5 Reasons Education Sector Must Use Hosted Virtual Desktop

The education sector is the backbone of any country. The educational institutions shape the future of the current generation as well as lay the foundation for the future generation.

With the evolution of technology, the education sector is also digitalized, and the data is stored on hardware. This calls for the deployment of desktops in every nook and cranny of the institutions.

Although the desktops are very beneficial for the students as well as administration for completion of tasks as well as assessment, the hardware brings with it some inconvenience in the form of desktop procurement, maintenance, and replacement.

To counter the hardware related challenges, the education sector can find a better option in hosted virtual desktops.

Here are some of the benefits that hosted virtual desktop can offer the education sector.

1. Anywhere Access

Times have changed, and the educational sector should change with it. You cannot expect the students to store their files like projects, case studies, or notes in local storage. The students should be able to access their data anytime they want and work on it to meet the deadlines.

To excel in academics, it is vital that the data should be in the grasp of the students even if they are out of the campus. With local desktops, it is not possible. The students have to come to the classrooms daily in order to access the stored files.

Hosted virtual desktop changes all that. The students can use their study-related software on smartphones now. As the virtual desktops are hosted on cloud servers that are racked up in remote data centers, they are platform-independent. It means that the software that usually can be accessed on a computer can be accessed at any place with the help of portable devices.

It reduces the mental stress of the students and improves the flexibility in study hours. The students can work on their projects any time and complete them in time.

Moreover, the students that are unable to attend classes still have access to their notes.

2. Total Data Protection

The students, irrespective of the field of study, store data such as the study material, projects, and assigned tasks in their PCs or laptops. However, storing data in a sole physical device can be risky. If or when the hard disk of the hardware on which the data is stored malfunctions, there is no way it can be recovered.

Also, if the password is compromised, the data can be leaked and could fall into the wrong hands. If the student is working on a laptop, it can be stolen with the data stored in it.

According to Educationdive, the cost of data breaches worldwide averages 245 dollars for each record.

So, what protects the data from hacking, theft, as well as a malfunction? The answer is hosted virtual desktop. The virtual desktop providers ensure that the desktops are deployed in a secure environment.

To ensure the same, security safeguards such as multi-factor authentication, data encryption, access controls, Intrusion Prevention and Detection Systems (IPS & IDS) are implemented. Under such an advanced layer of security, the chances of data leak are next to impossible.

Also, since the data is stored in remote data centers, even if the local end-point device malfunctions or is stolen, the data is still secure and can be accessed from any other device.

3. Cost Saving

One of the major aspects in deciding whether to adopt a certain technology is the cost related to it. The education sector is no different. Like any other sector, every university or academic institution, too, assigns a budget for IT operations. The data related to students need to be stored in local storage devices. In order to perform administrative tasks, the desktops need to be purchased. The students too need the desktop to use software related to their field of study, as well as share and store data.

Once the PCs are purchased, the recurring process of maintenance and upgrade demands a lot of share in the budget. The PCs that malfunction needs to be repaired or replaced altogether completing the PC life cycle.

By opting for hosted virtual desktop services, the educational institutions not only save costs but also become cost-efficient. The difference between the two is that hosted virtual desktops offer a way to benefit from advanced features and service and that too, at a price lower than the local desktop infrastructure.

Since there is no requirement of any physical hardware at the premises, the Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) reduces significantly. Moreover, the VDI technology used to deploy virtual desktops enables the ability to turn off the desktops when not in use.

Since the hosted virtual desktop providers only charge you when the desktops are in use, you can save additional costs. Hence, during vacation time, there is practically no cost incurred as the virtual desktops are not utilizing any resources. This cost optimization is not possible in case of local PCs, as they are already purchased.

4. Low Maintenance

As already mentioned in the previous section, there are additional costs related to hardware maintenance and replacement. However, besides the costs, the effort involved in performing these tasks can hamper productivity of any institution.

An educational institution consists of various departments such as admission, administration, teaching, as well as finance. The desktops need to be configured separately for every classroom and administrative office. This can cause a headache for the IT team.

However, with the help of VDI technology, desktop pools can be created. The desktop pools are a group of desktops with similar configuration. Hence, you can create separate desktop pools for each department and replicate the configuration to all the desktops in that pool. Hence, you get the desktops configured conveniently and in no time.

5. All-Time Availability

A distinguishing factor between the on-premise desktop and the hosted ones is the availability factor.

One might think that the local desktops being on the premises itself would be more accessible. However, the local hardware can be the victim of an event that can cause the loss of data or hardware malfunction. These events, called disruptive events, can be anything from a cyber attack to an earthquake.

In the case of hosted desktops, to ensure that the desktops are always available, the providers implement various measures and guarantee an uptime value in their SLA. The hosting providers are legally bound to provide you with the mentioned uptime.

Also, the virtual desktop hosting providers implement Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery so that your data is available even in times of a disaster.

Streamlining the Education Process

The hosted desktop is a good fit with the educational institutions as it offers a level of convenience in the ways of function. The data is stored centrally in remote location that enables security from local events that could hamper productivity. It also leads to improved collaboration between the administration, teachers as well as students.

With hosted virtual desktops, you get more security, resources, and flexibility at a lower cost.