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Technology in workplaces has become indispensable, citing today’s ever-changing market conditions and end-user demands. In fact, digital transformation is the antidote to multiple issues associated with conventional workplaces, including low engagement, inadequate collaboration, and inept operations. Part of the credit goes to the new working patterns in light of COVID-19 that have accelerated the pace of digital workplace transformation.

As technology drastically remodels industry after industry, enterprises are engaging in at-length change efforts to grab the value at stake or maintain market competitiveness. However, in a hyperconnected economy where business growth identically relies on both workers and customers, several companies are yet to focus on employee productivity in digital workplace environments.

While spending in digital workspaces has only witnessed an uptrend, there is limited proof to substantiate technology’s role in boosting workplace efficiency. As such, organizations must reinvent their workplaces to function in sync and connect with their employees irrespective of their locations, time zones, and devices. Put simply, connecting workforce experience to business outcomes.

This article elaborates on key strategies that will help organizations uncover the power of workplace transformation and ensure optimal employee productivity.

Foster Open-ended Discussions throughout the Corporate Hierarchy

Communication is the cornerstone of any workplace transformation framework. Employees resist change when business leaders force it upon them. As such, organizations must bring all the employees together and welcome their queries and opinions.

Various high-ranking officials must exhibit technology prowess to encourage enterprise-wide adaptation. After all, change is a team effort. The boardroom-level discussion should begin from the top and involve employees throughout the corporate ladder.

The Chief Information Officer (CIO), in particular, should take charge of building digital-driven synergies across their companies. Moreover, they must effectively bridge the gap between the actual technology deployment and employees’ concerns and demands.

Even though the digital workplace transformation is in motion, the C-suite must keep the floor open, continuously asking for employees’ input. During the early stages of tech-based changes, company-wide communication is thus considerably vital.

Build a More Collaborative Landscape

Robust collaboration and communication are paramount in enhancing employee productivity through digital change as they linearly affect workforce culture and how workers perform their duties.

Remote and hybrid working models have become crucial for workplace transformation initiatives. With COVID-19 keeping everybody tethered to their respective homes, companies often suffer disordered communication between employees, leading to conflicts and misconceptions.

Employees now seek liberty to access enterprise tech solutions to work from anywhere and on devices of their choice. In order to develop a collaborative work environment, businesses must connect their employees with the appropriate tools and processes. In doing so, they can make necessary tweaks and create a positive atmosphere for remote work communication while warding off unwanted stressors.

That way, they can smoothly fill the gap between offline and online collaboration. Besides, workplace transformation tools offer a straightforward way for remote employees to communicate and collaborate in real-time. This truly creates “anytime, anywhere” access to corporate data, tools, and resources.

Furthermore, digital tools help eliminate generational gaps and bring together employees of all age cohorts. They help keep every employee accountable and ensure better inter-departmental collaboration.

Monitor Employee Productivity in Real-time

Several service-based firms have enacted remote working policies over the past few months. However, forging a capable remote workforce is miles from being easy. From managing global resource clusters to delayed decision-making to lack of accountability, remote managers have to negotiate multiple obstacles.

During digital workplace transformation, organizations must keep a constant on employees to determine:

  • How digitization is helping employees
  • Whether businesses fulfilled the initial objective of digitization
  • Areas of improvement throughout enterprise-wide digitization

Companies must capture these insights during and after post-digital workplace strategy. Then, they should determine the key performance indicators (KPI) necessary for evaluation before deploying the technology. These KPIs help determine whether the results gathered from real-time monitoring align with the organizations’ workplace transformation goals.

Moreover, they help underline the elements that require improvement and maintenance. In the case of the former, organizations should conduct a meeting with all employees and stakeholders to discuss the same.

Invest in Training Programs

New technologies surface frequently, and organizations need to keep pace with them. As businesses bid goodbye to legacy systems, they must arm their workforces with the relevant skill set to operate the new digital solution. That said, not all employees are tech-savvy. At times, even those fluent in technology take a while to become familiar with the recently utilized platform.

Companies must organize and schedule holistic training programs for employees to educate them about the direct and indirect changes digital workplace transformation will deliver. Such coaching sessions help employees build relevant capabilities to survive the dynamic business environment.

Some effective ways of training employees in new digital solutions include:

  • Approaching in-house subject matter experts for training
  • Product/application training by a third-party service provider
  • Online learning resources such as videos, e-courses, and quizzes
  • Using sandboxes to enable experimentation with technologies without affecting the primary IT system

Business leaders should motivate every employee, regardless of their corporate rank or department, to undergo immersive training to fuel tech adoption. Particularly if the technology used is still in its early days. Furthermore, organizations will not be ready for change if their workforces are not.

Focus on Improving Employee Experience

Employees are the heart of any corporate workplace. Including them in the planning phase of any workplace transformation framework is critical. In addition, employee experience and customer experience are innately linked.

Understanding how to step up employee productivity and engagement should form the basis of an effective digital transition. That said, productivity slumps happening early in the transformation journey are natural as employees need time to adjust to the new tool or application.

For this, businesses can perform comprehensive research through the following techniques:

  • Individual feedback forms
  • Polls and surveys
  • Meetings with team/department representatives

When CIOs learn how the current employee experience squares with the desired experience, they can take actions to better align both within their workplace transformation strategy.

For instance, if employees experience communication inefficiency, senior officials should form an online forum that makes internal communications more accessible and appropriate.

Or, suppose the remote workforce cannot be in full swing due to constant toggling between browser tabs, wrestling with recurring sign-ins, and searching for resources. In that case, a digital workplace platform will be sufficient.

Elevating workforce experience has a domino effect on customer experience as employees can work in their preferred methods and thus offer higher grades of service.

Deploy Suitable Workplace Transformation Technologies

Similar to how companies assign employees specific tasks, they must also appropriate business operations to particular digital technologies. An effective way is to consider a specific department and single out a certain workflow to determine what processes hold well with particular tools or solutions.

Case in point, a company’s IT division needs to focus on a strategic project. However, they lack enough labor pool as they are occupied attending inbound calls and maintaining print servers. The on-site print equipment is disturbing the IT team’s ability to concentrate on core enterprise initiatives.

In this case, the company must look for digital solutions that help remove the existing burden by shifting the print infrastructure offsite.

While deciding on which departments and which workflows to consider, starting with the trickiest areas is an impressive move. Perhaps, processes pose challenges because existing technologies are not aligned with the employees who utilize them.

Moreover, suppose the solution used in a particular workflow is well-aligned with its users, yet inefficiencies persist. In that case, businesses must determine if the technology is assigned to suitable tasks.

Once enterprises optimize how they assign tasks to workplace transformation solutions, they can further capitalize on how employees are leveraging these technologies.

Make Ample Room for Experimentation

For several employees, digital workplace transformation involves stepping out of their comfort zone. A culture where experimentation is advocated is helpful for those new to the digital game. Employees can then effortlessly experiment with new technologies without worrying about the repercussions of mistakes.

Secondly, regular trial-and-error helps unlock innovative and faster ways of performing everyday duties, improving employee productivity and, thus, operational efficiency. Indeed, the odds of employees sticking with the same company for over three years surge by 85% if the workplace transformation solutions support them in their work.

Democratizing Technology to Drive Intelligent Workforce

Understanding the purpose, functionalities, and tools of digital workplaces is critical to devising a robust workplace transformation strategy. Even more, mission-critical is offering mobility and flexibility to employees scattered across continents as they work more and more from home, in the office, or even on the go.

While organizations’ rigorous efforts to digitize their workplaces are commendable, most focus on only business metrics, and a handful of them emphasize employee productivity.

Workforce efficacy and engagement are essential to success. Placing employees at the center of your workplace transformation strategy helps change how they collaborate, complete their tasks, and eventually deliver tangible business outcomes.

Creating a balance between remote or hybrid work and cybersecurity is something most businesses are yet to achieve. A recent survey reveals that nearly 7 out of 10 cyberattacks target remote employees, triggering disruption of day-to-day operations, loss of classified information, and ransomware pay-out.

With work from anywhere (WFA) here to stay and more organizations deploying virtual desktops than ever seen, IT pros are facing the imperative of safeguarding their companies’ vital digital assets for increasingly distributed workforces. As a response, C-level executives are resorting to Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) to provide secure remote access to critical resources.

One of the primary reasons driving this shift is that DaaS security solutions empower end-users to securely log in to virtual systems without retrieving data from local devices. Plus, companies can achieve this with the scale and speed WFA demands, irrespective of the employees’ devices and locations.

As a result, the odds of cyber intrusion slump while enabling IT teams to implement zero-trust network access (ZTNA) for mission-critical resources. Best of all, end-users experience the same security and centralization benefits that conventional desktop virtualization services provide, alongside decreased cost and better scalability.

In this article, we will lay bare the key benefits of DaaS security systems.

DRaaS for Asset Restoration

Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) is a third-party cloud service that backs up and recovers a company’s critical resources in case of disasters – natural or human-made.

