VDI as a Service: What You Need to Know
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), commonly available in the form of VDI as a Service, consists of cloud-based virtual desktops delivered to individuals and businesses by third-party providers. Because the desktops in question are virtual in nature, they are understood as a service rather than a product. But VDI comes not just as any service, but as a fully managed one. VDI providers such as Ace Cloud Hosting offer end-to-end managed services that cover everything from design and deployment to monitoring and maintenance. With the emergence of a post-pandemic hybrid workspace, businesses have widely adopted VDI as a Service.
Nevertheless, VDI as a Service is a relative latecomer. That is why many of the essential features of a Virtual Desktop solution – such as security, benefits, cost – may not be entirely clear to interested parties. But these features are the real gamechanger. Businesses that once adopted virtual desktops as part of a post-pandemic survival strategy have quickly realized the potential of VDI. As a matter of fact, VDI as a Service is the reason they are now ahead of their competition.
So, what does VDI as a Service do?
VDI as a Service provides businesses with cloud-hosted virtual desktops developed using the VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) technology. These virtual desktops are available on end-user devices with pre-loaded applications that do not need to be purchased separately. The applications are stored on the cloud and can be accessed on any device using an internet connection.
How VDI as a Service Works
Virtual Desktops are meant to make businesses agile and flexible by ensuring anytime-anywhere access, and the capability to work uninterruptedly. For a distributed workforce working on a remote or hybrid mode, the ability to deploy a dedicated workspace from any location is vital. When businesses adopt virtual desktops, employees can work from any location using a personal device connected to the internet. All they have to do is sign in using a set of unique credentials for data and applications to become available instantly.
Features of VDI as a Service
The following features of VDI have contributed to its rising popularity among businesses of all sizes:
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Ultra-compatibility: Compatibility is never an issue with Virtual Desktop Solutions because every user is provided with a dedicated Virtual Machine (VM) running any OS they prefer. This means, although Virtual Desktops are accessible from end-user devices, they run independently of the device OS. Thus, Virtual Desktop are truly platform independent.
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Virtualized Infrastructure: Virtual infrastructure is not just cost-effective; it can be fully outsourced. With remote desktop services being entirely managed by third-party providers, small businesses need only pay for services they end up using as part of the pay-as-you-use pricing plans. While physical infrastructure warrants in-house IT management and its associated costs, a VDI provider is responsible for the maintenance of virtual desktops. This makes Virtual Desktops the perfect tool for small businesses looking to make the most out of a tight budget and limited expenses.
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Highest Security Standards: Virtual desktops are typically protected within a multi-layered secure infrastructure that deploys such security safeguards as access controls, end-to-end encryption, antivirus software, firewalls, Intrusion Detection and Prevention System (IDPS), smart policies, etc. These measures ensure complete safety of both end-user devices and the network. For all businesses, complete control of data is crucial. To prevent unauthorized access and data loss, complete data protection armed with state-of-the-art security measures is the need of the hour. Companies end up paying heavily to implement enterprise-grade security measures that ensure maximum protection against data theft. Virtual Desktops come pre-installed with bank-level security measures to establish 360-degree data protection and control. Many VDI providers incorporate both physical and digital security best practices. These measures reassure businesses for whom data security is the biggest concern.
Why VDI as a Service works
While the pandemic has changed many things, the workspace has transformed to an extent nothing else has. This is because, the very first victim of the pandemic was the ability to work. Employees around the world found it challenging to continue working and delivering with travel restrictions and office closures in full effect. Small businesses were the first to realize that the way we worked had to change
if we were to keep working in a world that had changed irrevocably. Out of this necessity to keep going, virtual desktop solutions emerged as the best possible decision these businesses made toward growth and sustainability. Today, VDI as a Service is not just a big hit, these have become a business-critical tool that everyone needed but did not know they did until now.
In relation to small businesses, Virtual Desktops seem to have made all their dreams come true. It is as if virtual desktop solutions were developed with small businesses in mind. Although virtual desktops have been around since the early 2000s, it is only now that their use for small businesses has made a strong resurgence.
Virtual Desktops are also a way for businesses to minimize capital expenditure. Because VDI as a Service is managed entirely by the VDI provider, the need for an in-house IT team is gone. And with that, operational expenses come down significantly.
But cost-deduction is hardly effective without higher levels of efficiency. The reality is Virtual Desktops work because they help a workforce maximize their potential by taking away the need to manage IT. As IT challenges are outsourced to the VDI provider, small businesses can deliver more efficiently by focusing instead on business-critical processes.
Bottomline
Even without a digital workspace, the benefits of virtual desktops are clear. They reinforce multi-level cost advantages with the qualities of agility and flexibility in the modern workspace that would have otherwise grown stagnant and unproductive. But the reason virtual desktops exist is not only to keep things exciting, but because they have become business critical. Small businesses can now eliminate the need for in-house IT infrastructure, because virtual desktops come in the form of an end-to-end managed service that a third-party cloud VDI provider would be responsible for. In place of their own expensive IT teams, small businesses can now enjoy world-class IT services for their virtual desktops that do not burn a hole in their pockets.
