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Desktop as a Service (DaaS) is a virtual desktop deployment model in which the virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) technology is hosted on cloud. It allows organizations to deliver cloud-hosted desktops to their employees and provides them access to their enterprise applications and data from any device, any location and at any time. Gartner defines Desktop as a service (DaaS) as an offering that provides users with an on-demand, virtualized desktop experience delivered from a remotely hosted location. It includes provisioning, patching and maintenance of the management plane and resources to host workloads.
In DaaS, the storage, network resources, and other support infrastructure are hosted in the cloud. A DaaS service provider streams the applications and data over a network to the end-users’ devices through thin/zero clients, where the employees can access their desktop through a client software or a web browser with the necessary authentication.
In the past few months, mainly due to the Covid-19 pandemic, DaaS adoption has accelerated at a never-before-seen rate as enterprises need to support their remote workers and provide a secure work environment increased significantly. According to Gartner, Desktop as a service (DaaS) market revenue grew by 98% in 2020 compared to 2019, and it is forecast to grow by 68% in 2021. DaaS offers a reliable and cost effective remote working option for enterprises to provide their employees a long-term and sustainable remote working technology that is highly secure and allows employees to access enterprise applications from multiple devices and locations.
Figure 1: DaaS architecture
Desktop as a Service (DaaS) provides organizations access to enterprise applications and workloads hosted on public or private cloud. The workforce can access their desktops using an internet or via a web-based browser securely on the device of their choice.
DaaS is mostly available as a pay as you go subscription model where organizations pay only for what they consume. The VDI infrastructure is hosted on cloud and is rendered on the device using a thin or zero client.
Standard DaaS providers deliver the virtualization technology while a managed desktop as a service (DaaS) provider takes care of end-to-end implementation and management of the virtual environment. Managed DaaS providers like Anunta provides a complete freedom to organizations from the pains of implementation (provisioning, configuration, and integration) and management (incident and problem management, change and patch updates) of virtual desktops.
Figure 2: VDI vs DaaS
In Desktop as a Service (DaaS), the desktops and applications are hosted on either a public or private cloud as compared by VDI, where the workloads are hosted on an organization’s own data center. DaaS is a cost-effective option to adopt virtual desktops as no upfront expenditure is required to procure servers, physical spaces, and resources, etc. It is flexible to deploy and supports geographically distributed end-users as compared to VDI where user proximity to data center is required. DaaS can be scaled up at any time without much hassle.
Anunta works with leading enterprises globally to enable workplace transformation by adoption of Desktop as a Service(DaaS) across cloud providers (Microsoft Azure, VMware’s Horizon cloud on Azure, VMC on AWS, Amazon Web Services, and private cloud).
DaaS can help organizations achieve anytime access to their applications and workloads and change the dynamics of how the employee work. Using DaaS can also help improve the performance and productivity of employees as they are able to securely access the data on any device.
Some of the key benefits of DaaS are as follows:
Employees can access their applications, desktops, and data over the internet via PC, laptop, tablet, and smartphones from anywhere, keeping them productive, no matter where they work.
Rapidly scale up and down (bringing hosted desktops online or pushing new applications across a hosted desktop estate) depending on your business needs, whether it is, M&A, staffing temporary workers during peak seasons, managing contractors, or opening branch offices.
The continuous availability of desktop coupled with the centralized storage and backup of data enables businesses to stay up and running in the event of a natural disaster or any other unforeseen event.
Pay for only what you use through monthly or yearly subscription models. This helps reduce capital expenses by doing away with investment in desktop hardware, servers and licensing and thereby using those funds for more value-added initiatives. Adopting DaaS can also help businesses enjoy more predictable operational expenses.
Data is held and regularly backed up in a secure hosted environment and so it is secure. DaaS provides users with a secure access point and simplifies desktop and app management processes and procedures.
The future of work has changed as the workplace shifts to home. The need to expand remote work solutions has pushed businesses and their IT teams to re-consider End-User Computing (EUC) technologies like VDI & DaaS.
DaaS is helping organizations to overcome the remote work challenges such as data security, accessibility, and operational issues. With remote working becoming the new normal, DaaS adoption is one way to cater to the organization’s scalability and flexible pricing needs in the long term.
According to Gartner, DaaS adoption is expected to grow at 44% by 2023, contributing to more than 50% of annual spending on Remote Client Computing by 2023.
Desktop as a Service (DaaS) provides most organizations the flexibility to migrate their physical desktops to cloud securely. A few of the common use cases of DaaS which organizations can use include
Figure 3: Use cases of Desktop as a Service
Typical DaaS solution provides organizations with the hardware infrastructure and software with basic support but leaves the enterprise’s IT teams to deal with setting up and managing the virtual desktops. This includes provisioning, configuration, integration, migration, and management which require specialized expertise often not available in-house. Anunta’s Managed DaaS provides end to end delivery of the desktops on the cloud with comprehensive 24X7 support and takes away all the pain of managing the new environment.
Learn why Anunta’s Managed Desktop as a Service is the right and long-term solution for your business. Anunta’s Managed Desktop as a Service provides you with fully managed virtual desktops on Cloud platforms of your choice (Azure, Horizon Cloud or AWS) depending on the needs of enterprises. Provide your workforce the power of cloud desktops as a secure, sustainable, and scalable solution for remote working.
Anunta Managed DaaS is available for both enterprises and small-medium businesses (SMBs). Anunta’s DesktopReady is a fully managed virtual desktop solution built on the inherently secure and high-performing Azure® cloud. DesktopReady requires no upfront capital expenditure or separate setup costs. Request a demo for DesktopReady.
Anunta is the only managed desktop as a service provider (DaaS) provider to feature as a representative vendor in Gartner Market Guide for DaaS among other DaaS providers mentioned in the list by Gartner. The Market Guide provides an overview about DaaS market and shares a list of representative vendors, including Anunta.
Anunta is a recognized specialist and a leading managed desktop as a service provider focused on managed desktops and digital workspaces. Anunta offers an end-to-end design, implementation, and management of cloud hosted desktops for clients globally.
Anunta’s Managed DaaS services include:
Girish Srinivas is Sr. Vice President - Technical Design & Service Delivery Head at Anunta. He has over two decades of experience in the IT Design & Operations. His expertise lies in Cloud Computing, Application Delivery Specialization, Server Virtualization, Data Center and Network Landscape.