DRaaS vendors simulate a company’s primary settings (physical and virtual) for fast recovery of applications and data whenever required. They can kick-start asset recoveries from any touchpoint using devices of nearly any sort. This enables companies to restore their critical resources directly to a disaster recovery site in a different location if their data centers are unavailable.

The cloud servers immediately replicate any changes happening at the primary site, updating automatically and recovering environments shortly before an outage. Moreover, to prevent data loss during failover, DRaaS providers capture snapshots of the businesses’ resources now and then.

Generally, DRaaS expectations and requirements are documented in a service-level agreement (SLA). Additionally, third-party providers offer failover to a cloud environment through a contract or on a pay-as-you-go basis.

MFA for Additional Security Walls

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a multi-tier account sign-in process that allows users to access digital assets only after validating their identity with at least one verification factor on top of a conventional user ID and password. MFA includes the following steps:

  • Something you know: Includes PINs, passwords, and answers to security questions.
  • Something you have: Includes time-sensitive one-time passwords (OTP) delivered by email, text, or a secure link.
  • Something you are: Includes biometrics such as fingerprints, face or iris scans, and keystroke patterns.

While passwords protect a company’s digital assets, they do leave an insecure vector for cyberattacks. Cyberattackers are always on the hunt for passwords. By cracking a single password, they can potentially gain access to multiple enterprise accounts, especially the C-suite, for which users might have re-entered the password. MFA provides an extra security layer to keep suspicious users from accessing these business accounts, even when the password is compromised.

SSO for Simplified Logins

Single sign-on (SSO) is an authentication technique allowing users to access multiple DaaS applications and systems using one set of login credentials. It runs on a trust relationship between the service provider (a website and application) and the identity provider. This relationship sustains by exchanging digital certificates and metadata, helping service providers confirm the source’s reliability.

Additionally, both parties communicate with each other through open standards – Open Authorization (OAuth), Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML), or OpenID Connect (OIDC).

SSO centralizes administering the ever-increasing number of enterprise accounts without compromising security or getting stuck in endless account provisioning. With automated credentials management, IT admins no longer need to manually monitor all the employees’ access to the DaaS applications. As such, human error subsides, and IT teams gain more time for more vital tasks.

Besides, SSO enables companies to quickly remove access to all their resources in one place if an employee resigns.

Compliance with Industry Norms

Most (if not all) sectors have established regulations dictating data storage and transmission to ensure its privacy and security. Case in point, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) of 2004 devises controls and policies to secure customers’ credit/debit card details. Likewise, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 sets the norms for confidential patient data protection.

Complying with these legislative norms can be overwhelming for organizations. Fortunately, effective DaaS security programs produce reports that are always in line with prominent data security standards. Such automatic compliance is instrumental in making corporate work more convenient.

Updates and Security Patches

Online threats are continuously on the rise as cybercriminals keep innovating ways to break into an organization’s IT fabric. As such, regular updates and security patches are essential to sustaining a secure IT ecosystem.

Conventional security frameworks do not guarantee timely updates or as frequently as needed, thus increasing the attack surface. Using DaaS security, however, companies experience up-to-the-moment security features as the cloud vendor ensures rapid deployment of security updates as soon as they become available. Moreover, as the hardware resides in centralized locations, this process gets more streamlined.

DaaS security patches and updates are necessary as no shipped software is error- and vulnerability-proof. In addition, the software development cycles get rather shorter than longer – often creating more exposure – and the cybercriminal base globally is expanding. Hence, automated updates from numerous threat intelligence engines safeguard organizations’ IT infrastructure and users from all the latest known digital risks.

24/7 Monitoring for Faster Response

Time is a crucial factor once cybercriminals release malware or ransomware into an enterprise’s IT framework. The longer threat detection and mitigation take, the greater the damage companies might endure. Legacy security models react slowly compared to their cloud-enabled counterparts, as the IT team could be unavailable throughout the day to respond to cyber threats.

DaaS security providers offer a dedicated monitoring crew in the subscription that constantly watches over organizations’ networks round-the-clock for any suspicious data traffic activity. If identified any, the cybersecurity experts promptly respond and nullify the offending act. This rapid response ensures limited damage to businesses’ IT architecture.

At-length Visibility across the Network

Data loss does not always occur due to digital intrusions. It can also result from the carelessness of employees managing classified information. Again, with cloud models, organizations might think they are sacrificing control. But DaaS security services provide complete control over employees’ activity. Case in point: who can access critical resources, who has logged in, and when.

Besides, through DaaS security solutions, companies can access analytical insights about data inventory, including location and condition – if the hardware is obsolete or linked to untrusted networks. Consequently, they will receive notifications in real-time and take necessary measures.

The visibility level of DaaS security platforms significantly empowers companies to monitor and pinpoint malicious conduct and practices that could plague their security posture.

ZTNA for Access Control

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) runs on the idea that threats exist both outside and within an organization’s networks every moment. ZTNA solutions grant access only at the application layer on a need-only basis to curtail risk and avoid lateral movement on enterprise networks.

The ZTNA model constantly verifies and monitors users’ identities, privileges and devices during data access or transfer on a private corporate network. This process does not rely on whether the user is inside or outside that network perimeter.

ZTNA masks the connections between business services, devices, and assets. Once the DaaS security system authenticates a user’s identity, ZTNA gives the green signal for access to specific corporate resources via an encrypted channel. The encrypted security adds another layer shielding everything on the other side of the encrypted channel from illicit access.

The entire process blends filtering, analytics, and logging to validate behavior and continually look for signs of compromise. If a device or user, for instance, acts suspiciously, the DaaS security provider monitors and pinpoints it as a potential threat.

This continuous monitoring defeats several common cybersecurity threats. Malicious actors can no longer exploit corporate networks’ weak points and manipulate confidential data and applications later.

DaaS Security: A Quick Fix for Thwarting Digital Trespassing

Managing a remote/hybrid workforce comes with stressful security challenges for a business’s stakeholders. This nudges organizations to take their workloads to the cloud as cybercrime frequency continues to increase.

DaaS security solutions have now become an indispensable attribute of enterprises’ security strategies. Training workforces on best cybersecurity and data management practices does play a crucial role in shielding organizations from threat actors. However, that is only a piece of the puzzle. DaaS platforms help reduce any concerns regarding cybersecurity risks to businesses’ workforces spanning across regions.

The 2020-2021 timeline witnessed Desktop as a Service (DaaS) ascending from a linear evolution to an exponential one as the business economy went virtual. With companies embracing remote and hybrid workplaces, data-native strategies, and global supply chains, the appetite for DaaS-based solutions is only becoming stronger and ever-growing.

These cloud computing technologies are now a cornerstone for organizations looking to work smarter, focus on their core operations, and complete projects faster. From banks’ C-suite shepherding the development of innovative digital banking applications to warehouse managers striving to strip complexity from their transportation and logistics, the use cases for DaaS are limitless.

With highly scalable platforms, on-command computing power, and a more resilient approach to IT expenditure, the cloud has climbed from a budding technology to an integral IT asset. As such, more companies are shifting toward a cloud-first strategy, and as they do, we are likely to observe the following DaaS trends very shortly.

The AI-Cloud Synergy

The confluence of cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and its subset, machine learning (ML), will soon gather center stage. AI/ML-enabled platforms consume massive data bandwidth and processing power to process and analyze data. Well-engineered cloud computing technologies make these capabilities considerably more cost-effective than other solutions.

Conversely, AI and ML help organizations glean additional value from the ever-increasing data chunks. From e-commerce brands testing their websites’ performance in real-time to logistics companies assessing their transportation networks’ efficacy, AI/ML enables organizations to make the most of the data and operate better.

Common AI applications, from social media filters to Google searches, happen through the cloud. Additionally, the technology that redirects traffic from data centers to end-user devices and controls storage runs on ML.

What is more, cloud solutions help democratize AI and ML, thus expanding the user base. Consequently, even budget-constraint businesses can leverage the potential of these oft-cited technologies to develop innovative offerings.

Serverless Cloud to Go Mainstream

Serverless computing, also called function-as-a-service (FaaS), takes the burden of infrastructure management and server provisioning off users’ shoulders. Instead, the cloud vendor dynamically manages the underlying infrastructure and allocates computing resources as per the needs of running applications.

A subset of Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), serverless cloud particularly benefits companies requiring colossal processing power but in short bursts. Case in point, compiling and running software code.

Serverless computing is a pay-per-use system; companies need not have to squander their money on storage and bandwidth upfront. As such, they can build new applications and utilize greater computing power at a fair price and in less time. Also, old-line organizations can launch new digital services without overwhelming their already-stretched IT crews.

Besides, a serverless cloud helps remove the risk of back-end failures and offers safe sandboxes for coding and innovating. Indeed, the deployment of serverless architecture will soar by about 22% CAGR during 2022-2027.

