Gone Are The Days for Local Desktop: Its Time for Hosted Desktops

Whether in an office or at home, we are all familiar with the headache that comes with a desktop computer. According to Gartner, the PC life cycle consists of four stages – Procurement, Deployment, Management, and Retirement.

It means that the desktops are first purchased keeping in consideration the business requirement along with the costs. Next, the desktops have to be configured and setup for each user. After the deployment of desktops, they need to be maintained and the software updated regularly.

Lastly, the desktops come to the retirement phase where they cannot function properly, and new desktops need to be procured. The PC life cycle is perpetual and leads to recurring hardware costs.

According to Spiceworks, the total allocation of IT budget for desktops is 18 percent. Imagine if you could reduce this cost to minimal. It has now become possible with hosted virtual desktops.

The virtual desktop providers offer the customers with Desktop as a Service (DaaS) delivery model. Under this model, the virtual desktops are hosted on remote cloud servers that the customers can access remotely.

Since there are no desktops, the PC life cycle and all the hassles related to it perish out of existence. All you get is a secure and flexible infrastructure to host your data and access your desktops.

Here are some of the reasons why using hosted virtual desktop services is a better option than implementing the local desktop infrastructure.

1. The Inability of Remote Access

The primary reason for replacing the local desktops with virtual desktops is the ease-of-use that the virtual desktop offer in comparison to the bulky physical ones. Who wants to go to office daily if he/she can do the same task at home?

With local desktop setup, you have to access the desktops from the office itself. You can use some remote desktop software or get remote desktop services to access your desktop. However, both of these methods do not compare to the performance offered by hosted virtual desktops.

Hosted virtual desktops empower you with the ability to access your desktop at any time of the day and from any place. As the desktops are hosted on remote cloud servers and can be accessed over an Internet connection, it does not matter whether you are traveling or in a park.

This kind of independence makes employees more relaxed and productive.

2. Tedious IT Operations

More the desktops, more the issues! In the local desktop scenario, a standard office space with 80-100 physical desktops calls for massive IT troubles. Hence, to troubleshoot the IT issues, you also need a team of experts employed round-the-clock.

Each desktop needs to be maintained on a timely basis. If an internal component such as RAM or hard disk needs to be replaced, it should be done manually. The software installed on the desktops also needs to be updated regularly.

To counter these challenges, the businesses can look for Hosted Virtual Desktop as the solution. The hosted virtual desktop providers offering Desktop as a Service (DaaS) include dedicated customer support as a part of their services.

Executives are available at your beck and call offering a quick and efficient resolution in no time. The DaaS providers are responsible for managing as well as upgrading your desktops and the underlying software.

In addition to this, as the desktops are virtual and hosted on the DaaS provider’s remote data center, the requirement for local desktop is next to none. Hence, as the hardware in the local setup reduces, so does the IT hassles.

3. Lack of Data Protection

Data protection is the most critical aspect of every business process. In today’s world, data holds the key to business optimization and growth. As the data is so essential to the organization, every step necessary should be taken to ensure its security and integrity.

In the local setup environment, the businesses do their best to ensure data protection. However, the hardware limitations do not allow them to deploy a secure environment for the data. The data of the physical desktops is stored in local hard drives that can crash easily. The data can be backed up in local servers, but it requires extra space.

Also, if the entire physical location is affected by a hazardous event such as an earthquake or a cyber attack, there is no way your data can be recovered.

The DaaS providers, on the other hand, implement Business Continuity plan that ensures proper risk as well as crisis management. With the help of risk management, the DaaS providers allow identification of risks and its prevention.

Moreover, with the help of Disaster Recovery, the critical data is protected even in times of a disaster. This is achieved with the help of redundant backup servers at multiple geographic locations in which the data is stored.

4. Scalability: A Problem

The most unappealing aspect of the local desktop environment is its rigid nature. If a software requires an upgrade in system specification, the desktop must be upgraded by the IT team. Scaling is a tedious task in the case of a local desktop. As everything is in physical form, the desktop specification can only be changed manually with hardware replacement.

Moreover, if the office comprises of multiple departments such as HR, Accounting, Development, Marketing, Sales, etc., each department requires desktops of different configuration, software as well as an operating system for their process. Hence, every group of desktops should be configured individually.

The hosted virtual desktops empower the businesses with easy scaling of desktops. The virtual desktops are created on Virtual Machines (VMs), the specifications of which can be changed almost instantaneously. Hence, if you want a desktop to be upgraded from 4 GB to 8 GB RAM, it can be achieved without hardware replacement.

In addition to this, the VDI technology implemented by the hosted virtual desktop providers enables the creation of desktop pools. A desktop pool is a group of virtual desktops with an identical specification. Each desktop pool can be allotted to separate departments and changes to a desktop pool can be implemented simultaneously, saving time and effort.

5. Costs: On the Higher Side

In the end, everything boils down to the cost of a service. No matter how advanced or efficient a service may be if it is not in your budget, it is out of reach. Moreover, the Capital Expenditure (CAPEX), as well as the Operation Expenses (OPEX), need to be evaluated to decide on choosing between on-premise desktops and DaaS.

If you choose to go the way of local desktop setup, first things first, a physical space needs to be allocated for the physical desktops. Given the state of real estate, it can cost a hefty sum of money.

Secondly, the physical desktops have to be purchased from the vendor. The software used nowadays require high specifications to function. Hence, you have to ensure that all the desktops have the latest technology and high specs. Thirdly, there are complementary costs associated with physical desktops such as power and air conditioning.

Besides, the desktops are physical and can malfunction due to external factors such as overheating. Hence, the desktops have to be replaced in case of such an event. Also, a part of the budget has to be set aside for the IT operations.

However, all these costs can be reduced to null by opting for virtual desktop hosting services. You do not need to buy any costly hardware as the virtual desktops can be accessed with cheap portable devices such as thin clients, smartphones, laptops, and tablets with minimum configuration.

Since there are no physical laptops, a compact space is sufficient for your office. You do not need an IT team to manage your desktops as the hosted desktop providers manage it for you. Also, the desktops are updated regularly by the service providers.

The only cost related to virtual desktop hosting is the bill you have to pay at the end of every month which is quite affordable with respect to the local setup.

No Desktops, No Issues!

Every business looks for ways to reduce budget overhead and streamline their functioning. With the elimination of physical desktops, the entire PC lifecycle and all the hassles related to it can be avoided completely.

The adoption of hosted virtual desktop makes your business process secure, scalable, and remotely accessible. It prevents recurring costs related to physical desktops and IT-related processes like hardware maintenance and replacement.

Have you opted for hosted virtual desktop yet? Tell us your views in the comments section.