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The era of desktop computing is disappearing. More and more businesses are looking for ways to streamline their IT costs by moving toward a more managed service environment. Desktop as a Service (DaaS) has become an increasingly attractive option for those who work on mission critical projects and need constant support with hardware/software issues, don't want the costs associated with logistics, for the ones looking for a remote workforce option, and for those who don't want to participate in training employees/students on desktop life cycle.

Desktop as a Service: A Quick Overview

DaaS or Desktop as a Service is a model that allows you to outsource your desktop needs. DaaS, instead of using assets on-site, provides users with desktops which are centrally hosted within managed data centers and provided as a service. It saves organizations from all the costs associated with hardware ownership – including purchasing, upgrading, deploying, maintaining and supporting desktops. Just as you subscribe to a SaaS (software as a service) application like vDesk.works, you will now be able to subscribe to your desktop solution and get started in seconds.

Top 5 Areas Where DaaS is Used

Here are the top 5 areas where DaaS is used:

Remote Workforce

With a growing number of employees working remotely (whether travelling on the road, at home or in the office), more and more organizations are looking for ways to allow these workers access to critical business applications like Outlook and Office without having them to carry a dedicated PC/Laptop with all the preloaded software and associated data.

In this case, rather than wasting money and resources on an on-site desktop that goes largely unused, organizations have the option to provide their mobile workforce with a virtualized desktop hosted in a data center. The end result is increased security and access control since you can manage who has access to your business applications in addition to greater mobility for your remote workers without the hassle of managing PCs.

Education Institutions

Schools and colleges also have the same challenges as many other organizations. On top of budget constraints, they also need to provide a convenient way for students to access their applications, requiring them to go through layers of IT bureaucracy. In addition, schools need network access on-demand without numerous logins and passwords.

And finally, they also require increased security and the ability to comply with multiple compliance mandates. In this case, it's advantageous for institutions to use DaaS (for example VMware is working with Schoology) where students can easily access their desktops simply by logging in via a browser.

Retail and Manufacturing

For retailers or manufacturers who are looking for ways to increase customer satisfaction scores as well as improve operational efficiencies, DaaS can be a great option. With DaaS, your employees have access to their files and applications from a broad range of devices (for example all the major mobile platforms), which means no matter where they are or what device they choose to use; there's always an application available for them.

In addition, there is no need for employees to carry company laptops or mobile devices as they can access their files and applications from a secure cloud-based portal.

Healthcare

For organizations in the healthcare industry, increased productivity and better control over equipment is critical to success. With DaaS, clinicians now have centralized access to patient records, research materials, critical medical applications and information systems thua a multitude of connected devices they need not bring in preloaded laptops.

In addition, hospitals are also looking for ways to increase patient safety, as well as improve collaboration between clinicians, further increasing the need for centralizing desktop resources while also ensuring compliance with HIPAA regulations.

Business Development Organizations

Sales team typically has a critical need for desktop resources while on the road. Being able to access their email, files and applications from a browser or mobile device in real-time is often vital to success – yet providing them with an actual PC isn't always feasible.

In this case, sales teams can use DaaS (for example through vDesk.works) where they can quickly and easily subscribe to a cloud-based desktop solution that allows them real-time access to all their files, email and applications from a mobile device or a browser while on the road.