Hybrid and Multi-cloud to Become the De Facto Strategies

Previously, businesses have had two options while shifting their workloads to the cloud – public or private models. The former was easily accessible and offered pay-as-you-go services, while the latter was more flexible and provided better security for data storage.

Fortunately, hybrid cloud models combine the best of both experiences. According to a report, 8 out of 10 business owners are taking the hybrid approach – melding the potential of both private and public clouds.
Public servers can store a fraction of easily and frequently accessed data through dashboards, tools, and applications. At the same time, private servers can safeguard more confidential or mission-critical assets, which IT admins can track and process using patented applications.

With that considered, organizations are looking to distribute internal processing and storage requirements across multiple cloud platforms, often from numerous providers, based on the use cases. Hence, they are flocking to the multi-cloud environments to use a slew of solutions from different vendors. Empirical evidence suggests that about 90% of companies implement a multi-cloud model.

Cloud Security to Climb up in Businesses’ Agenda

Cybercrimes are already on the rise. On average, a data breach costs US$ 4.35 Mn, a 2.6% increment from the 2021 number. In response, cloud providers are infusing their services with best-in-breed data defenses to address existing issues, including bandwidth constraints and repercussions of sharing data from untrusted devices.

In 2022 and ahead, we will see surging adoption of:

Cloud disaster recovery (Cloud DR): Cloud DR backs up an organization’s critical data on an external cloud server in the event of human-made or natural catastrophes. The cloud-based service creates a standby IT setting that can take charge if the primary infrastructure collapses. It is cost- and time-efficient, benefitting from third-party management – Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS). Moreover, organizations can change, add, and eliminate data from these external servers when needed without having to scale their IT fabric. Cloud DR is the go-to solution for compute-heavy applications and servers such as massive databases and ERPs.

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE): SASE is an emerging cybersecurity concept that empowers companies to manage access and connectivity between cloud services, cloud applications, and end-user devices. Businesses armed with SASE benefit from IT security features – firewalls, web filtering, zero-trust architecture (ZTA), and credential theft prevention – all cloud-enabled. In addition, SASE offers users a single sign-on experience across multiple corporate cloud applications while maintaining the most stringent levels of security compliance.

Deploying Applications at the Edge

Edge computing is a novel approach to data processing wherein operations do not occur within a centralized cloud. Instead, it involves creating localized devices or data centers for computation and storage or within the network’s periphery.

This decentralized computing infrastructure reduces latency and boosts application performance. As the enterprise resources and data reside closer to the end user’s device, they can be processed locally, thus saving money as well.

Edge computing is the driving force behind cutting-edge devices, including smartwatches, smartphones, and smart cars, and the interrelation of all the data produced by these solutions.

Nevertheless, most people misunderstand edge computing as a threat to cloud computing even though the technologies complement each other. Organizations utilizing both edge and cloud experience reduced bandwidth usage, near-instant data processing, and decreased volumes of transferred data.

Edge computing is presently one of the hottest topics in boardroom discussions, and its market will only expand going forward. Cloud technology will be an excellent fit for businesses interested in increasing operational efficiency.

Kubernetes-powered Blockchain Networks

Existing public blockchain infrastructure does not deliver adequate data storage and management; hence, incorporating blockchain systems for big data applications becomes challenging.

Kubernetes (K8s) is an open-source engine that streamlines the deployment and management of container-based applications. Moreover, the software monitors the performance of new services, enabling organizations to deal with loopholes proactively.

Using K8s for blockchain helps swiftly scale environments and ensures at-length availability with several containers operating for essential services. In addition, the combination promotes service interoperability between companies that are designed differently.

Positioning blockchain networks and their constituents via Kubernetes clusters could soon be the adoption standard. The reason being they address two key obstacles blockchain encounters – its innate intricacy and integration into the current infrastructure.

Massive Outbreak of Cloud Gaming on the Cards

Cloud gaming enables users to stream endless options of video games on remote servers for a fixed monthly charge. Players can play the games on any web-browsing device without having to invest in a costly console. In addition, remote gaming provides a lag-proof experience and hardened security and keeps users from cleaning up their device storage space.

Equipping game streaming technology with cloud computing propels the demand and engagement of multi-players for various games and eliminates existing platform hurdles.

Cloud gaming services, including Google’s Stadia and Amazon Luna, will shape the industry’s course in 2022. Additionally, the onset of Cloud Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) has made headsets more cost-effective and accessible while promoting cloud gaming across multiple verticals. Also, cloud-driven AR and VR will find usage in areas like data visualization and product design engineering.

While e-gaming is yet to achieve its optimal capacity, its fusion with the cloud will ensure the continuous evolution of cloud gaming.

Tracing the Path Forward

The years ahead are an exciting time to work in the IT realm. With DaaS innovation advancing, businesses will have immeasurable opportunities to reinvent their tactics for optimum results.

About 9 of 10 organizations will implement a cloud-native regimen by 2025. Proper execution of digital strategies is not feasible without leveraging cloud-driven architectures. DaaS is the backbone of every digital service and delivery pipeline, including connected automobiles, social media, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Besides, upcoming ultra-fast networks, such as Wi-Fi 6E and 5G, mean more data will be streamed from the cloud, welcoming new sorts of data streaming. From an end-user standpoint, Desktop as a Service effectively makes interconnected technology faster, lighter, and more accessible. It will be a critical driving force in migrating more enterprise workloads to cloud platforms.

MSPs and resellers want to build new revenue streams within what has become an extremely competitive managed services market. Yet, many remain unaware of one of the most obvious opportunities for creating a profitable new type of offering based on VDI and DaaS – which is good news for those MSPs and resellers who are seeking to differentiate themselves by capitalizing on managed VDI and DaaS services before their competitors can launch their own offerings.

That’s one of the takeaways from our experience at ChannelCon 2022, where the Anunta team spent several days talking to MSPs and resellers from across the world. We came away from the event with an even deeper understanding of what MSPs and resellers need to be successful in today’s ultra-competitive business environment, and how VDI and DaaS can help them do it.

Hybrid work breeds opportunity for MSPs and resellers

One topic that was constantly on the lips of ChannelCon attendees was hybrid work. MSPs and resellers are keenly aware that the workplace is changing dramatically as businesses embrace work models that involve employees based off-site.

What MSPs and resellers didn’t always recognize, however, was how they can leverage hybrid work as an opportunity for creating new revenue streams by moving their customers to Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) or Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS).

That’s why we enjoyed talking to ChannelCon attendees about how VDI and DaaS allow businesses to solve the challenges of hybrid work. As we explained, by replacing conventional PCs with virtual desktop sessions that can be hosted either in on-premises data centers or the cloud, VDI and DaaS make it easy to deliver desktop computing resources to workers based in any location.

At the same time, VDI and DaaS technologies offer strong access controls and encryption to ensure that desktop infrastructure remains secure. They also allow businesses to pay for their desktops on a monthly basis, rather than having to make large upfront capital investments. That’s a particularly attractive advantage for companies worried about today’s uncertain economic climate.

These benefits prompted Mark Evans, Anunta’s Manager for Pre-Sales, to note, “With the popularity of hybrid and remote work and the pressing need for secure and scalable digital workplaces, it is critical that resellers and MSPs take advantage of DaaS and its evergreen profitability potential.”

The challenge of managed VDI and DaaS services

Although hybrid work has created strong demand for VDI and DaaS, we found that many MSPs and resellers whom we talked with remained a bit hesitant to capitalize on this opportunity at first.

The problem wasn’t that they don’t think their customers would benefit from VDI or DaaS. Instead, it’s that they worry that DaaS is too hard for MSPs and resellers to set up and manage on their own.

That’s a valid concern. Designing, deploying and supporting VDI and DaaS environments requires expertise in technologies that not all MSPs and resellers have mastered. They may also be unsure how to sell and market managed VDI and DaaS services.

The easy approach to managed VDI and DaaS: Partnering with Anunta

But as we explained to the prospective partners we talked with, that shouldn’t be a barrier for MSPs and resellers who want to take advantage of the massive opportunity surrounding hybrid work by building managed VDI and DaaS services.

By partnering with Anunta, any MSP or reseller can create managed VDI or DaaS services for their customers without having to spend months learning new technologies and building out new infrastructure.

Through Anunta’s VDI and DaaS partner program, MSPs and resellers get end-to-end services that cover every aspect of managed VDI and DaaS. From design and implementation, to day 2 client support, Anunta does it all. We even offer sales and marketing services to help our MSP and reseller partners communicate the value of VDI and DaaS to their clients and prospects.

Get ahead of the pack

The MSPs and resellers we spoke with at ChannelCon already know all of the above. But we want to get the message out to the broader community because the opportunity surrounding hybrid work won’t last forever. If you want to build managed VDI and DaaS offerings, you need to do it now, before your competitors beat you to it.

After all, most segments of the MSP and reseller market have a history of becoming saturated relatively quickly. Services like managed backup or managed networking were novel once, too, but it’s now hard to sell them with good profit margins because so many other firms have built competing offerings.

