October 10, 2018 - IronOrbit

Hosted Virtual Desktop: Access Your Computer Anytime, Anywhere From Any Device

IronOrbit October 10, 2018 Hosted Virtual Desktops

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) revolution has taken businesses to the next level. If you have not tapped into BYOD, consider hosted virtual desktop as a jumping off point.

If you’re used to the traditional workplace environment, a hosted desktop might be foreign to you.

A hosted desktop refers to a Windows operating system, which is accessible via the Internet. It’s the clone of a Windows operating system with the same capabilities as the operating system on a PC.

This means that a hosted desktop lets you install and launch Microsoft Office applications, web browsers, and even email programs such as Microsoft Outlook.

Hosted desktops or also referred to as Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) allow you to enjoy the freedom of working remotely. You don’t have to be chained to your desk to carry out your task. Since it’s not installed on the machine, it’s like taking your PC anywhere minus the physical device.

Although each one of you is working on an independent PC, you’ll still have the opportunity to collaborate because all of your virtual PCs are hosted on interconnected servers.

Hosted Virtual Desktops vs Traditional In-House IT

With a traditional in-house IT, all assets, from drivers to servers are located onsite. Businesses with in-house IT solutions have a dedicated team of individuals responsible for resolving issues with the IT system and infrastructure.

Hosted desktops are the exact opposite of in-house IT. Windows applications are moved into the cloud to enable remote access. This is made possible by IT hosting company.

Having your OS installed on the server enables you to access your files, applications, and documents from any Internet-connected device. So long as you have Internet access, you’ll be able to run applications with a hosted desktop.

Why Make The Switch?

More and more companies are now embracing digital transformation for a good reason-reduce manual task and increase productivity. Having the ability to work anywhere helps you to accomplish tasks. Aside from flexibility, hosted desktops also offer these benefits:

Cost-Effective IT Solution: Hosted virtual desktop services no longer require you to purchase expensive PCs just to maintain workplace productivity. You can access hosted desktops even from an old PC. It doesn’t affect the user experience because your OS is stored on the server of your hosting provider. Managing email, applications, and file storage has never been this easy.
Improved Security: Hosting companies consider security as a top priority. More often than not, the monthly fee you pay for a hosting company already includes patch management, data backups, and hosted virtual desktop security maintenance. That said, there’s no need to spend thousands of dollars on protecting, your sensitive files and documents from threats.
Maintenance-Free: When your operating system is locally installed, you’ll have to be responsible for maintaining your PC to preserve their optimum performance. A virtual hosted desktop spares you the headache of maintaining your servers and PCs because you can host your applications on the server of your hosting provider.

Hosted Virtual Desktops-The Emergence Of Advanced Technology

Virtualization exists even in the ’60s. However, it has some limitations that deter such technological concept from soaring high. One limitation is that hardware virtualization could only cater to one task at a time.

This means that the rest of the tasks have to be queued in batches. Just like most inventions, it wasn’t long enough when experts decided to improve the features of software and hardware virtualization.

With the emergence of new features after a few decades, managing multiple computers became easier. Hence, the use of virtual machines. How did this innovation change lives?

Well, for one, it enabled businesses to increase efficiency, and address stability and security concerns. Imagine eliminating the burden of depending on one device. It’s a whiff of fresh air for everyone. You don’t have to think about the safety of your data, especially when machines have been compromised.

Sensitive data becomes impervious to natural disaster and human error because you’re not storing them on individual machines. It’s a clever way to ensure data is in good hands. You’re not using a shared network.

That said, only people who have been granted access to your resources can view your files and applications. You decrease the likelihood of file corruption because employees access data from a separate operating system. The VMware hosted virtual desktop is one of the providers that offer this feature.

Between the ’60s-’90s, you won’t notice any significant difference on hosted virtual desktops except gaining access to data, which is centrally stored. As the concept of hosted virtual desktops became popular in the late ’90s and early 2000s, the IT needs to kick the strategy up a notch to combat new security threats.

It’s a turning point for providers to implement cloud technology or cloud-hosted virtual desktop that will shield files and documents against complex security threats.

