We have entered the age of the remote worker. No more is remote working consigned to freelancers and contractors. The uncertainty of COVID-19 has rocketed remote working strategies into the limelight and businesses around the world have had to adapt, if they hadn’t done so already, to a new way of working.
With many businesses already reaping the rewards of cloud computing, that begs the question: How can remote access to work benefit your organisation?
The mobile workforce
Even before the COVID epidemic, mobilising the workforce has been a much-discussed topic. With the improvements in mobile technology – which with the introduction of 5G will become more prominent – and the popularity of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiatives, working from mobile devices has become a competitive advantage. Despite this, there are a number of challenges associated with introducing new devices to the workplace – including security, information accessibility and collaboration.
The good news is the technology exists to solve those challenges and make mobile and remote working a breeze. After all, remote working doesn’t simply mean working from your phone whilst at home. To successfully implement remote working, employees need to be able to access shared files, applications and data wherever they are, on various devices. Essentially, they need to be able to work as if they were in the office. And that is where Desktop as a Service (DaaS) software comes in.
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
VDI technology simply means hosting an operating system within a virtual machine, and allowing users to access it via a remote device. Basically, employees can access their own desktops remotely, meaning they can use the same applications, network drives, shared folders, printers and more, from any location.
The benefits are widespread. As well as the ability to access a desktop remotely, VDI enables employees to work from multiple devices seamlessly. Regardless of the device, all the documents would be stored in one central area. Additionally, VDI significantly reduces the burden placed on IT teams. No more do IT teams need to deal with infected machines. With VDI, software is controlled centrally so the problem can be fixed on the virtual end, without having to continually spend time on every endpoint user.
Desktop as a Service (DaaS)
Unfortunately, one of the major downsides of the VDI approach is the significant upfront costs, which can, understandably, be offputting. Despite simplifying mobile access to desktop applications, VDI still requires the purchasing and managing of the technology, either in the data centre or private cloud.
In a bid to overcome those costs, DaaS solutions, like our own, have become increasingly popular. With no upfront costs, DaaS solutions enable businesses to pay for a provider to host and manage the VDI. That includes the actual desktop image, data storage and backup, security and upgrades – further releasing IT teams from the burden.
When it comes to remote working and mobilising the workforce, the introduction of DaaS utilises the benefits of cloud computing and takes it to another level. Businesses get all the benefits of VDI, but with additional rewards such as cloud migration, easy scalability, extra security and cloud flexibility. DaaS means everyone can access and harness the power of cloud computing, no matter how big or small the business.
For smaller businesses, in particular, this presents an opportunity to punch above their weight, especially with limited IT resources. DaaS provides cloud technology and performance, typically akin to enterprise businesses. That means less IT expenditure and overheads, no more worrying about upgrading, licencing or patching, and time freed to be spent on the central functions of the business.
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As a specialist in cloud computing and secure connectivity, we are experts in creating the right remote working environment to connect your people and deliver results.