For now, managed VDI and DaaS remain an exception. Our experience at ChannelCon shows that MSPs and resellers are still becoming acquainted with this type of service and the opportunity surrounding it at present.

If you want to get ahead of the pack, contact us to learn more about our VDI and DaaS partner programs. We’ll explain how Anunta can help you launch managed VDI and DaaS that you can have up and running in a matter of weeks, even if you have no background in desktop virtualization or management.

Over the years, overall IT infrastructure across organizations has transformed, and the recent global health event has only spurred the trend. The era of working in office cubicles – via company-issued systems – is fading away. Now, the near omnipresence of digital technologies and the availability of newer, more portable devices enable work from almost any location.

However, deploying and maintaining all end-user devices at scale while catering to the fast-changing workforce needs is challenging. So, to be resilient, agile, and efficient in this context, businesses are gravitating toward virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) to encourage remote data access to their workforces.

This article briefly discusses Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) in general, its working, types, and benefits.

What is Windows Virtual Desktop?

Windows Virtual Desktop is a cloud-based app and desktop virtualization platform from Microsoft that offers a native Windows 10/11 experience on demand. While each virtual desktop mimics real standalone computers, the processing/computing occurs on the central server. Besides, all these are managed centrally by an organization’s dedicated IT staff or outsourced to a cloud service provider.

Now rebranded as Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), WVD enables a company’s employees to access their business resources quickly and securely from anywhere and any device – PC, tablet, or smartphone. As such, organizations no longer need to provide their workforces with physical machines, let alone manage, repair, and maintain them.

How Do Azure VDI Platforms Work?

VDI platforms such as Azure Virtual Desktops work using a hypervisor, a software that creates, runs, and manages virtual machines (VM) on enterprise system servers. Also known as virtual machine monitors (VMM), hypervisors categorize servers into pools of identical VMs that further host virtual desktop operating systems (OS). Each such virtual desktop contains an instant of the OS. Further, the IT administrators supervise these VMs using centralized management software and configure them for specific tasks and functions.

Employees can access these virtual desktops from any location or device, and all the processing happens on the host server. They can log in to their AVD instances and establish a connection via a connection broker – a software-enabled gateway that acts as an intermediary between users and VDI servers. The connection broker assigns the session to an Azure Virtual Desktop from the appropriate pool.

Types of Azure VDI Platforms

Businesses can deploy Azure virtual desktop infrastructure solutions in two environments:

Persistent VDI

Persistent VDI functions are similar to legacy systems where end-users can personalize their devices and retain their work progress and settings from the previous sessions. Thanks to the capabilities of VMs, persistent virtual desktops act like true physical systems – from a remote device. The end-users log in to the same VM every time, even if the connection is reset. This is tremendously beneficial for several educational and work settings.

Non-persistent VDI

Non-persistent VDI platforms, on the other hand, offer a slew of generic desktops that end-users connect to whenever necessary. The desktops allocated to the users start anew in each session. Hence, whatever changes users make on their desktops in their previous sessions are lost once they log out. Besides, non-persistent virtual desktops are cheaper and simpler to use as the organizations’ IT teams need not have to maintain customized desktop instances between sessions.

Non-persistent VDI is commonplace in companies brimming with multiple-task workers or employees performing a limited set of repetitive tasks. Case in point, call centers, computer labs, public libraries, and retail kiosks. In these environments, neither users require personalization nor want their personal data to be stored.

Benefits of Azure VDI Platforms

With the worldwide shifts in work patterns, more organizations are turning to AVD. Following are some of the benefits of leveraging VDI platforms, especially in a hybrid workplace environment:

Long-term Cost-savings

As computing is done on servers, Azure virtual desktop infrastructure helps scale down hardware, maintenance, and software licensing expenses significantly. Employees can access their virtual desktops from traditional devices, thin clients, or even tablets, thus avoiding purchasing new (and expensive) hardware.

Also, end clients can cut down on infrastructure costs by right-sizing VMs and optimize their usage with Windows 11 and Windows 10 multi-session. Companies with heavy and highly unpredictable workloads can opt for pay-as-you-go billing.

Remote Accessibility

Azure VDI users can log in to their virtual desktops from any endpoint. In addition, they can utilize any web-browsing device – smartphones, tablets, and computers – to access the same application and data. Therefore, setting up hybrid workplaces for new joinees becomes unbelievably easy with AVD, particularly if they are working remotely.

Besides, integration with FSLogix Profile Containers helps end-users switch comfortably between VMs. The multi-session capability of AVD enables employees to experience the feature-rich capabilities of Windows 10/11 and assemble numerous users on a single system.

High-level Security

In Azure virtual desktop infrastructure solutions, data and applications live on centralized servers instead of end-client devices. As such, businesses’ digital resources will no longer remain at stake, even if an endpoint device is compromised or stolen. Moreover, fewer workstations equate to reduced chances of cyber criminals intruding into a company’s IT fabric.

Azure VDI services boast intelligent security capabilities that proactively detect and tackle threats to keep critical assets secure and compliant. Further, they come with a reverse connect transport to create remote sessions, providing a considerably more secure mechanism.

On-the-fly Scalability

With Azure VDI platforms, companies can launch or pare back on resources based on their corporate requisites. Also, they can deploy system apps, configure settings, and adjust the number of users. This agility and flexibility help trim overall costs while ensuring that businesses always have the resources they need to operate at peak efficiency.

Apart from that, Azure VDI platforms automatically scale session hosts to balance loads to deliver a better user experience, especially during computing-heavy tasks, while optimizing session host costs.

How will hybrid work fuel the demand for VDI?

The past few months have witnessed an explosive discussion on the “future of work,” and certain critical themes have dominated such commentaries. Case in point, several companies are nodding for hybrid work cultures, thanks to COVID-19-triggered shifts. As the dust settles and people return to normalcy, hybrid work will remain highly preferred among employers and employees alike.

However, supporting hybrid work arrangements creates new speed bumps for chief information officers (CIO)s. With tablets, smartphones, and laptops underpinning most of the mission-critical operations, C-level executives are contemplating what technology proposition they should have for their workforces – both at homes and offices.

Luckily, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is the answer to that query. Desktop virtualization technology serves as the antidote to the apparent challenges organizations face while endorsing a more flexible future of work. Moreover, the much-discussed pros of VDI are ringing in the ears of CIOs when pandemic-induced lockdowns have pushed enterprises into the remote working arena.

Having an entire virtual desktop – single and/or shared – housing corporate workflows and assets accessible anywhere, anytime, and from any device makes more sense. This is especially true when VDI simultaneously ticks the boxes of performance, mobility, security, and cost-efficiency.

Going forward, even as the remote working fad wanes, companies will promote hybrid work settings. In addition, initiatives, including scaling down office footprints and implementing hot desking, could become par for the course. Virtual desktop infrastructure solutions truly shine when it comes to managing hybrid workforces. As the work culture continues to cement its position, businesses investing in failsafe VDI to support each employee’s needs (irrespective of location) are well-placed for lucrative returns.

Conclusion

Azure virtual desktop infrastructure is a natural fit for the modern digital economy, serving various use cases across industries. Reputed for its robust scalability, security, and flexibility, the leading-edge desktop virtualization service offers umpteen benefits to organizations with relevant use cases.

Additionally, remote and hybrid workplaces have dug their heels in the labor market. As these pervasive work models gain more steam, the adoption of Azure VDI platforms will only see an uptick.

FAQs

What is the future of VDI?

Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) has been experiencing a demand uptick over the past few years. The new hybrid working paradigm will stimulate this trend as businesses have to facilitate their entire workforce with secure access to mission-critical resources – irrespective of device or location.

The latest technologies, such as hyperconvergence, will be of enormous importance in shaping VDI. This will empower IT teams to focus more on business-centered tasks and spend less time fretting about the infrastructure.

Virtual desktop services have matured, and so have the technology and infrastructure underpinning them. With further advances, their future will nearly mimic that of the cloud: hybrid alongside multiple deployment models serving various purposes.

What is hybrid VDI?

Hybrid VDI fuses the layered, single-image management attributes of on-site/cloud VDI with local image execution on endpoints. All this with fast planning and setup, low implementation cost, and minimal IT skills. Hybrid VDI offers the centralized management benefits of its legacy version while still delivering the best possible experience for end-users.

This layered approach to virtual desktop management tremendously streamlines administration. The IT staff manages only one golden image of applications and operating systems (OS) rather than managing tons of independent endpoints in the fleet of devices.

However, unlike VDI, end-users leverage all the local computing power of endpoints, including on-board graphics processing and high-end processors. Further, they can work even while offline.

Is VDI still relevant?

Virtual desktops have gained immense popularity and for the right reasons. They offer loads of robust features. They help businesses cut down on the total cost of ownership (TCO). They are flexible and agile. Installing software updates and patches is unbelievably easy with virtual desktop infrastructure.

