In today’s world of hybrid and remote work, it’s no wonder that virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solutions are taking off. With remote employees working from the road, their home office, and from the corporate office, it is nearly impossible for IT staff the manage, maintain, and upgrade individual devices securely and efficiently.
VDI centralizes a business's operating systems, software, and applications providing authorized and controlled access when it is needed.
Thousands of organizations have migrated to the VDI model, but it can be daunting to know where to begin. Reviewing a brief VDI products comparison guide can help decision-makers compare and select the best solution for their organization.
When making a VDI decision, the first choice is to determine whether an organization will build an on-prem VDI solution to be managed by an internal IT team or outsourced to a desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) solution provider. Each has its pros and cons.
An internally managed VDI may be the right decision if an extensive IT department already exists, all licenses are purchased and obtained, and a business prefers to maintain complete control and governance over the entire system. However, this choice can be prohibitively expensive for a company building from the ground up and requires significant IT resources to manage and maintain; consider, for instance, that the average Desktop Services Manager makes a salary of $95K (Glassdoor)
Selecting a third-party DaaS provider can be advantageous as it shifts the maintenance, management, and upgrading of a system to a trusted partner for a predictable monthly subscription price. Businesses benefit from the solution provider’s expertise and constant striving for best practices. No initial massive IT outlay is required, and internal IT staff can be freed to handle higher priorities. However, an organization relinquishes some level of control to the DaaS partner in exchange.
Whether an on-prem option or external solution provider is selected, it’s critical for a company to understand what benefits are expected in the new system. Here are some key things to look for:
When it comes to making a final decision, organizations must weigh the pros and cons and compare investment to returns. It is difficult to compare the costs of on-prem vs. solution providers in general as this will depend greatly on the infrastructure that currently exists.
However, businesses can compare DaaS solution providers a bit easier. Nearly every DaaS provider offers the same general pricing model. Customers purchase a certain number of seats and then add extra features required. Here are the typical components:
The final and most important criterion is whether a DaaS provider allows individual customization of seats. For example, many companies will have different user types. Many will be using primarily software-as-a-service tools, some will require access to SaaS as well as legacy applications, and only a few will require the entire DaaS experience.
While most DaaS providers only offer a flat rate that can be customized by features, Evolve IP allows Further tailoring of the individual seat with persistent desktops. This means when a user logs back on to their desktop their bookmarks, settings, and other customizations will be just as they left them. That means that customers are truly paying for only what they need, leading to significant long-term cost savings.
To learn more about why Evolve IP is the best choice for A DaaS solution provider, reach out today.