Desktop as a service (not to be confused with data as a service, which sometimes also lays claim to the DaaS acronym) refers to cloud services that host virtual instances of a desktop operating system that users can access remotely. Leading options include Amazon WorkSpaces, Azure Windows Virtual Desktop, and Citrix Managed Desktops.

Most desktop-in-the-cloud services provide access to Windows desktop environments, although Amazon WorkSpaces offers a Linux option, as well.

In a way, Desktop as Service is a variant of the relatively old concept of thin clients, a model that involves using central servers to host some or all of the resources required to run desktop environments on PCs. In conventional thin client setups, those resources are hosted on a local server and delivered over a local network. In DaaS, they move to the public cloud and are consumed via the Internet.

Benefits of DaaS Today

Because it comes with the reliability and universal-accessibility promises of the public cloud, DaaS has been hailed in the past as having the potential to kill traditional PCs and finally bring thin client architectures mainstream.

That hasn’t happened, obviously. Traditional PCs are alive and well--I’m using one right now, and perhaps you are, too.

Nonetheless, part of me wishes I had a Cloud Hosted Virtual Desktop solution available to me, particularly in the uncertain times in which we now live. DaaS offers a range of attractive advantages in an age when unforeseen disasters have wreaked massive havoc on IT infrastructures. Those DaaS benefits include:

- The ability to access the same desktop environment from anywhere with an Internet connection.
- The assurance that user data will always be stored safely in the cloud, and will therefore remain accessible even if users’ local devices are not.
- No need to worry about setting up VPNs, RDP servers, and other special infrastructure to enable remote access to workstations running inside a building that you can’t physically access. Instead, you just host it in the cloud and consume it over the Internet.
- The ability to troubleshoot desktop issues remotely, instead of having to go on-site to provide user support.
- A simple, centralized process for shutting down desktop environments or spinning up new ones as employees come and go.
- Less dependence on supply chains to deliver the physical hardware necessary to keep desktop infrastructure. You don’t have to worry as much about acquiring a workstation for every new employee, replacing failed hard drives, and so on.


That is because DaaS still suffers from some key disadvantages:

1. You need a network connection (and a fast one).

Having a virtual workstation available from anywhere with an internet connection is great only so long as you have an internet connection--specifically, one that offers enough bandwidth and responsiveness to support a seamless remote desktop experience.

This is one reason why a Desktop in the Cloud solution may not be perfect for all work-from-home scenarios. Not all employees have reliable and fast home internet connections at their disposal.

2. You need a device.

Although DaaS allows workstation applications and data to be Hosted in the Cloud, users still need some kind of device to connect from. Ideally, that device will provide a large screen and traditional input devices so that it can emulate the conventional desktop. Mobile devices don’t really work well as endpoints for accessing a DaaS service.

This means that businesses must still ensure that employees have access to a laptop or desktop if they use the Cloud Hosted Desktop. By extension, they must handle the security and maintenance responsibilities that come with offering this hardware.

But all these drawbacks are covered in benefits.

To know more visit CloudDesktopOnline.