That being considered, VDI’s numero-uno selling point is its ability to enable remote work culture. It allows workforces to connect to corporate networks anywhere and on any device securely. However, even though conventional work models regain momentum, forward-thinking organizations acknowledge the urgency to accommodate employees in a hybrid setting as people rethink work-life balance.

So, yes, virtual desktop services do hold relevance in the current (and future) business economy.

Why is a virtual desktop important?

More than ever, the performance of businesses rests upon data collection and sharing. They benefit from working with flexible, reliable, and highly secure computer systems. This is where virtual desktop infrastructure yields substantial business gains.

VDI empowers companies to operate fully functional virtual desktops, allowing employees to access desktops, data, and applications from any device, location, and anytime. Some of its key attractions include business mobility, device friendliness, reduced operational expenses (OPEX), and the pay-as-you-go subscription model.

Not only are virtual desktop services becoming more prevalent in corporate and home environments, but even governments are quickly realizing their benefits.

What are the benefits of virtual desktop infrastructure?

Virtual desktops offer a multitude of benefits, some of which are as follows:

  • VDI empowers businesses to quickly modify their resource usage, for instance, virtual desktops, as per their evolving needs
  • Better data security with MFA, encryption, OS patching, and access control
  • Cost savings due to reduced on-site workstations and their maintenance costs
  • Allows employees to work on their own devices (also called BYOD)
  • Centralized management helps IT professionals monitor all devices, servers, and networks in real-time and proactively respond to cyber threats.

Is a virtual desktop good for work?

Virtual desktops hold the reins on the future of workplaces. As remote and/or hybrid work climbs from “good to have” to “must have,” organizations are hunting for technologies enabling workforces to conveniently access critical resources without being in a physical workplace.

Thanks to virtual desktop services, employees can work from anywhere, be it their homes, nearby cafes, or a thousand miles away. Moreover, end-users need not worry about system version, configuration, or technical complexities. In a nutshell, employees get to enjoy the same experience as on-site desktops as long as they have a stable internet connection and a compatible device.

For IT teams, giving workforces the resources they need to thrive has never been harder than it is today. The pivot toward hybrid and remote work – which more than three-quarters of businesses have embraced, according to Gallup – is only part of the reason. Pervasive cybersecurity threats and ongoing economic uncertainty have also contributed to the pressure that IT organizations face in delivering secure, cost-effective solutions that workforces can access from anywhere.

Fortunately, there’s an offering that can meet all these challenges: Desktop-as-a-Service, or DaaS. We’re excited to showcase Anunta’s fully managed DaaS offering at VMware Explore 2022, focused on supercharging the digital workforce transformations that businesses across the world are currently undergoing.

The Age of Workplace Uncertainty

To understand why DaaS has become so crucial to business success, you must understand just how radically the workplace has changed in a relatively short period of time. Several key disruptors have emerged in recent years:

  • The adoption of remote and hybrid work models, in which employees operate off-site on a routine basis.
  • A massive surge in cybersecurity attacks and risks, which have never been as prevalent as they are today.
  • Economic instability due to high inflation rates, rising borrowing costs and limited capital.

On their own, each of these trends might not lead to major upheaval for the way businesses manage their workforces. But the fact that all these disruptions are taking place at the same time has led to massive challenges for IT organizations.

Being able to provide IT services to remote and hybrid workers is hard enough. But it’s even worse when those resources need to be hardened against the ever-increasing risk of cyberattack.

At the same time, many organizations need to support remote and hybrid workforces in a resource-constrained environment, which means they must make smart financial decisions about where and how they deploy IT resources. They can’t just toss money at modern workplace challenges until they disappear, because there’s not as much money to toss around as there was before the current economic downturn.

The Role of DaaS in Workplace Transformation Success

At VMware Explore, Anunta experts will come together to showcase how Desktop-as-a-Service can help businesses meet each of the above challenges in order to achieve successful workplace transformation.

By allowing businesses to replace traditional PCs with cloud-based virtual desktops, DaaS makes it easy to build desktop infrastructure for the modern digital workplace. With DaaS, it doesn’t matter where your workers are physically located or when they choose to work. They can access cloud-based desktop sessions from anywhere, using any local device.

From a security perspective, too, DaaS not only meets, but surpasses, the security standards of traditional, in-office PCs. DaaS provides robust access controls and encryption for network traffic. It also virtually eliminates the risk that physical security breaches (such as the theft of laptops) could place business data at risk, because data always remains inside the data centers that host DaaS sessions.

As for cost, DaaS allows companies to deploy flexible desktop infrastructure for modern workforces at a low cost. The monthly cost for fully managed DaaS services is as low as $40 per user – much less than the TCO of purchasing traditional PCs and paying IT staff to manage and support them on an ongoing basis.

Plus, because DaaS platforms offer pay-as-you-go pricing, there is no need for businesses to invest precious capital in purchasing PC infrastructure upfront. They can use an OpEx model instead – an especially valuable benefit in the context of today’s economic uncertainty.

Managed and Packaged DaaS: The Easy Way to Run Cloud Desktops

You may be thinking: “DaaS sounds great, but isn’t it a lot of work to deploy and manage it? I can’t replace my traditional desktop infrastructure overnight!”

That’s a fair point. Designing, configuring, and supporting DaaS environments can be challenging. Not only does DaaS require mastery of technologies like desktop virtualization services, but you must also tailor your DaaS environment for your use cases if you want to achieve the best performance, cost, and security.

That’s why, at Anunta, we do all of this work for our customers as part of our fully managed customized DaaS and packaged DaaS offerings. We design DaaS environments based on each customer’s unique needs, then implement and manage those environments on an ongoing basis. In exchange for predictable, transparent pay-as-you-go pricing, our clients get turnkey DaaS services that keep their workforces productive and happy while minimizing the burden on IT departments.

Learn More at VMware Explore

For full details on how the workplace is changing and how managed DaaS helps businesses rise to the challenge of digital workplace transformation, come see us at VMware Explore from Aug. 29-Sept. 1 at booth #1818. Don’t forget to catch our session, “Demystifying DaaS: Easily Enable a Hybrid Workforce,” which takes the audience through the benefits of DaaS and the freedom and flexibility it provides to the digital workplace.

We hope to see you later this month in San Francisco!

In today’s unpredictable business world, ensuring a cost-efficient, secure, and effective way to support remote/hybrid workforces has become the need of the hour for every organization. Fortunately, Microsoft has helped negotiate some complexities with its year-old offering = Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD). Whether letting employees work from home, managing several flex spaces pan-region, or onboarding people across continents, AVD offers businesses the same desktop experience as in the offices without using multiple apps and log-ins.

We have data that cement AVD’s credibility in today’s workplace transformation. A Forrester Consulting study (commissioned by Intel and Microsoft) finds that businesses can:

  • Trim Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) licensing and infrastructure expenses by almost a third.
  • Cut down their IT expenses for installation, maintenance, and management by 59%.
  • Boost productivity by around 22 human hours through better connectivity, security response, and staff hiring.

In this article, we will explain how AVD is making inroads into various industries.

Manufacturing Industry – AVD Helps Shrink Hardware Costs

In manufacturing, production costs consume the bulk of the budget. Higher costs translate to lesser profit margin and eventually lesser market share. Besides, the industry houses a high volume of workers, unlike typical office-based jobs. These workers barely need to turn to IT devices at the same time.

In such circumstances, AVD can help manufacturing businesses boost their profits and bottom line. The virtualization tech enables employees to log into their persistent virtual desktops from the same machine when they need to get started. This means that manufacturing firms can operate with fewer devices with AVD. This significantly caps software and hardware costs without keeping enterprises’ security posture at stake.

BFSI Industry – AVD Adds Muscle to IT Security

Banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) firms are always security-conscious, and for a valid reason, as digital intrusions into financial institutions can cost millions (or at times billions) of dollars. Worse, even a single cyber-attack weakens consumers’ trust over the long run and compels potential customers to look for other financial service companies.

Azure Virtual Desktop protects financial institutions from costly breaches by securing all confidential employee and customer data. Case in point, AVD enables IT crews to deploy PCI-DSS-approved (Payment Card Industry-Data Security Standard) devices. These virtual devices are accessible from any remote system securing data transfer and operations even if contract-based workers are performing them. Furthermore, BFSI companies can restrict user activity on a virtual machine (VM) in order to prevent unauthorized access to or transfer of information.

Legal Industry – AVD Keeps a Check on Cyberattacks

Like BFSI service providers, law firms are also soft targets for threat actors, given the amount of cash and classified data they preserve. As such, legal companies are always in dire need of secure, high-throughput systems that can access and store data reliably. Thanks to AVD’s multi-layered security features, law firms can strengthen their cybersecurity walls, thus slashing the odds of enduring cyberattacks. At the same time, employees can access critical documents no matter where they are or what device they are using and keep up with the ever-changing work demands.

Education – AVD Facilitates BYOD Experiences

Technology has become indispensable to educational institutions, particularly in the post-COVID economy. Particularly in schools, assigning devices and systems to each student is challenging as updating the hardware is a cost-intensive affair.

