Subscribe
Author

ANUNTA

Browsing

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 600,000+ 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 600,000+ 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.

In any IT ecosystem, the end-users are crucial stakeholders. Their productivity hinges on the availability and flexibility of their companies’ IT architecture. In addition, the recent global health events have compelled business owners to put more emphasis on remote working.

Today’s workforce is exceptionally mobile, opting to work in several environments with multiple devices. Moreover, tech-savvy users have become accustomed to prompt access to critical resources stored in the cloud on their mobile devices.

End-user computing (EUC) – driven by mobile computing, virtualization, and cloud computing – has played an instrumental role in this paradigm shift so much that its adoption is likely to mushroom almost 2X during 2022-2027.

This article discusses how deploying EUC is synonymous with business growth.

Easier Management of Device Fleet

Imagine a conventional corporate environment brimming with a sheer volume of desktops (virtual and real) and mobile devices. Add to that the amount of effort drained in troubleshooting, updating, or patching all these physical machines separately. The entire process is a management nightmare as updates/upgrades keep rolling out.

With EUC, IT teams and admins can manage these devices from an integrated interface. Install new security patches, updates, and applications, manage the operating system (OS), and onboard new employees in just a few clicks.

What is more, companies can keep an eye on the number and nature of applications installed by users on their devices. That way, they can add or remove users to optimize the network and compute usage during peak or idle times accordingly.

Freedom to Use Own Devices

Earlier, in companies of all sizes and industries, employers were responsible for distributing hardware devices to employees upon joining. While this might have served the purpose in an analog world, in today’s digital economy, it is a battle lost already.

Once deployed over the cloud in the form of virtual desktops, EUC offers users the liberty to work with the device of their choice. As such, they can function in a friendlier and more convenient tech setting. Moreover, they can better display their expertise with their preferred technology while keeping organizations from squandering more on new devices.

Otherwise known as bring your own device (BYOD), this natural shift to user-centric IT helps employees strike the right balance between professional and personal lives.

And these benefits are not unique to only businesses now. Non-profits/NGOs, government agencies, and educational institutions also can leverage the EUC technology. Case in point, schools can conduct one-on-one coverage initiatives to ensure students have a computer to learn from during teaching sessions. Citing tight education budgets, EUC solutions offer schools the flexibility with students being able to learn from their own devices.

Minimum Working Constraints

In traditional corporate settings, the in-house IT personnel controlled and constricted devices and their capabilities. Employees could barely install applications of their choice or change the personalization settings. Fortunately, EUC tech offers employees more flexibility in the form of hardware, software, data access, and content formats. This freedom makes it easier for them to not only improve at their jobs but also connect with one another and the clientele.

Secure End-user Environment

Keeping data safe has always been a critical concern in various EUC implementations, especially in government, finance, and healthcare industries. Physical end-point systems and devices are prone to digital intrusions, which happen due to employees’ negligence. Besides, constant failures and inadequate disaster recovery (DR) plans frustrate end-users, providing more sweet spots for threat actors.

Complementing EUC capabilities with cloud infrastructure is the answer to having sound security in place. Moreover, the centralized nature of EUC enables users to access data from high-security cloud servers instead of having to store them in multiple endpoint devices.

To further strengthen security at the end-point level, cloud providers offer cyber security features, like OS patching, DDoS protection, and firewalls, with their EUC offerings. Measures, such as multi-factor authentication, zero-trust architecture (ZTA), or embedded security, helps ensure all users and devices are verified every time they connect to the enterprise network and then grant access only when needed.

Hence, even if an employee’s device is stolen or lost, organizations do not risk losing crucial resources and data.

Workforce Becomes More Mobile

A survey by FlexJobs has revealed that 97% of employees want to work either fully or partially remotely post the COVID-19 chapter. Additionally, they use at least one mobile device to access their work, irrespective of their geographic location.

Supporting a remote workforce is now mandatory in nearly every company. However, for businesses with an at-scale physical foothold, delivering uniform online workplace resources can be troublesome. This means organizations’ IT crews must embrace new realities and challenges in end-point control and configuration. Put differently, a more sophisticated stack of online platforms.

EUC delivers on that promise as it is advanced enough to serve hardware-agnostic device management. Moreover, the technology is an initial step toward a hybrid multi-cloud environment that can foster this diversity without compromising corporate operational norms.

Thanks to EUC capabilities, adding new users and minimizing troubleshooting tasks is significantly easy. With granular policy execution, organizations can install and configure devices remotely within minutes to avoid prolonged downtime.

Moving Forward

Whether looking through an enterprise or employee lens, the benefits of cloud-powered EUC are enormous. The wide-ranging transformation of workplaces and technology will continue to gain heat despite the ongoing global events.

The EUC industry is undergoing disruption with innovations that will make endpoint computing more productive, secure, and cost-efficient. As the end-user technology continues to snowball, demand will only go north.

