Blog / Virtual Desktops / What are Cloud Desktops? 

The popularity and wide use of cloud desktops has increased exponentially during COVID-19 and continues today. Being able to offer a virtualized desktop to remote workers has allowed many organizations to fully manage and accelerate their hybrid office strategies for both public or private, cloud-powered options.

The solution goes by many names—cloud desktops, hosted virtual desktop (HVD), remote desktop, digital workspace, desktop as a service, etc.—but what exactly is a Cloud Desktop, and why is this in-demand technology on the minds of so many IT leaders right now?

Cloud desktops allow businesses to store users’ desktop environments (the icons, wallpaper, windows, folders, toolbars, widgets, etc. users see every day when they go to work and logon to their computers) on a server, rather than on a local PC. Users can access their desktop remotely via laptops, smartphones, or tablets over a network that makes it feel as if they are working off the desktop itself.

These virtual desktops replicate physical workstations so there is no interruption in the user experience. Often, users report that performance is better than physical workstations. This is because system-taxing things like storage, processing power, and back-end databases are offloaded to the cloud. Businesses also benefit from using this virtual option because virtual machines and DaaS solutions reduce continual investment in upkeep and reprovisioning of physical infrastructures. Once freed from the endless cycle of purchasing, supporting, and upgrading, businesses can concentrate on more strategic IT goals.

 

Why is a Cloud Desktop so attractive?

Cloud Desktops enable people to Work Anywhere™ and provide a plethora of perks to business owners and employees alike.

  1. Free up resources

    Cloud Desktops use a virtual machine operating system to run all the hardware, operating systems, applications, and data that can be individualized and delivered to each user’s device. This allows for multiple users to essentially share one operating system to run multiple desktops. Being able to free up devices from having to have one operating system per one device means IT administrators can rethink how older physical desktops can be used as virtual desktop endpoints.

    As more and more businesses are adopting Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) models, IT leaders find more avenues to streamline savings and efficiently support users using virtual options while increasing the security of their fully managed infrastructures.

    2. More flexibility for users means more productivity

    Cloud Desktop end users are not limited to just hauling around bulky laptops and downloading files to memory sticks to get work done. They can log in to their personal virtual desktop from any internet-enabled device when they want and, in most cases, anywhere in the world. Remote workers no longer put up with hassles of time-intensive user experiences to access “work” and perform their jobs. They want to be able to work when and how they want. So, whether it is from the office, in their homes, or on the sidelines at soccer practice, they expect a seamless experience. By providing a virtual desktop option, businesses keep their staff safe, happy, and productive.

    3. Costs can be predicted and planned which leads to better IT purchase decisions

    Instead of having to wait for (and dread) new hardware and software prices to inconsistently be released, IT departments can count on far more predictable and recurring operating expenditure that is based on user counts, system performance, and data storage subscription models. What was, at times, a yearly exercise is now a flexible monthly spend that can be increased and reduced as needed.

    Businesses also increase savings by not having to provide and maintain physical equipment like office-based workstations, laptops, smartphones, and complex server infrastructures.

    4. Provide greater security protection

    IT departments can better protect and secure not only devices but also company intellectual property (IP). Whether resourced on publicly or privately powered cloud virtual desktops, IT departments can make sure that anything bad happening on one device will not transmit up to their cloud instances. For example, if a device is stolen or compromised by hackers or thieves, it is essentially locked out from the rest of the company’s infrastructure.

    5. Ensure disaster recovery and business continuity

    The use of Cloud PC solutions means that users are no longer tied to a physical device or physical servers. That means fires, floods, snowstorms, or hurricanes cannot harm physical devices in the offices that would support them. Cloud-based data centers that run Virtual Desktops are located away from high-risk weather zones and provide secure 24/7 access to your resources via the cloud. The only element that could interrupt work using Virtual Desktops would be the loss of internet connection.

    6. Can expand your Collaboration, Telephony, and Contact Center options

    Implementing collaboration, telephony, or Contact Center initiatives is time-intensive and costly, involving multiple undertakings and infrastructures; however, by using a Virtual Desktop solution, the process is simplified and becomes a singular, integrated solution that can be deployed seamlessly to remote workforces.

 

What does your Cloud PC strategy look like?

If you are not sure how to answer that question, Evolve IP is here to take the complexity and guesswork out of deploying Virtual Desktops and DaaS solutions for businesses of all sizes. Download your copy of the 2021 Gartner Market Guide for Desktop as a Service, or contact us today for a free consultation.

Evolve IP can enable your employees to Work Anywhere™ both productively and securely. We have the expertise and enterprise solutions ready to seamlessly integrate collaboration & communications, digital workspaces, and contact centers to fit your needs and goals. Free your IT from systems and infrastructure maintenance so they can focus on the initiatives you care most about: business innovation! Give your employees the power to contribute even more to the enterprise by allowing them to benefit from working where or when they want. When you choose Evolve IP you have selected a tried and trusted technology partner. Evolve IP listens to your needs to tailor solutions just for your business and is responsive and engaged in every phase and interaction until you reach your goals.

Your essential IT ally for the enterprise hybrid workforce.

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International accounting firm increases productivity by 30% during COVID with fully integrated Work Anywhere™ solutions.

Everything was flowing, everyone's connecting...Just seamless! And everything just worked. We haven't been down since we went remote."

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One of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing dermatology businesses estimates savings of $6.45 Million over 5 years

Evolve IP’s digital workspaces have allowed us to acquire more practices in a faster and more profitable way. That is resulting in bottom-line cost savings and top-line business benefits."

– Jeff Francis, Vice President of IT USDP

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