Moreover, effective learning demands high-end machines. Unfortunately, not all educational establishments can afford computers with the latest features. Although some schools allow students to learn from their devices, also called bring your own device (BYOD), this can pose serious security threats.

AVD helps colleges and schools install and run VMs with up-to-the-minute software without squandering on hardware. And they can achieve this with reduced computing power as the processing power sprouts from the VDI. Likewise, in the case of BYOD programs, AVD offers teachers and professors an eagle-eye view of students’ activities, regardless of the device in use. Further, these end-user devices receive the same optimized security as an institution-issued system.

Healthcare Industry – AVD Helps Remain Compliant

Data confidentiality is a pillar of all industries, and healthcare is no exception. Strict norms, like the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), mandate healthcare institutions to preserve patient and staff records. As such, keeping this information in insecure systems is a ticking time bomb. If any data leak occurs, the healthcare organization will have to bear hefty penalties while losing its authenticity.

With Azure Virtual Desktop, healthcare businesses can define permissions and rules, giving access to classified data to only specific stakeholders. Moreover, no data resides in the devices but instead on Azure cloud. Microsoft Azure boasts some of the most reliable data repositories, further complemented by multi-factor authentication and comprehensive threat management to ensure all relevant records are in safe places.

Given the feature-rich stack, AVD helps make devices and systems in healthcare organizations compliant, thus freeing up IT admins from worrying about local data storage and security practices.

Bring Sea Changes in the IT Fabric with AVD

Looking to power up remote or hybrid work? Azure Virtual Desktop can come to the rescue. Enterprises, irrespective of the sector, deploying AVD is well-placed to enjoy umpteen benefits in the form of flexibility, security, scalability, and cost savings.

Companies should examine their existing needs to decide whether AVD can be the missing piece of their IT infrastructure puzzle. A better option: connect with a managed service provider (MSP) like Anunta.

Anunta is a leading and credible Managed Desktop as a Service provider that offers a wide range of solutions and services related to Enterprise DaaS (Anunta Desktop360), Packaged DaaS, and Digital Workspace technology. Anunta’s team has over 10 years of experience in this field and has successfully migrated over 500,000 remote desktop users to the cloud. To learn more about AVD, its benefits, and our services, consult with our industry experts.

Remote working technologies are one of the many things that gained popularity during the coronavirus pandemic but have remained popular even after the pandemic has passed.

During this spell, the business world, particularly the IT sector, invested in and experimented with various novel technology solutions to keep the business running. One example of such a technology is Virtual Desktop Infrastructure or VDI.

The demand for VDI is growing rapidly as more IT organizations are embracing this novel technology. But what are the reasons behind VDI’s growing popularity, or what benefits does VDI provide?

This blog lists the 6 benefits of VDI workspace. But first, let’s take a quick look at the VDI definition.

What is (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) VDI?

VDI, or Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, is a type of desktop virtualization in which desktop environments are hosted centrally on a server. In layman’s terms, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is a technology that creates a simulated work environment using a company’s on-premise servers. This can be accessed by users working in the office or remotely via a network connection.

6 Key Benefits of VDI Workspace

VDI benefits organizations and users in several ways, from improving user mobility to lowering maintenance costs. Let’s take a closer look at each of the 6 advantages of the VDI workspace.

1. Enhanced User Mobility

As more and more IT organizations are shifting to a hybrid work model or remote working, the need for technology that allows end-users or employees to easily access resources (applications) or helps them stay connected with the rest of the team is increasing simultaneously.

Fortunately, VDI can help you achieve this requirement since it is hosted virtually.

Thanks to VDI, remote workers can easily access their systems from anywhere, at any time, regardless of time or location. End users do not need to worry about configuration, system version, or other technical issues.

Simply put, as long as you have a stable internet connection and a device (laptop, PC, tablet, or mobile phone), you can access your system and have the same experience as your local PC.

2. On-demand Scalability

Another significant advantage that VDI workspaces enjoy by embracing VDI technology is easy scalability.

Assume you’ve just started your company and have a staff of about 15 people. After a while, say 6 months, your company grows, and you hire 10 more workers to manage projects. So, you also purchased 10 more systems. Unfortunately, due to the recession, you will have to lay off 5 employees after 6 months. What about the systems you’ve purchased? You will have to keep them idle as they are now of no use.

However, if you have been using VDI from the beginning, you will not be in this situation. VDI enables organizations to quickly scale up or scale down resources, i.e., virtual machines, as per the changing needs.

Furthermore, you will be required to pay only for the license/subscription you are currently using. This will not only allow you to meet infrastructure needs instantly, but it will also save you money.

3. Improved Data Security

Data security is becoming a pressing issue for organizations from all industries with every passing day. As hackers and cyber-attackers are becoming more sophisticated, it is more important than ever to stay one step ahead of them in order to protect your data and brand reputation.

In traditional IT architecture, there are multiple endpoints. This also means a greater number of entry gates for cyber intruders. With VDI, however, you can reduce the number of entry points to one — only the server.

Not to mention that the server is often protected by several security protocols that are difficult to violate.

Besides that, VDI allows you to configure each virtual machine exactly how you want it. Furthermore, Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) is protected by several advanced security protocols, which further increases the safety of remote systems.

4. Centralized Management

It is always beneficial to have centralized control over an organization’s entire infrastructure since it allows for better visibility and management. In VDI, the administrator will have complete control over the infrastructure and each virtual machine.

This will enable them to manage everything from their end. For example, they can schedule updates for all devices after working hours so that there is minimal downtime and no individual or team’s productivity suffers.

At the same time, if a cyberattack attempt is made, the administrator will be notified immediately. This will allow them to take immediate precautionary measures to safeguard the system.

In addition to that, the centralized structure of VDI allows the IT team to easily patch, update, or configure the virtual machines at the same time. This will significantly reduce the IT team’s workload and maintenance costs.

5. Cost Efficiency

The fifth major benefit that VDI workspaces enjoy is cost savings. VDI helps companies save money in different ways. For example, companies who have adopted VDI technology can save money on:

  • Hardware configuration
  • IT staff
  • System maintenance
  • Operational expenses
  • Subscription fees

Virtual desktop infrastructure empowers you to reduce IT infrastructure costs by right-sizing virtual machines and to unplug them when not in use.

Moreover, since all processing is done on the server, you will not need to invest heavily in end-point hardware. Instead, users can access the system via inexpensive thin clients or older devices. This is how you can save money on expensive hardware.

In the case of a traditional system, you will need a team of IT professionals to manage the IT infrastructure because there are multiple systems, hardware, and applications, each with its own set of requirements.

In contrast, in the case of VDI, there is only one system that requires attention – the server. Keeping it up to date and secure will ensure the smooth function of all other linked virtual machines.

6. Fast On-boarding

Traditionally, new recruits receive a paper dossier on their first working day – an “information treasury” packed with company policies and educational insights. However, what if the newly appointed staff receive this knowledge as soon as they join, more efficiently, and at a reduced cost?

That is exactly what virtual desktop infrastructure helps businesses achieve. The desktop virtualization solution trims the onboarding time in the following ways:

  • Easily updatable: Managers can immediately distribute updated materials and best practices
  • Lower cost: Only a single system requires patches and updates compared to the expensive alternative of updating several independent devices
  • No investments in hardware: New joinees can work from their own Internet-enabled devices, saving organizations tons of cash.

Most companies outsource a major fraction of their work to contingent workers – freelancers, part-timers, and independent contractors. Others are focusing more on seasonal recruitment. Moreover, for many, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) incite the need to bring teams across various locations together. The outcome is the same in each of these themes – employers must onboard loads of new users fast without the luxury of doing it face-to-face.

Virtual desktop infrastructure helps tackle these hurdles. Recruiters can offer complete access to virtual desktops and apps which they can commission (and decommission) as necessary. In addition, they can dump their existing virtual private network (VPN) over zero trust network access (ZTNA) to enable temporary workforces to get started in a jiffy.

All business leaders have to do is rope in the most suitable VDI service provider. Then deploy relevant resources through online corporate portals to every user and device, no matter where they reside.

These are the six major advantages of VDI that make it popular among IT institutions. In addition to these advantages, VDI provides several other benefits, such as quick setup, BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), increased productivity, reduced license costs, and more.

Bottom Line: There is no denying that Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is one of the principal technologies that can significantly benefit remote working teams or hybrid workplaces. From lowering hardware and maintenance costs to improving mobility and data security to providing centralized infrastructure control, it benefits end-users and organizations in various ways. However, you will only be able to reap all of the benefits of VDI if it is properly deployed.

FAQs

What is one advantage offered by VDI?

While virtual desktop services boast a slew of advantages, the one area where they stand out is the ability to promote adjustable workplaces. As hybrid work and BYOD become a part of the corporate agenda, businesses are looking for the right tools to experience that flexibility. VDI offers accessibility, which is beneficial for employees who desire to work from anywhere.