However, adapting to these new norms amidst the worldwide business uncertainty poses numerous challenges. That said, organizations have the ideal opportunity to welcome the long-term rewards EUC solutions deliver.

For more insights into end-user computing, connect with the experts at Anunta today!

Technologically speaking, it is pretty cloudy in the healthcare industry. Amid the swarm of life-saving equipment is an invisible force crucial to its operational efficiency: desktop-as-a-service (DaaS). The cloud-enabled technology helps doctors and clinicians deliver personalized patient experiences, work away from desks effortlessly, and slash capital expenditure (CapEx). All these are tremendously beneficial in medicine. This liberty empowers providers to deliver healthcare services – standardized and specialized – in every facility and system, extending the scope of care.

Hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare providers have always faced multiple challenges, whether offering consultations to patients from remote locations or preserving protected health information (PHI). COVID-19 further intensified the impact of these issues. In these challenging times, caregivers have found working flexibility in DaaS.

Scroll down to understand how healthcare institutions can boost their overall productivity with DaaS solutions.

Bid Goodbye to Tedious Tasks

DaaS frees up healthcare staff from time-consuming administrative tasks or being tied to a single workstation. The marriage of cloud tech with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) capabilities automates repetitive data entry and storage processes. Consequently, day-to-day operations become more specific and organized; put differently, healthcare staff will have more time to focus on dynamic tasks that demand their full attention. The end result: patient care experience improves by notches. Lastly, the twin power of AI and ML bolsters data integrity by reducing errors and improving the accuracy of patient data.

Rapid Data Accessibility Anywhere, Anytime

Doctors and nursing staff are always on the move – from labs, patient rooms, departments, and even offsite visits. DaaS enables these medical practitioners to access patients’ data and useful applications from any location and device, round the clock.

Time is of the essence in healthcare. With DaaS, healthcare professionals can retrieve the information saved in the cloud in a flash. So, rather than hunting through file cabinets, digital data is available on demand. For instance, a specialist or surgeon can review a just-arrived trauma case from their mobile devices on the way to the hospital.

Credit DaaS abilities, telemedicine, and virtual visits have become the new primary care options. Patients suffering from chronic diseases and those undergoing post-operative recovery can now capitalize on online consultations via telehealth apps. These telehealth applications are particularly useful in treating people with infectious diseases – COVID-19 being the most prevalent in the recent past. Healthcare specialists can make proper sense of the information gathered from the surveillance to plan the medication without stepping near the patient.

A Deeper Dive into Patients’ Medical Records

Healthcare data – both structured and unstructured – is a massive resource. With DaaS, doctors and nurses can gather and calculate relevant patient data from multiple sources. Combining the power of big data analytics, AI algorithms, and natural language processing (NLP) capabilities, the healthcare staff can conduct medical research based on cloud-stored information.

Case in point, a patient complains of chest pains, cough, and stomach ache. The doctor can then diagnose the problem and input all the relevant details. However, only the primary diagnosis — or may be secondary or tertiary — will flash on the patient’s chart. DaaS-based data analytics helps pull out insights that would otherwise remain concealed. As a sweetener, thoroughly examining PHI helps create more individualized care plans and medical prescriptions for patients.

Grow and Adjust at Ease

DaaS allows healthcare organizations to scale their operations and storage requirements up or down as per season demands or market conditions. As such, they do not need to bear the extraordinary CapEx involved with additional software updates or hardware purchases. Moreover, the CapEx that drains into purchasing and maintaining the entire IT setup is often unreasonable for small-scale healthcare providers. DaaS resources turn those outrageous costs into feasible, pay-as-you-go expenses.

Health centers will ultimately expand in terms of workforce strength, patient flow, and infrastructure. For instance, patient caseloads might shoot during the flu season. So, DaaS systems enable providers to adjust their network and data storage needs to fulfill a short-term rise in service demands. If there is an application that is growing exponentially like electronic health records (EHR) do, it is significantly easier to do in a cloud-native world.

Patient Records are in Much Safer Hands

Any healthcare chief information officer (CIO) knows the importance of adhering to state and national laws, such as HIPAA. In 2021, the US healthcare institutes witnessed data breaches of over 40 million patients . Citing the complexity and stringency of these norms, any leak or loss of PHI invites heavy penalties.

Healthcare centers accumulate and produce colossal data volumes from numerous sources – radiology images, EHRs, and insurance claims. DaaS companies safeguard these critical data stored in healthcare IT systems and servers with high-quality security features like gateway antivirus, corporate-level firewalls, and intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS). Besides, they stitch a multi-layered security fabric to protect PHI from digital attacks, such as phishing, malware, and ransomware.

In a cloud-native environment, security is built into new technologies and applications as they are created instead of added on as an afterthought. This strong integration with the underlying cloud framework streamlines the detection of technical defects and/or odd behavior. Moreover, the DaaS provider recommends security fixes or even implements them automatically for healthcare institutions.

