The term hosted desktops might inspire visions of lunchtime gatherings around food-and-drink filled cubicles, but really it’s an IT service. One that makes things easier for small-business owners by allowing their office computers to connect to operating systems and software that are “hosted” in the cloud.
Even though that may not sound as much fun as a shared mid-day meal between colleagues, hosted desktops -- commonly referred to as DaaS, or “Desktop-as-a-Service” -- are pleasing in several ways. Namely, they’re easier to maintain than traditional onsite server-desktop networks, they have the potential to seriously improve employee productivity, and they significantly reduce hardware and software costs.
Hosted Desktops in Layman’s Terms
Here’s what happens to businesses when they sign up for a hosted desktop or DaaS service: Their employees’ computers -- with the familiar icons for software apps, file folders, recycle bins that they see on their monitors -- won’t actually be accessed locally, but instead by connecting to them over the Internet.
So, for example, when your accounting manager logs in and double-clicks the QuickBooks icon at the top of their screen, they’ll be using software and data on a machine located in the cloud. They won’t actually be using software and data on the computer they’re sitting right next to, relegating those to a lesser status known as a “dumb terminal.”
Easy Maintenance
The dumb terminals your employees will use in a hosted desktop environment very rarely need to be repaired. Since they are more or less just interfaces between your users and the apps and data in the cloud, they don’t come with the robust features and high-level specs that normal production PCs do.
They’ll also require fewer software updates and upgrades. That’s because those will be handled by the DaaS provider whom you pay a flat monthly fee to monitor and maintain your cloud-hosted desktops for you. And in case it hasn’t yet occurred to you, allow us to point out how that can positively impact small-business owners’ time.
To revisit the case of the accounting manager, DaaS lets them access their QuickBooks on a hosted desktop over the Internet from a dumb terminal. That’s all it takes, which means you won’t have to deal with the installations, licensing, hardware fixes, and patching that goes hand-in-hand with a typical PC-server office IT scheme.
Improved Productivity
We’re not going to tell you that with DaaS you’ll witness complete transformations of your accounting manager’s output -- or any other employees you get hooked up using hosted desktops -- but we will say there’s a chance you notice them getting more work done on a daily or weekly basis.
Predictions pertaining to improved productivity have to do with the fact that DaaS makes it extremely easy for your users to work remotely, and at any time they want. If an employee is kicking back in a recliner at home, chilling in an airport cafe, or sitting in a client’s waiting room, they can do everything on their mobile device that they can do in their cubicle.
What’s more, because their hosted desktop will reside in the cloud, managed by an expert DaaS provider like Founders Technology, cybersecurity and efficiency will always be optimized. So in addition to having the flexibility to work from just about anywhere there’s WiFi or 4G, they’ll be connecting to safe, glitch-free apps and data.
Reduced Costs
When you sign up for DaaS, you save money in both the short and long term. Your DaaS provider will make sure you have your computers and Internet connection configured correctly, and they’ll obviously handle everything on their side so your users can safely log in to the hosted desktops. This means less expense for you in terms of labor and in terms of hardware thanks to the dumb terminals’ low cost.
You also won’t have to invest in an onsite data backup and recovery system or sophisticated malware protection for your machines. All your customer information will be safely stored in the cloud by your provider, and robust network defense mechanisms will be in place to ensure your hosted desktops have no viruses or ransomware.
Most of all, hosted desktops that are maintained 24/7 by the experts result in far less downtime for businesses, and we don’t need to tell you how costly idle employees can be. So if you’re a stakeholder in a New England business and think a fully customized DaaS plan would benefit your organization, give Founders Technology a call today for a free hosted desktop readiness assessment.