With the near ubiquity of super-fast Internet connections across continents, employers no longer instruct their colleagues to sit next to them in the same office cubicle. Additionally, they want to hire the best people for the job, whenever and wherever they work. VDI setups provide organizations with such flexibility.

What are the benefits of VDI?

Virtual desktop infrastructure comes with multiple benefits, some of which include:

  • Cost-efficiency: Enterprises avoid expenses due to managing many individual user licenses. Additionally, they can utilize a data center’s storage and computing capabilities instead of purchasing costly hardware and servers.
  • Streamlined management: The IT pros can patch updated versions of any OS and application to all the relevant workstations from a central station. This frees them to focus on more important matters.
  • Lesser security threats: All the critical resources are stored in centralized servers, keeping them more secure. Incidents of employees unintentionally transferring viruses while sharing or downloading classified materials, thus, decline.
  • Remote work friendly: Employees can access enterprise data and applications via virtual workstations from any location and a compatible device.
  • Geo-replication: In a VDI setting, data exists in numerous locations. Hence, if one location’s hardware crashes due to outages or natural disasters, users can access data from another.

 

What are the pros and cons of VDI?

The pros of VDI include:

  • Borderless access: Employees can log into virtual desktops and access corporate resources from anywhere – at home, at a nearby café, or someplace else.
  • Difficult to compromise: Transferring files on virtual desktop infrastructure is highly secure as employees use a company-issued security framework instead of an external network. Moreover, the content on virtual desktop screens is read-only; users cannot install/update any (suspicious) applications or manipulate any configurations.
  • Scalable: Companies can deploy additional resources and storage in advance and increase/decrease them as required. Moreover, the IT staff can manage groups of end-users and apply an image in a few minutes.

VDI comes with the following cons:

  • Endpoint security: While virtual desktops offer optimum protection, monitoring every security measure separately is time- and effort-intensive.
  • High installation costs: Deploying a virtual desktop infrastructure is cost-prohibitive, both in terms of human resources and technologies. A VDI journey persists for several weeks, or even months, thus translating to radical changes for the entire workforce.
  • Latency issues: Running compute-heavy applications, including videoconferencing tools or high-definition graphics, can create latency, hampering the user experience.

 

What are the 3 major benefits of using virtualization?

Virtualization boasts the following key benefits:

  • Minimal downtime: Provisioning and deploying are straightforward in virtualized environments, allowing for replicating the compromised virtual machine (VM).
  • Lower expenses: Companies save fortunes as they need limited hardware and, subsequently, lesser personnel to manage systems and troubleshoot user issues. Moreover, maintaining virtual servers is easier than physical ones.
  • Faster back-ups: By cloning the existing servers in the IT infrastructure, businesses can create a readily available backup and deploy it whenever a problem occurs in the data center.

 

What is the purpose of a virtual desktop?

The primary objective of virtual desktop services is to help organizations better handle their workloads in a more efficient, scalable, and economical manner. VDI is basically a digital copy of physical workstations residing in a server. Hence, users can access and share business-critical data and apps from the centralized servers from any endpoint device. Furthermore, VDI is seeing an adoption uptick as it eliminates the need for expensive hardware and the staff needed to maintain and manage them.

Anunta is a leading and credible Managed Desktop as a Service provider that offers a wide range of solutions and services related to Enterprise DaaS (Anunta Desktop360), Packaged DaaS, and Digital Workspace technology. Anunta’s team has over 10 years of experience in this field and has successfully migrated over 500,000 remote desktop users to the cloud. To learn more about VDI technology, its benefits, and our services, consult with our industry experts.

Virtualization technology came into being about two decades ago. However, with numerous IT advances in the tech realm, the desktop virtualization journey only got better. Besides, the dramatic changes in work cultures, accentuated by the global health event, have pointed to more obvious cloud-based solutions: Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) and Remote Desktop Service (RDS).

These virtualization technologies have played wonderfully in supporting the overnight shift to remote and hybrid work environments. Pioneered by Microsoft, both Windows Virtual Desktop and Windows Remote Desktop Services offer pretty similar functionalities. However, the differences between the two experiences lie internally, as each has a different licensing model, back end, and user base.

This article is a head-to-head comparison between WVD and RDS, complemented by a verdict toward the end.

The Basics

Windows Virtual Desktop is an all-encompassing cloud service running in Azure for virtualizing desktops and applications. More precisely, it is a stack of Microsoft technologies to develop virtual desktops for end-users. WVD comes with a single virtualized instance of the Windows Client operating system (OS), provided via Azure or directly to an organization’s network and domain. Furthermore, the desktop virtualization solution optimizes Office 365 ProPlus, multi-session Windows 10, and support for RDS environments.

Remote Desktop Services (RDS) link end-user devices (remote or onsite) – the terminals – with the host system or server over a network connection. Earlier called terminal services, RDS enables users to log into a device from any location and run and access databases, apps, files, and network resources. Hence, it is regarded as shared computing. Further, only those remote user devices supporting Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) can be a part of this nexus.

Operating System

Windows Remote Desktop is limited to a single server OS wherein end-users access the OS on their devices, akin to the server OS. It is a Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) model, allowing users to pick storage, server type, and security groups. With RDS, businesses can ensure secure remote desktop access for their employees where OS and infrastructure might depend on a remote server machine. However, this entire setup triggers issues around user experience and application compatibility.

Unlike RDS, Windows Virtual Desktop is not limited to a single OS or application architecture. As such, end-users’ devices can run on different OSs like iOS and Android. WVD functions on a desktop-based OS – multi-user Windows 10. The virtualization tech delivers an integrated public cloud for hosting companies’ applications and systems. Moreover, the scalable OS enables multiple Windows 10 users to connect on a single virtual machine (VM).

WVD is both infrastructure and platform services (IaaS and PaaS), where VM is the host, and the remainder of the service is PaaS. With significantly fewer devices to look after, WVD is a more specific setting than RDS for organizations’ IT teams.

Licensing

To deploy RDS, organizations need to buy server OS licensing, Client Access License (CAL), and Subscriber Access License (SAL) for desktop deployment in Azure. Not to mention the additional VMs to operate and manage. Putting all these elements together is expensive and complicated, and maintaining a virtual desktop setting properly licensed with time further adds to the problem.

There is no need for CAL for Windows Virtual Desktop. Users can continue with their existing Microsoft 365 (Business, A3, A5, E3, or E5) or a standalone Windows 10 subscribership. The only additional costs include Azure storage, computing, and networking related to the VMs used. In a nutshell, organizations enjoy all Office 365 functionalities, Edge, OneDrive, and Azure Marketplace.

Also, as enterprises increasingly turn to Microsoft 365 anyway, WVD becomes a zero-fee add-on to an already existing subscribership, saving end-users money each month.

IT Management

In RDS, enterprises have complete control of the ecosystem. That said, they can outsource some infrastructure roles, such as RD Gateway, RD connection broker, and RD web access, to Managed Service Providers (MSP) offering DaaS or IaaS. These roles receive a user’s connection request, determine its appropriate destination, and place it on the relevant desktop VM. However, this required additional server equipment and ongoing administration, for instance, monitoring and Windows patching.

As WVD is PaaS, the service provider (Microsoft) takes care of these infrastructure roles, alongside software updates, installation, and monitoring. So, when end clients connect, they land at Microsoft’s control plane first and are later verified and redirected to the relevant desktop based on their permissions. This not only trims the cost of infrastructure required to support virtual devices but also saves on ongoing administration labor.

Security Framework

As RDS is entirely server-based, IT teams can run any corporate application, even the older versions. The desktop virtualization experience offers more data security as it is deployed on a private cloud or on-prem by MSPs. Additionally, all security measures, including firewalls, antivirus, or OS patching, are only dedicated to a specific end client.

Windows Virtual Desktop, on the flip side, operates on a public cloud network. Therefore, the Internet, firewalls, or patching is shared among multiple users. Also, IT pros cannot run third-party apps but the existing desktop apps with suitable configurations. Finally, as WVD does not run on servers, it has to connect with other servers in the Azure setting to become functional for end-users. So, making it bank-grade secure could become challenging.

Migration: Which one is easier?

Desktop virtualization technologies have attracted organizations worldwide with their enormous benefits, with employees, especially, enjoying the flexibility of accessing work resources from any region. As companies press the digital transformation lever harder, some are analyzing WVD and remote desktops as potential answers to hybrid/remote working.

That said, decision-makers must be diligent about the user-friendliness of both these desktop virtualization solutions. Remote desktops are easy to install as they require fewer components. End-users utilize shared critical resources functioning on a common OS instance, enabling the commissioning of workstations in a flash. In addition, RDS is a great choice for enterprises looking for mutual servers with group policies, profiling options, and IT administrators who manage access controls. However, users cannot customize their desktops and applications as needed since everybody accesses OS during their desktop sessions and is confined within the same configuration. Besides, if many users distribute the server’s resources simultaneously, companies can endure contention and performance issues.