Wrapping Up

DaaS has carved out a place for itself in the healthcare IT infrastructure. There are signs that healthcare organizations view the cloud-based solution as a huge – critical – part of their agenda. A study has revealed how DaaS will make at least 3X this decade.

While cynicism around DaaS lingers, its umpteen advantages in healthcare are hard to ignore. Deployment, therefore, is on the upside. Several industries are embracing DaaS as mobile workplaces continue to gain prominence. The healthcare sector stands to enjoy more vital benefits from this mobilization.

Providing more targeted patient care by diligently analyzing their records while at the bedside, on smartphones, or in exam rooms translates to a sought-after healthcare experience. And that is the ultimate goal, anyway.

For more information, do connect with the Desktop-as-a-Service experts at Anunta Tech today!

How Cloud Computing Breeds Enterprise Business Success

The clear majority of businesses now operate at least some of their workloads in the cloud to gain business efficiencies, cost savings and competitive advantages. According the International Data Group’s 2014 Enterprise Cloud Computing Study, 69% of firms are currently leveraging cloud technology in some capacity, and 18% aim to do so in the future.

Why are modern businesses investing so heavily in the cloud? Part of the answer is technical. For IT teams, the cloud offers advantages like simplified workload administration and the elimination of the need to manage physical hardware.

But the cloud’s benefits aren’t limited to technical advantages. Cloud computing also delivers significant business benefits. Here’s a look at the top ones.

Cost Savings

Although in the short term moving to the cloud can cost money (indeed, 20% of businesses report that the initial cost of using a cloud-based server is a concern), in the long run it almost always saves on expense.

Why? Because cloud computing reduces the expense required to achieve goals like accessing data and launching new projects. In addition, because most cloud computing services are pay-as-you-go, the cloud is more cost-effective. You pay only for what you actually use, and you avoid large, upfront capital expenditures.

Security

Many businesses are concerned about security when it comes to implementing a cloud-computing service. After all, if your files, programmes, and other data aren’t kept on-site, how can you be sure they’re safe? What’s to stop a cybercriminal from accessing your data remotely if you can do it yourself?

Well, many things. To begin with, a cloud host’s full-time task is to closely monitor security, which is significantly more efficient than a traditional in-house system, which requires an organisation to divide the resources among a range of IT challenges, security being just one of them. According to RapidScale, 94% of businesses improved their security after moving to the cloud, and 91% said the cloud made meeting government compliance requirements easier.

The key to this increased security is the encryption of data transmitted over networks and stored in databases. Encrypting your data makes it less accessible to hackers and others who are not authorised to view it. Most cloud-based services allow users to configure different security settings as an added security measure.

Sustainability

Given the current state of the environment, it is no longer adequate for businesses to place a bin in the breakroom and claim to be environmentally conscious. True sustainability requires waste-management solutions at all levels of a company.

Moving to the cloud helps businesses achieve sustainability goals. Compared to on-premises data centers, cloud hosting is less harmful to the environment and has a lower carbon footprint, thanks to economies of scale and the ability to share cloud servers between multiple customers. Cloud providers are also investing heavily in sustainability initiatives. Azure, for example, has committed to powering all of its data centers with renewable energy by 2025.

Quality Control

Poor quality and inconsistent reporting are among the most harmful factors to a company’s success. The cloud helps on this front by centralizing document storage in a cloud-based system with consistent formatting.

When everyone has access to the same information, it becomes easier to maintain data consistency, avoid human error, and keep track of any adjustments or additions. Managing data in silos, on the other hand, might lead to employees accidentally saving multiple versions of documents, resulting in confusion and diluted data.

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

Unfortunately, no matter how well-organised your company’s internal procedures are, there will always be factors beyond your control, and in today’s market, even a tiny amount of unproductive downtime can have a significant impact. Downtime in your IT services has an impact on your production, money, and brand reputation.

While there is no way to prevent or predict disasters that could harm your business, investing in the cloud makes disaster recovery simpler and smoother because you can spin up new cloud infrastructure much more rapidly than you can rebuild on-premises servers. Cloud services also have better track records of uptime and durability than most on-premises IT infrastructures. For example, the major cloud providers promise 99.999999999% durability for data stored in the cloud.

Conclusion

For businesses seeking to operate more efficiently, scalably and securely, the cloud is no longer just an option. It’s an imperative. If you’re not yet investing in the cloud, you risk being left behind from both a technical and a business perspective.

Anunta is excited to announce we have joined the Gartner Peer Insights Customer First program for the Desktop as a Service (DaaS) market. We are among the pioneers in the DaaS market to earn the Customer First badge. As of June 1, 2022, 30 verified Anunta reviewers gave us a 4.6 out of 5, with 96% saying they would recommend Anunta Enterprise DaaS (Anunta Desktop360).

