Virtual Desktop Solutions Are Critical to Supporting a Remote Workforce

Virtual desktop solutions allow employees to work remotely from just about anywhere in the world, securely connecting them to a company’s operating systems, software, and applications. As the world increasingly moves toward a remote workforce, these solutions will play a critical role in helping to build the foundation for tomorrow’s successful companies.

Remote work trending upward

According to a study by the Gallup Poll, 45 percent of people working full time in the United States worked from home either part or all of the time in September 2021. Although some of these situations are still a result of the lockdown and social distancing measures instituted during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is clear evidence that both employers and employees hope that some amount of remote work is here to stay.

In a separate survey of more than 9,000 U.S. workers, 91 percent of employees hope to work at home at least occasionally after the pandemic, citing time savings and the balance of personal and professional pursuits as the main reasons.

From the employer’s perspective, offering the ability to work remotely can help the organization attract and retain top talent in a tight labor market with nearly one-third of employees saying they’d be extremely likely to look for a new job if not allowed to work remotely.

What are virtual desktop solutions?

In traditional computing environments, physical desktop machines hold operating systems, applications, software, and other tools directly on their hard drives. If problems arise, updates or patches are required, or new applications need to be installed, they need to be completed on each end device.

With virtual desktop solutions, also known as Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) or virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), these items are housed centrally in a data center on-premises or in the cloud. Employees then use virtual devices, desktops, laptops, or smartphones to access company systems through any internet connection. All the updates, patching, troubleshooting, and maintenance can then be performed in a central location, conserving precious IT time, money, and resources.

Steps to implement DaaS solutions

Before moving forward with implementing virtual desktop technology, it’s important to set goals and understand the steps involved as well as the cost and resources required.

1. Understand Company Needs. Every organization will have different priorities and employee structures. Begin by taking an inventory of how many individuals will need access to a virtual desktop, as well as how frequently they will require these resources. Prioritize the goals and objectives of the solution.
2. Choose Internal or External Implementation. While some businesses may have the IT staff and an internal data center to implement a virtual desktop system, others may opt to use a DaaS service provider. Both have advantages and disadvantages and understanding both company goals and your IT team’s ability to implement and manage the solution are important factors in the decision.
3. Consider Partner Options. If a company opts to work with a third-party vendor, it’s important to choose a partner that brings experience and expertise to the table. Invest time in conducting some due diligence and talk with previous customers to see if they are satisfied with the vendor’s performance and how problems and difficulties were handled by the company. Just because a vendor has experience in moving customers to the cloud does not mean they have the special skills required to deliver VDI to end users.
4. Select Between Persistent and Non-Persistent Desktops. While persistent desktops are more expensive to implement and maintain, they allow individual users to have the same interface, graphics, and settings regardless of what device they use. For organizations that want to have multiple users sharing desktop stations, non-persistent desktops would make more economic sense. Individual settings are wiped clean at log-off, reducing the number of graphics and storage required.
5. Decide On Access. It can be tempting to purchase unlimited access for all employees to ensure that team members can remain productive. However, take a closer look at what access is truly needed. DaaS providers may allow metered usage, which may result in thousands of dollars of potential savings.
6. Evaluate Added Features. If working with a DaaS service provider, companies will need to determine which extra features are required. For example, many third-party organizations will offer a tiered customer or technical service package. If 24/7 support is desired, expect to pay more. The sophistication and extensiveness of backup, storage, and security services will increase the cost of ownership.

Expected returns

Once a company has its virtual desktop solution up and running, it can expect to generate significant benefits.

• Flexible Work Environment. With the rise of a remote workforce, any tools that can help employees be more efficient and productive at home or on the road can make a significant difference. In addition, virtual desktop solutions that facilitate remote work can have the indirect effect of helping organizations retain the best and the brightest employees.
• Solid Foundation. Looking back at the past few years makes it clear that technological developments will continue to accelerate. Selecting a good foundation for virtual desktops ensures that the integration of new technologies will be seamless and simple.
• Relieving IT. The IT staff may be one of the most overworked functions of just about any company. Using a DaaS service provider can relieve some of this burden by shifting the implementation, troubleshooting, maintenance, and security to a third party. In addition, DaaS companies should be motivated to stay on top of the latest developments, passing along that expertise and investment to their customers.
• Cost Savings. Typically, DaaS providers will charge a base subscription fee per user or per hour with desired features added. Although this is an ongoing cost, it is predictable and scalable, which can be an advantage for companies that may have peak or seasonal employees. For organizations that do not have an existing data center, the upfront cost of creating one, as well as the ongoing maintenance, can be extremely prohibitive, making subscription-based pricing appealing, especially for smaller or medium-sized organizations.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joseph Pedano

As SVP, Data Engineering at Evolve IP, I make sure our data architecture is continually developed and our network is performing optimally for customers and internal systems. Throughout my career, I’ve had great exposure to numerous networking technologies, Internet topologies, and industry-best operations practices. Before joining Evolve IP, I engineered ATX’s FrontLine suite of Managed Services Products. FrontLine reshaped ATX into a next-generation provider, and the product won Communications Solutions magazine’s Product of the Year Award for 2005. I am a proud graduate of St. Joseph’s University, where I received a bachelor’s degree in computer science (I also minored in math, economics, and Spanish). I currently live in King of Prussia. I always say that those who work hard have to play hard, so there are a lot of activities that I enjoy outside of work. The addition of a Kawasaki 300X in the stable definitely makes time fly.