It’s no secret that happy workers are better workers – although if you want proof, check out what IDC says about how a positive employee experience breeds positive customer experiences.

Yet, it has become harder than ever for IT departments to keep workers happy. With more and more employees working remotely, ensuring that workers have access to the computing infrastructure, software, and support services they need to remain productive has become a core challenge for IT teams across the world.

One way to address this challenge is to embrace Desktop-as-a-Service, or DaaS. Because DaaS eliminates many of the friction points separating employees from a positive experience in using IT systems, DaaS helps workers to feel engaged and supported – even when they aren’t physically in the office.

Let me explain by elaborating on the user-experience issues that plague many workforces today, and how DaaS helps solve them.

The role of end-user computing in employee experience

In many respects, desktop computers are the essential link between employees and the companies they work for. No matter which role they play in the business or which systems they need to access, employees rely on desktop computers as their portals into the rest of the organization.

For that reason, desktop computers that result in a clunky experience can easily lead to underproductive, under-engaged, and demoralized employees. And the risks have only become greater as more employees have shifted to hybrid and remote work models since 2020.

Not only are situations like these bad for the business because they reduce productivity and increase the burden placed on IT teams. They’re also bad for employees, who are likely to become frustrated with their jobs and feel under-valued by their employers when they run into desktop computing issues that get in the way of their work.

Let’s also look at some of the most mundane yet significant limitations of traditional desktops:

• Flexibility and mobility: Perhaps one of the most severe restrictions traditional desktops place on their users is the complete lack of mobility. We are talking about one cumbersome device placed in one location, entrusted with securing all data.
• Data loss: Any corruption or damage to the hardware can result in the corruption or loss of data, making its recovery a near-impossibility.
• New software rollouts: In a traditional desktop environment, new software rollouts have to be done using third-party tools, which do not guarantee 100% compliance on day 1.
• Maintenance: Physical desktops – hardware and software – have to be updated and maintained regularly. Desktops may need hardware upgrades and replacements every 3 to 5 years. Operating Systems and software need regular updates for bug fix and security compliance. This maintenance becomes a challenging task in remote and hybrid working environments.
• User experience: While high-end configurations tend to give a better user experience, others not so much. As physical desktops get older, the lower configurations and the age of the hardware contribute to slower performance, resulting in mediocre user experience.

Added to this, there is the very real threat of data loss associated with hardware failure. According to research, hardware failure contributes to 35% of data loss in organizations. If employees have to look over their shoulder everytime they handle a piece of corporate equipment for fear of damage or loss, it will not create a very happy work situation.

How DaaS supercharges employee experience

By using DaaS, businesses can virtually eliminate the risk that end-user computing problems like those described above will harm the employee experience.

With DaaS, on-site and offsite employees are constantly connected by default to the systems that they need to be productive. So, there is never a risk that employees won’t be able to access critical business resources or install the applications they require.

DaaS also ensures that the desktop environments employees work from are lean and mean. Any “cruft” that employees install on local devices remains isolated from virtual desktops, so it won’t slow down business critical applications.

IT support, too, is much faster and more efficient when employees have access to virtual desktops. The IT team can monitor and connect to virtual desktop environments from anywhere, without having to worry about how employees’ home networks are configured. They can access the virtual desktop that the employee uses, since it’s hosted in a server, to perform any maintenance activity like software updates, and operating system patching. Additionally, a VDI environment allows seamless software rollouts with a guaranteed 100% compliance from day 1 for every user.

And, in the event that the devices that employees use to connect to virtual desktops break down, they can simply switch to a different device in order to work around hardware issues. Since all of the data, applications and settings that workers need are stored in the virtual desktop environment, it doesn’t matter which device they use to connect.

Added to these advantages, DaaS provides the freedom to work from anywhere with its location and device-agnostic infrastructure. This mobility is reinforced by the iron-clad security it provides, making data theft or corruption a non-issue for end users.

These benefits are from a digital employee experience perspective. For employers, DaaS empowers their hybrid workspace in other ways:

• It provides a secure hybrid workspace by eliminating the primary source of danger: insecure PCs.
• By creating a seamless work experience for employees, DaaS enhances higher productivity and workforce scalability.
• DaaS addresses all challenges in hybrid work by ensuring data security, network security, and software security.

DaaS: A win for workers and businesses alike

Put simply, DaaS helps to ensure that desktop computing infrastructure becomes a vector for employee efficiency and engagement, rather than a roadblock that separates workers from the business resources they need to do their jobs well. By delivering a smoother end-user computing experience, virtual desktops keep employees happy, while also protecting the needs of the business as a whole.