Everyone here at Anunta is particularly proud of this program commitment as we believe it elevates Anunta’s market position as a Trusted DaaS provider, while also underscoring our customer-first approach.

Anunta’s Enterprise DaaS (Anunta Desktop360) is a fully managed custom-built DaaS solution for large enterprises, that provides on-demand virtual desktops hosted on any public cloud or customer’s on-premises infrastructure using Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) technology. For over a decade, Anunta has been empowering our clients in their digital transformation journey with our Enterprise DaaS (Anunta Desktop360) solution.

“We are excited to be part of the Gartner Peer Insights Customer First program. We believe it showcases our commitment to deliver innovative DaaS products to our customers by putting them at the center,” Sivakumar Ramamurthy, our CEO said on joining the Customer First program. “Over the years, we have sought open customer feedback to drive product innovations at Anunta and feedback received on neutral and industry-respected platforms like Gartner Peer Insights will augment our customer-first approach. We are grateful for all the feedback we receive from our customers in our journey to design innovative DaaS offerings.”

The Gartner Peer Insights Customers First badge constitutes an organization’s commitment to solicit reviews from its customers using programmatic sourcing strategies and best practices.

Here are some comments from Anunta customers.

Anunta Enterprise DaaS (Anunta Desktop360) Solves COVID Crisis (Overall rating: 5)

With Anunta’s support, we were able to rapidly deploy the DaaS solution in response to the COVID outbreak.
Storage and Virtualization Architect
Government Industry

Read full review

Excellent skilled and dedicated team

Excellent Skilled and dedicated team overall from Technical/planning prospective as well. always upto speed on project and operational work.
Enterprise Architecture and Technology Innovation
Energy and Utilities Industry

Read full review

Great Product, Provided A Workable Work From Home Solution With Speed And Agility. (Overall rating: 5)

Scalability during pandemic was really encouraging and overall it made commercial sense.
Vice President – Technology
IT Services

Read full review

Read more reviews for Anunta here

To learn more about this program, or to read the reviews written about our products by the IT professionals who use them, please see the DaaS page on Gartner Peer Insights.

To all of our customers who submitted reviews, thank you! Your feedback helps us create better products to fit your needs, and we look forward to earning the trust and confidence reflected in this distinction.
If you have an Anunta story to share, we encourage you to join the Gartner Peer Insights crowd and weigh in.

Disclaimer
The Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice Badge, Gartner®, and Peer Insights™ are trademarks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Gartner® Peer Insights™ content consists of the opinions of individual end users based on their own experiences, and should not be construed as statements of fact, nor do they represent the views of Gartner or its affiliates. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in this content nor makes any warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this content, about its accuracy or completeness, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Managing your end-user devices wasn’t a core IT task until a few years ago. With anywhere, anytime working becoming the norm on a global scale, end-user device management has become a pressing IT challenge.

IT teams now deal with the necessity of a seamless means of ensuring that remote and hybrid employees have uninterrupted access to corporate data, keeping this data safe, and overall streamlining the IT infrastructure. Azure Virtual Desktop, formerly known as Windows Virtual Desktop, is one of the most popular cloud-first infrastructures that provide the promise of agility, security, and cost optimization. It boosts operational efficiency by helping enterprises eliminate heavy hardware requirements.

What is Virtual Desktop Infrastructure on Azure?

Even though remote and hybrid work accentuates the necessity of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), it is hardly the only use case for Azure VDI. Azure VDI helps enterprises take a secure and efficient approach to centrally managing their IT infrastructure, without compromising their end user productivity and data integrity. It is an easy as well as secure means to give your end users access to corporate data and applications on whatever device they want, wherever they choose to access it from.

In cloud computing, separating software from the hardware it runs on is called virtualization and in the process, creates virtual machines or VMs. VMs are fundamentally virtual computers whose hardware is defined by code. These VMs can be run on any hardware, which makes the technology especially useful for remote working. You can access these VMs from any device — personal computers, tablets, or smartphones.

How Does Azure VDI Work?

Let’s look at the many components of Azure VDI.

Host pools: These are the groups of VMs you use to deliver your virtual desktops to end users. End users can connect to any host in this pool.

Tenant: Tenant is an interface that you can use to manage your Azure VDI environment. Each tenant is a group of host pools. It enables you to assign end users and create service connections.

Tenant groups: Tenant groups come into play when you have multiple tenants.

App groups: App groups are groups of applications in a session host. They enable you to provide access to specific apps to specific end users.

End users: End users are the users who use virtual desktops or apps. In most cases, end users are your employees.

Benefits of Azure Virtual Desktops

The most common complaint about virtual desktop deployment was that these solutions were often complex and expensive, and a little cumbersome to set up. While larger businesses still could afford to deploy virtual desktops, small and medium-sized businesses most often did not have the resources for it. Azure Virtual Desktops made virtual desktops accessible and affordable for all kinds of businesses.

