the inevitably increasing operational costs.
Compare all this with a Cloud Desktop setup that hosts all your data, apps, and operating system in the cloud, and a third-party service provider manages everything. So instead of handling VDI hassles like licensing and management, you’ll just pay a subscription and let the vendor address the technical side and management.
You don’t need a virtual desktop expert in-house. What’s more, scalability is a breeze with a Cloud Desktop. It’s easy to downsize or upsize on-demand, and you’ll just pay for what you need.
This is partly why more organizations are opting for cloud desktops. However, there are also numerous benefits to enjoy with this advanced technology.
Why A Cloud Desktop Is Here to Stay
Workforce mobility is a dominant factor for a competitive edge in today’s technology-driven world. A recent T-Mobile study notes that 63% of organizations globally consider mobility as the most crucial contributor to business competitiveness. A Cloud Desktop is designed to deliver just that.
From security to cost savings, you’ll enjoy numerous benefits when you switch from the traditional “single computer” model to the more flexible Cloud Desktop. Let’s explore.
- Availability – A Cloud Desktop lets you access your desktop over the web from anywhere and from any device. You’ll get the same experience since the applications’ functionality and performance levels will maintain even when you’re relying on wireless broadband.
- Workplace flexibility – Probably the most obvious benefit, a Cloud Desktop lets your team access everything they need from any location, device, and in any situation. Generally, this results in a significant increase in workplace flexibility. This is great considering up to 87% of organizations have implemented the BYOD (Bring-your-Own-Device) culture.
- Reduced capital expenditure – A Cloud Desktop eliminates the need for new servers and PCs or software license upgrade payments. Instead of investing in assets with depreciating value, you’ll invest your resources in key strategic investments.
- Reduced maintenance costs – A Cloud Desktop system doesn’t come with maintenance costs as you would experience with a traditional PC for all your company’s staff. It centralizes desktop management and allows you to install affordable client devices with shorter lifecycles and reduced moving parts.
- A more productive team – A Cloud Desktop interface almost certainly boosts productivity due to its agile and lean operations and staff flexibility. It allows you to maintain productivity in more secure environments in the face of disaster.
- Scalability – Cloud Desktops allow you to add unlimited computers and devices to the system, allowing you to scale from 20 desktops to 60,000 or more quickly. Even better, you don’t require any capital expenditure spending. So if you open a new branch, you’ll need hours to set up your desktops.
- Safety security and resilience – This new approach guarantees safe desktop log-on via Microsoft’s Remote Desktop protocol encryption. You also control your data security since you can limit access to specific files, folders, and applications. This enhances your compliance posture and assures you of the ultimate data privacy and security.
- Multi-geography – Cloud Desktop solutions are designed and tested for multiple datacenter deployments, even across several continents. As a result, you can deploy the service wherever you require and move it appropriately according to your end-users’ movements. Notably, you’ll execute this multi-site functionality inside the platform, which isn’t possible if you run an enterprise VDI solution.
Cloud Desktop Services Across The United States
Most businesses are migrating their critical applications, data, and operating systems from physical PCs to the cloud environment. A Cloud Desktop is an excellent computing solution that allows your teams to work on various devices from distinct locations. Instead of storing all your vital digital resources on a local hard drive, you’ll get to enjoy immense flexibility and availability.
Of course, it would help if you work alongside a reliable IT service provider to meet the current business demands. Mathe is your trusted IT partner for an excellent hosted desktop offering founded on the reputable Citrix Cloud Desktop technologies. We’ll help you extend your current in-house software deployments and get the most from the Cloud Desktop.
Consult with us for free to learn more.
With over 35 years in the business of supporting and implementing technology for the SME market, and 6 years previously in Corporate IT and Voice. I have seen a great deal of change. The only common thread is I have always focused on the Business Wise application of Technology. We always try to look 5 years ahead of the current technology to make sure our clients are on the right track to meet current and future needs.