Conversely, WVD is more suitable for enterprises desiring the near-accurate experience of physical systems from remote desktops, along with at-scale personalization. The flip side of all this flexibility, however, is its complexity. Companies must have competent IT personnel to deploy and maintain WVD.

Nonetheless, WVD’s impeccable adaptability makes it ideal for businesses employing diverse workforces for multiple use cases. In addition, the technology does not have compatibility issues as every user is allotted a dedicated VM operating an independent OS. Consequently, employees do not confront performance issues as IT professionals can allocate more power to those who actually need it.

The Bottom Line

So, which desktop virtualization solution ranks the highest? There is no fixed answer as it banks on organizations’ various factors, preferences, and needs.

Businesses with many employees using the same resources and applications would find RDS better. On the other hand, WVD is a better pick for more sophisticated and customizable user configurations.

Eventually, it all squares down to the IT teams to decide which virtual experience is best in times when companies are increasingly taking their devices and applications to the cloud.

FAQs

Does Windows virtual desktop use RDP?

Windows Virtual Desktop leverages remote desktop protocol (RDP) to fine-tune the delivery of servers’ remote graphics to client workstations over corporate networks. RDP modifies different parameters in real-time to offer the optimal user experience based on the availability of computing resources, use cases, and network bandwidth.

Microsoft initially rolled out RDP with Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server Edition (codenamed Hydra). Since then, the business-centric OS has been continuously evolving with every Windows Server and Microsoft Windows launch. Today, RDP supports numerous types of transport stacks.

Is VDI and RDC the same?

While both VDC and RDC are desktop virtualization technologies, they differ when it comes to technological setup and delivering remote desktop experiences.

Remote desktops run on the server-based OS. A single server can host multiple active user sessions. However, RDC does not provide individual OS instances to end-users. Instead, users access shared desktop environments operating on remote servers to use the same computing power, OS, and applications.

Virtual desktops run on desktop-based OS hosted by the hypervisor server(s). Every user maintains their own VM instances, which are accessible from their personal devices, irrespective of their location. Further, VDI offers a centralized public cloud network for hosting applications and desktops.

How does Windows virtual desktop compare to the classical RDS environment?

Both WVD and traditional RDS are remote desktop protocols; however, they have various technical differences.

For instance, WVD delivers a pre-engineered image of applications or OS – separate from devices used to access them. RDS, on the other hand, enables users to access systems stationed in another location and connect to them as if they are actually working on them.

Further, companies can set up RDS on-site or on a private cloud managed by third parties, while WVD operates on a public cloud network. As such, firewalls, patching, and the Internet is distributed among multiple users.

Is VDI faster than RDP?

Virtual desktops have the edge over remote desktops as they compartmentalize the resources, offering a smoother user experience. Moreover, VDI delivers performance equivalent to standalone desktops with dedicated resources for every VM, including GPU power, for heavy graphics and media.

Thus, virtual desktops find use in graphic-reliant software, such as AutoCAD, that consume excessive processing power.

On the flip side, RDP users access desktop sessions via the Windows Server OS, which falls well short for latency-intensive workloads, including video/audio conferencing. Also, RDP’s performance takes a toll when organizations have to facilitate a diverse set of users.

What is Windows virtual desktop used for?

WVD offers an easy-to-use and secure virtual desktop setup for a company’s workforce. It takes care of the remote work demands by delivering a foolproof platform for cloud VDI. End-users can log into Windows desktop servers and hosts remotely, hence, remain productive without keeping IT security at stake.

With Windows virtual desktops, businesses can focus on image management and user access control while deploying virtual workstations and applications. Microsoft looks after all the remaining services. This considerably slashes the amount of administration and overhead needed to support a VDI setting.
Furthermore, the Windows 10 enterprise multi-session feature enables several end-users to connect to remote desktops simultaneously. This provides them with an experience they witness while using physical systems.

Is Microsoft remote desktop a VDI?

Microsoft remote desktop solutions mimic VDI when it comes to managing remote workstations or virtual machines over a secure network connection. That said, virtual desktop solutions offer users a single virtualized instance of the Windows Client OS, delivered via Azure or straight to the company’s network. On the contrary, Microsoft remote desktops enable multiple users to log into virtual machines or OS. Users can join a remote desktop session and share the servers’ applications, OS, and hardware resources.

In its latest Market Guide for Desktop as a Service (DaaS), Gartner projects that the global DaaS market will grow by more than 250% between 2021 and 2024.

The rapid adoption of hybrid and remote working has constituted this increase in demand for DaaS by making it a priority for organizations around the globe. The surge of DaaS adoption also results from business efforts to reduce the cost of desktop infrastructure, especially in a time of ongoing economic uncertainty. Improving desktop security in order to meet increasingly rigid compliance and privacy requirements is another factor driving massive interest in DaaS.

DaaS’s ability to simplify desktop management and support services, too – and by extension, to reduce the burden placed on IT teams – also reinforces the value that DaaS brings to business today.

As such, DaaS presents one of the richest business opportunities available to resellers and managed service providers today.

Anunta DaaS Partner Program: An Easy Onramp to the DaaS Market

Planning, implementing, and supporting DaaS infrastructure present deep challenges, even for experienced IT resellers and service providers.

Anunta’s DaaS Partner Program is purpose-built to provide resellers and managed service providers with an easy means of offering white-labeled DaaS solutions to their clients in any industry. By working with Anunta, the MSP partners gain access to all the resources they need to deliver profitable DaaS products, without having to build, maintain, or support them themselves.

Since Anunta’s DaaS provides on-demand virtual desktops hosted on any public cloud, or on customers’ on-premises infrastructure using Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) technology from vendors including Microsoft, VMware and Citrix, it gives partners creative ways to win customers from any business vertical.

Capitalizing on the enormous opportunity presented by the DaaS market can be quite easy as an Anunta DaaS partner. Let’s take a look at the benefits of the program.

1. Maximize Your Recurring Revenue

Because of the projected market growth, DaaS is an excellent offering for resellers and service providers who want to build steady recurring revenue streams. When well designed, implemented, and managed, DaaS offerings will yield multi-year customer contracts that ensure ongoing revenue.

As an Anunta DaaS partner resellers and MSPs can gain access to the expertise they need not to just get started with DaaS, but to create a DaaS offering that maximizes revenue and profitability, no matter which industries they work in or which type of customers they support.

2. Deliver a DaaS Solution Quickly and Easily

Building a DaaS offering from scratch requires having to master a range of technologies, such as VDI-oriented virtualization platforms and cloud desktop platforms. There is also the necessity to set up unique processes for supporting and updating DaaS environments. Resellers and MSPs will also need to design, implement, and manage the infrastructure that powers their DaaS offering.

As an Anunta DaaS partner, resellers and MSs can deploy a complete DaaS offering to their customers with minimal investment of time and resources. Anunta provides not just the DaaS platform, but also the proprietary intellectual property and advanced automation tools that resellers and service providers need to make production-ready DaaS solutions available to their customers.

3. Maximize End User Satisfaction

Without a rock-solid DaaS platform and the specialized expertise necessary to support it, delivering on end-user expectations can be a real challenge.

Being an Anunta DaaS partner, you can bank on reliability uptime rates of 99.98% or higher, which translates to high end-user satisfaction. This, in turn, helps resellers and service providers improve customer retention rates and ensure reliable streams of recurring revenue.

4. Access Specialized DaaS Expertise

For more than a decade, Anunta has specialized in designing, implementing, and supporting VDI and DaaS environments for companies around the globe, equipping us with the necessary expertise to address every business’s unique requirements. And as an Anunta DaaS partner, you’ll have ready access to the guidance and evaluation services you need to tailor your DaaS offerings to each of your customers.

5. Leverage DaaS Sales and Marketing Resources

Unlike other IT services and products, DaaS is not a category with which many businesses are familiar. As such, marketing and selling DaaS products could be a challenge.

As an Anunta DaaS partner, resellers and MSPs get special access to sales and marketing tools, which will help them build awareness, find qualified buyers, and effectively close deals. Our joint go-to-market campaigns also help expose your brand to customers who otherwise might not know about you or your offerings.

6. Stand Apart in the DaaS Market

With the growth of the DaaS market, the chances that you will have heavy competition is high and standing apart in the market might turn out to be a challenge.

As an industry-trusted DaaS provider with 10+ years of experience, Anunta is uniquely positioned to help our partners scale their VDI business with programs that align with their business models, thus enhancing their brand value. Our record-setting levels of reliability, performance, and customer satisfaction act as differentiating factors for your brand.

Conclusion

With the freedom to choose from a variety of offerings to create custom packages and flexible contracts that help you retain total ownership of all your customer relationships, Anunta’s DaaS Partner Program is the ideal way to scale your business while ensuring a recurring stream of revenue.

Read our whitepaper to understand the benefits of the partner program in detail.

If you’re already convinced and want to become a partner, reach out to us at partnerconnect@anuntatech.com and we will get in touch with you.

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