Easy Deployment and Configuration

Azure VDI makes deployment and configuration an extremely easy task by making everything accessible on a single interface. You can deploy and manage virtual desktops and assign users in the Azure Portal.

Cost Optimization

Azure VDI is cost-effective because you only pay for the virtual servers that your virtual desktops are on. It also helps you cut down on infrastructure costs.

Easy Flexibility

Compared to other services, Azure VDI doesn’t come with binding contractual terms. You can pick and choose which virtual apps you want to give access to; whether it’s the entire virtual desktop experience or any specific virtual apps.

Advanced Security

Azure VDI is built with the same security as Microsoft Azure. Microsoft is known to invest $1 bn a year in security and has over 3500 experts dedicated just to enhance its security features. Anyone choosing Azure virtual desktops stands to reap these benefits like identity management, backup, database security, and much more.

Enhanced Productivity

Azure virtual desktops enable you to create a flexible, digital, modern workplace, by allowing employees to access their work anywhere, anytime, on any device. It also seamlessly integrates with Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams to boost employee productivity.

Azure VDI Deployment Best Practices

Azure VDI is one of the best cloud-first infrastructure solutions for any organization that wants to scale and stay ahead in a fast-moving digital world. But Azure VDI works under a shared responsibility model, and it is imperative that organizations understand the nuances of this.
A shared responsibility model usually clearly details what responsibilities lie with Microsoft and what responsibilities lie with the organization that adopts the solution.

Choose the Best VMs

Azure provides a range of virtual machines with a range of computational capabilities. It would be prudent to have a demo or test-drive of these VMs to find out the best options that align with your business requirements. Once you figure out the best VM that gives you the best outcome at the lowest cost, you can adopt it to reduce costs.

Turn Off Non-Running VMs

Switching off VMs when they are not active can make a lot of cost difference since Microsoft bills for Azure VMs on a pay-as-you-go model.

Delete Unused Vdisks

Unfortunately, Azure does not automatically delete vdisks when you delete a VM. Remember, Microsoft follows a pay-as-you-go pricing model for Azure VMs and these vdisks continue incurring costs. So, locate and delete these vdisks when you delete VMs and you may end up saving a decent sum.

Enable Multi-Factor Authentication

Activating multi-factor authentication is a great measure to enhance identity and access management. It requires users to log in using two or more authentication/verification factors.

Activate Conditional Access

By implementing automated access control decisions by using Azure Active Directory, you can mitigate risks before they occur. Conditional access requires you to decide who the end users are, which endpoints they will be using, and how they are signing into the platform.

Why Azure Virtual Desktops

Azure Virtual Desktop is the only desktop and application virtualization service that provides a multi-session Windows 10 experience on the Azure cloud. It optimizes O365 experience and enables your IT team to transition existing Windows server (Remote Desktop Services) desktop and applications to Azure cloud.

Anunta’s Managed AVD is a fully managed cloud desktop on Azure that leverages Azure’s Virtual Desktop technology. We provide an end-to-end implementation and management of your AVD environment so that your end-users experience zero business disruption and high application availability.

In the last two years, the need to access anything from anywhere has gained added momentum, which has put the concept of remote desktops right in the center of the stage. Remote desktop services facilitate the need to not be bound by geography or device to get the job done. With employees around the world accessing their work from remote locations, the significance of remote desktops has been steadily rising.

Table of Contents

What is a Remote Desktop?

With the onslaught of the global pandemic, technological acceleration gained momentum purely out of necessity. Overnight, organizations around the world faced the novel challenge of delivering work to where their employees were. There was no workaround for it. Business continuity management (BCM) took on a life of its own in the aftermath of the pandemic. It was no longer only about running the organization by optimizing revenue generation, but also about the fundamental requirements of getting the day-to-day processes done.

The resultant changes in employee expectations and behavior are driving the paradigm shift in how organizations across the world have begun to approach the concept of large-scale remote working. Any employee working from the farthest corner of the world must have unrestricted access to their work. Geography and device cannot be impediments in the process.

This is where remote desktops once again proved to be a very smart cloud-centered solution with no hidden costs and no stray hardware. A very simple definition of a remote desktop is that it is the way for a person to access their unique user profiles from a centralized server through a secure network using any device located anywhere.

A breakdown of the multiple terms in this definition will in itself explain the idea of a remote desktop.

A user profile is the specific configuration for a specific user, including the fundamental preference settings. It means that when you access your user profile on a remote desktop, you work in your own virtual environment that you control and set.

The centralized server is where your remote desktop connection is hosted. Your user profile is a dedicated chunk in this centralized server where all your data is saved. In other words, this server performs the function of the CPU on an ordinary desktop.

