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Virtual PCs have been among the most innovative technological developments in the past couple of years. As many companies continue to allow employees to work from home, virtual desktop services provide greater flexibility. Workers no longer have to worry about losing their phones or laptops and can instead access company information from any secure device. However, not all virtual desktops have the capabilities to allow users to perform their best work. Ideally, a virtual desktop service should include advanced security with backups, a cloud-agnostic structure, an interactive dashboard, and remote assistance with session shadowing. vDesk.works is one of many virtual desktop providers currently on the market.

Overview of Virtual Desktop Features

An advanced security infrastructure is one of the most important features a virtual desktop provider should include. These security metrics can include multi-factor authentication, single sign-on measures, frequent backups, anti-virus protection, and firewalls. Only authorized users should be allowed to access the company server.

When company managers decide on a virtual PC provider, they should also ensure it has a cloud-agnostic structure. A device is cloud-agnostic when it can run on any device or platform, regardless of the developer. For example, a device-agnostic system like vDesk.works allows a user to work on a Windows desktop while using an Apple device. Multiple devices can be accessed at the same time on a cloud-agnostic infrastructure. A cloud-agnostic structure is also ideal for freelancers or companies that use hybrid deployments.

Another feature that virtual PCs should include is an interactive dashboard. Managers can use these interactive dashboards to see user activity logs, which registered devices are currently being used, and other types of reports. These dashboards can be viewed with any device that has been registered with the virtual desktop provider so managers can review this data even when they are not in the office. Administrators can also improve the performance of the server farm by setting up health checks in the dashboard view.

Virtual desktops should also be able to perform remote assistance and session shadowing procedures. Remote assistance is defined as a support agent assisting a user by taking control of their device to fix problems or minor mistakes. An example of remote assistance would be if one user accidentally downloaded malware or a virus and does not know how to remove it. By using remote assistance, another user in a separate location would control the other user's device and show them how to fix the problem in real time. Session shadowing is when the user in need of assistance watches as the support team member fixes the issue. By using remote assistance, companies with multiple offices do not need to maintain IT teams in each company branch.