The secure network part is quite important. It is imperative that the network you are using — and most definitely, all organizations ensure this — to access your user profile from your remote location is secure. Data integrity is of the utmost importance while working with remote desktops.

A remote desktop does the following things:

  • Lets you access a computer from a remote device
  • Displays the desktop of the device you are remotely accessing from the server
  • Allows you to run all the applications and access all the files installed on the host computer
  • Provides access to the devices connected to the remote computer, like printers and scanners

How Does a Remote Desktop Work?

There are two major components for any remote desktop setup.

One is the data transmission protocol that enables all information to move from one computer to another. Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) from Microsoft is an example.

The second is the application that uses this protocol to connect with the host computer, which is installed on both the host server and the endpoint device. Remote Desktop Connection, which leverages RDP, is an example.

When you connect with the host computer or server using the endpoint device, the host device powers the software and the operating system and displays it on your device. The keyboard and mouse inputs are captured from the endpoint device and transmitted through the secure network to the host device, where the data is processed. The output, once again, is transmitted through the secure network to be displayed on the endpoint device.

If you look at it, the whole system works like the old desktop devices with the host device performing the duty of the CPU.

The host device, which the client wants to access, must be turned on if it needs to be accessed. In today’s world, the host device is most definitely a server rather than a computer.

The Evolution of Remote Desktop

The transition to remote work, which seemed so swift and sudden in the wake of the pandemic, was in fact, many years in the making, even decades. According to an HBR article published in 2020 on the future of work from anywhere strategy, the large-scale transition to work from home started in the United States in 1973, when the fuel prices went up during the OPEC oil embargo, making daily commute to office a luxury for the everyday man. Forsaking physical offices for private homes, public libraries and the ever-famous coffee shops quickly followed.

While organizations changed their work and employee policies during the oil crisis, not many had considered a strong future for it. A Forbes survey conducted in 2021 said that 5% of the respondents reported that only 40% of their workforce were working from home pre-pandemic, a number that has drastically changed once the pandemic waves slowed down.

With the wisdom we have gained in the last two eventful years, organizations have been forced to redefine business continuity, agility, and resilience. These are no longer precautions put in place in the event of a natural calamity or a massive power breakdown with business reopening after a short interval. It means ensuring business as usual no matter where, when, or how.

This is the contextualization of remote desktop solutions in today’s world. In the beginning of the millennium, this was the favorite tool of IT teams across the globe to access client devices located elsewhere to offer support services, like fixing a bug. TeamViewer was almost always the chosen one. We have come quite far from this simple functionality to equip an employee to access a corporate server from a remote location anywhere in the world.

In the chaos of shifting to work from home practices overnight when the pandemic hit, most organizations were forced to prioritize the prevention of business disruptions over other matters like data security. The show had to go on, somehow, even if that meant permitting employees to access their work from not-so-secure personal devices on not-so-secure networks. Whether co-related or not, the number of occurrences of hacking and ransomware and malware attacks exponentially increased in the last two years. It was as if bad actors saw an opportunity in a global challenge, much to the dismay of global organizations.

While most organizations ensured business continuity, some of them did end up paying the price. Twitter, Marriott, and Zoom are only a few on the list of notorious data breach victims which grabbed the headlines and sent panic waves across their clients.

Two years down the line, we have learned from our experiences. And with that has come the absolute focus on ensuring the success of remote and hybrid working with a two-pronged strategy: exceptional end user experience and impeccable data security. Enterprises have realized that focusing on these two fundamental aspects will ensure customer experience and satisfaction, which, in turn, decides the fate of any organization.

This is the long route remote desktop solutions have taken in the last decade. They are no longer a support tool prevalent among IT teams but a necessary means for any employee to access their work anywhere, anytime. And that is a very long route.

Benefits of Remote Desktop

Remote Desktop Services have the potential to fuel business continuity and agility simply by moving the focus from maintaining IT infrastructure to the actual business goals. When the resilience and agility that come with digital transformation have become mandatory requirements, remote desktop services can help organizations get to the finish a little bit faster.

Increased Cost Savings
Deploying a large number of devices among your workforce and maintaining them have long been adding unnecessarily to IT budgets. For startups, SMBs, and for large-scale enterprises, end user device management and maintenance are ongoing processes.

Remote desktop services create significant IT savings by enabling an organization to invest in end-user devices that have the most basic configuration. All employees will need to access their work are a stable internet connection and a device that has a browser.
Remote desktop services rely on cloud storage, which means that enterprises don’t need to invest in other storage solutions; they already have the most reliable one in cloud. This comes at a fraction of the usual IT costs.

Great Device Compatibility
Employee behavior has changed in the recent past because of two major reasons. One, the workforce primarily consists of millennials and the oldest of Gen Z, digital natives who prefer a device-agnostic approach to work. Their main focus is getting the job done; on what is not a question that carries much weightage. Two, the pandemic has had far-reaching implications on how and when we work. Work hours are no longer defined by local geographical time zones. This means that accessing work happens not just on corporate devices but on personal ones as well as private mobile devices.

Added to this is the complexity of multiple configurations and models of these end-user devices. While there might be a certain group that uses MAC OS, there will be another that relies on Windows. The same applies to Android and iPhones.

Remote desktop services enable complete device compatibility. In fact, device compatibility is not a point of concern at all since all users need to access their work is to connect their device, whatever configuration and model they may be, to the remote desktop and just start working. The machine they use is moot.

Strong Data Security
The most dreaded threat of a data breach often looms large over organizations and the work from anywhere strategy forced on them by the pandemic has only accentuated it. With corporate data being accessed through a variety of personal devices working on not-so-secure networks, this threat has become even more palpable.

With a remote desktop, all corporate data is secure in the cloud. With a very strong and secure network, accessing corporate data through private devices no longer poses a threat. There’s also the added advantage that since all corporate data is stored in the cloud, device failure will not affect data integrity.

Most remote desktop services offer multi-layered security, which makes your data less vulnerable to ransomware or malware attacks. Throw in end-to-end data encryption to the mix, and your corporate and customer data is as good as locked away behind a stable, strong, secure lock.

Easy Data and App Management
Remote desktop services don’t rely on complex access and data management infrastructure. Employees only have to input their log-in credentials and they can easily access the corporate server.
It helps in process and progress tracking since managers have complete visibility to track their remote workers.

App and data management also becomes easier on any device located anywhere.

Exceptional End User Experience
Perhaps one of the biggest breakthroughs in the way we work has been the recent spotlight on improving end user or employee experience in terms of remote working. Organizations now place a high value on this since a great end-user experience directly affects the quality of work, which in turn contributes to business success.

With remote desktop services, poor device performance, configuration issues, application updates, and other aspects are eliminated, and the end user is free to totally focus on their work.
The ease of access to all their work from anytime, anywhere adds to exceptional end user experience as well, as it ensures workplace mobility, giving them absolute device and location independence.

Common Problems of a Remote Desktop

Remote Desktop Services do come with their fair share of disadvantages. But most of these challenges are almost always solvable and most others are preventable.

Network Failure
Establishing a valid communication or a network path is the most common challenge end users face with a remote desktop session. IT admins can circumvent this challenge through the process of elimination.
The very first thing to do is to try and establish a client session that has been successfully connected to before. This helps the admins to figure out whether the problem is specific to a client or to the network.
If the challenge is with the network, IT admins can then narrow it down to find out the root cause.

Firewall Challenges
This is another common challenge with remote desktops.
Firewall challenges can be avoided by ensuring that the port your remote desktop service uses are open to any firewall existing between client computers and the corporate server.
It is important to remember that some public networks are designed to block RDP traffic; Wi-Fi networks in hotels, airports, and coffee shops are some examples.
Some organizations configure their corporate firewall to block outbound RDP traffic, restricting employees from accessing their home devices through a corporate device while at work. This is for obvious reasons of security.

SSL Certificate Issues
It might sound too simple, but security certificates can also cause failure in remotely connecting with a corporate server. End user devices must trust the certificate authority that issued the certificate to successfully access files on a corporate server. If your organization purchases these security certificates from well-known authorities, this is not a problem. But when organizations generate these certificates in-house, the end user devices might not trust the authority and restrict access.
The solution is to use a reliable security certificate authority.
Another security certificate challenge that occurs is when the end user device is not able to verify the certificate the host server uses. If the certificate has expired, this verification process is more than likely to break down.

DNS Challenges
Believe it or not, many remote desktop connectivity problems have DNS server issues at the root. If the host IP address has been changed, then end users will not be able to connect remotely.
End users might not be able to connect remotely to the host server if they are using an external DNS server as well. IT admins can modify the end user’s IP address settings so that it uses the corporate organization’s DNS server rather than an external one.

Remote Working Trends

Remote work is no longer the temporary arrangement that many people expected it to be when the pandemic began. It’s here to stay for the foreseeable future, and companies must adapt by embracing remote-work trends that will keep their workers productive and happy — whether they are in the office part of the time or not at all.
With that need in mind, here’s a list of the top remote-work trends for 2022 that companies should consider as they prepare for a future in which significant numbers of employees work remotely on a permanent basis.

Optimizing the Remote Employee Experience
When remote work seemed like a temporary arrangement, most companies put relatively little thought into the employee experience, meaning how employees thought and felt about working from home.
They didn’t invest in collaboration technology that would help employees feel connected to the rest of the organization while working in isolation. Nor did most companies deploy tools that provide a frustration-free experience for connecting to IT resources from out of the office. At best, they gave their employees software like a Windows RDP client so they could log into their company workstations from home.

As hybrid and remote working have become very possible realities, companies have begun investing more heavily in activities like virtual coffee breaks, which can help employees collaborate and engage with each other. They have also implemented more user-friendly technologies, such as cloud desktops, which make it easier for employees to access the applications and data they need to do their jobs, no matter where they are located.

Securing Remote IT Assets
A number of new security challenges emerge when workers are connecting remotely. Networks become more difficult to secure because they need to support users and devices connecting from beyond the firewall. Data is at higher risk of being downloaded by employees to local devices that are not physically secure. Even phishing emails can be harder to detect.

Indeed, according to one study, 20 percent of organizations have suffered a security breach since the start of the pandemic that was facilitated by remote workers.
This means that, going forward, it will become critical to secure the infrastructure and software that employees use to work remotely. Centralizing desktop environments in the cloud is one way to do this. When workstations run virtually inside secure cloud environments, data and applications never have to leave the cloud, which significantly reduces exposure to potential attack.

Supporting Peripheral Devices
When employees work remotely temporarily, being able to connect their company-owned IT environments to devices like printers and scanners is not usually a top priority. They can wait until they’re back in the office to print documents. Or they can print a few on their personal equipment at home.
But when employees work remotely regularly, these ad hoc approaches don’t work. Workers need a seamless way to integrate devices in their at-home work environment with in-office servers, file shares and other resources their company owns.

This can be done, but it requires solutions tailored-made for this purpose. As companies prepare to support remote workers permanently, factoring in the need to integrate with peripheral devices will be a priority.

Maintaining IT Hardware
Keeping IT hardware up and running also becomes more challenging when remote work is permanent. Employees may be able to get by with laptops that need maintenance when they’re working from home temporarily. But when they rarely or never go into the office, providing support for physical hardware is much more difficult.

One way to cope with this challenge is to minimize the amount of physical hardware that companies need to maintain. Here again, cloud desktops can help by allowing organizations to provide employees with a complete desktop environment that they can access from anywhere using their own hardware. And because the only resource required to log into the cloud desktop is a Web browser, there is no special hardware or software that the company needs to deploy and maintain on employees’ personal devices to keep them productive.

Keeping Costs in Check
The cost of supplying remote workers with the equipment they need to work effectively from anywhere can rise quickly, especially if companies try to recreate the IT infrastructure of the office within each employee’s home. When they do that, employees sometimes require high-powered desktops or laptops, routers and perhaps even UPS units to keep their devices running.

A simpler — and less costly — approach is to host desktop environments in the cloud, which don’t fail when the power goes off or the router goes down, and which can be configured to provide whichever resource allocations employees need. When employees are assigned cloud desktops, they can access their workstations from any location and device, without depending on special (or expensive) equipment.

Remote Desktop vs Virtual Desktop: The Difference

One of the biggest questions IT administrators face is whether to implement remote desktops or virtual desktops. Unfortunately, there is no clear answer other than it depends on the business requirements. But what is the difference between the two?

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) involves the creation and deployment of virtual machines running on hypervisors. VDI is much more complicated than remote desktop environments. On the surface, both RDS and VDI are desktop virtualization technologies. But there are a few significant underlying differences between them.

With RDS, all end users log into the same server interface and while come configurations can be adjusted on an individual basis, almost all end users will have the same user experience.
Whereas in VDI, each end user has their own dedicated platform to work on, which they have the permission to modify. These permissions are usually modified by the IT admins.
RDS is best suited for organizations in which multiple end users need to access the same apps and services. It is also much easier to implement than VDI. While multiple users accessing and sharing applications and files drastically reduces IT expenditure, it does create application challenges.
VDI, on the other hand, is great for organizations where more customization is required for their end users, increasing the complexity levels.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is a remote desktop?
A: A remote desktop is the way for a person to access their unique user profiles from a centralized server through a secure network using any device located anywhere. With RDS, all end users log into the same server interface and while come configurations can be adjusted on an individual basis, almost all end users will have the same user experience.

Q: How does a remote desktop work?
A: When you connect with the host computer or server using the endpoint device, the host device powers the software and the operating system and displays it on your device. The keyboard and mouse inputs are captured from the endpoint device and transmitted through the secure network to the host device, where the data is processed. The output, once again, is transmitted through the secure network to be displayed on the endpoint device.

Q: How do I use a remote desktop connection?
A: Once you have the remote desktop application set up in your home computer, all you have to do is open a browser, type in the URL that leads you to the host server, and hit Enter.

Q: What can you do with a remote desktop?
A: With a remote desktop, you can access your work from anywhere, anytime from the corporate host server.

Q: Is a remote desktop safe?
A: Using a remote desktop is much safer than storing your work on your personal device. Since corporate data is saved on the host server, there is no risk of sensitive data being stolen or corrupted when the end user device is lost or damaged.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR BLOG

Subscribe to our mailing list and get interesting stuff and updates to your email inbox.