So when your files are stored in the cloud, you’re also reducing the likelihood of your sensitive data being hacked. Why? Simply because you could only access your files with an Internet connection.

In 2004, virtualization gained traction when new rules regarding management responsibilities were put in place. How did this come about? High-profile security threats paved a wider way for IT experts to come up with a more stringent rule that will not only increase the functionality of a hosted desktop but also create a security tool.

Providers are continuously releasing updates and revision up to the present. Each update will also require businesses to comply with the security requirement to cope with the changes in technology.

Who Can Reap The Benefits Of Hosted Virtual Desktops?

The primary purpose of hosted desktops is to remove time-consuming tasks by simplifying processes. Here are the key industries that can benefit from hosted virtual desktops:

Professional Services

If your company offers professional services, such as legal or financial, there are many ways your company can benefit from the hosted desktop software. You can migrate industry-specific applications into the hosted desktop software to streamline business operations and processes.

You don’t have to keep on reminding yourself to perform an upgrade because most providers will update the applications and software for you.

Law and accountancy firms store sensitive files, which require strict data management practices. An advanced personal hosted virtual desktop has the ability to store data in a specific data center governed by data protection laws. With security measures in place, it will be difficult for hackers to steal your data.

Healthcare

In 2017, WannaCry ransomware crippled the healthcare industry due to its unpatched system. With more than 230,000 Windows OS computers affected across 150 countries, such damages incurred billions. This hacking scandal only proves that you need to be one step ahead of cyber criminals.

Data breaches occur when unauthorized individuals can freely access your files when the staff connects to unsecured networks. Hosted virtual desktop providers can lock down files as a way of protecting your data from being stolen. Hospitals also have heaps of paperwork that medical staff has to carry to consultations or around campus. Why risk losing some of these essential files when you can reduce the paper trail by moving important files into the cloud?

New Businesses

Running a small or start-up company is no excuse to let data security to take a backseat. This is one misconception that has led many small businesses to fall victim to cyber crimes. Your files are important even as a startup.

A hosted virtual desktop for small business gives you a significant amount of savings because you’ll no longer have to worry about hiring a support staff to maintain your IT environment or pay upfront server costs.

Both of these services have a comprehensive hosted virtual desktop pricing and they can be outsourced at a flat monthly rate. Scalability is one of the stand-out benefits of hosted desktop service. You can also consider hosted virtual desktop free of charge, but it has some limitations. It makes your IT environment more sustainable with the option to scale up or down your service.

Hosted virtual desktops provide a streamlined business process to get things done in a timely fashion. You’ll also gain greater peace of mind because the minimal IT management responsibilities allow you to focus on other aspects of your business that matter.

What to Look For in a DaaS Provider

IronOrbit October 10, 2018 Desktop as a Service

One of the misconceptions about Desktop as a Service (DaaS) solutions is that they are less secure than virtual desktop infrastructure.

A DaaS provider can address potential compliance and security issues. You just need to make sure that you know what your security requirements are so you can find a provider that is capable of fulfilling your business needs.

It starts with evaluating your DaaS options. You should also look at the providers’ confidentiality, integrity, and availability so you can make an informed decision.

Does your DaaS provider tick all the right boxes?

Is your DaaS provider reliable?

Before you move forward with your provider, it’s best to check a few aspects of their service to find out whether or not they are trustworthy.

Since you’ll store client’s information, a provider should have a confidentiality protection in place to limit other companies from accessing sensitive information. On-premise directories can be compromised when hackers gain access to the unified directory.

Aside from confidentiality, you should also evaluate the availability of your provider because the service may not be up and running all the time.

Your service can be interrupted due to internet connection issues. DaaS also allows employees to work remotely through a reliable internet connection, but if other tenants are sharing the same infrastructure, the performance of your company’s DaaS service will also be affected.

Is your DaaS provider secure?

Cloud services have now been proactive in implementing stronger security measures to keep cyber threats at bay.

However, on-premises systems and infrastructures only focus on the needs of your business. Make sure you check how cloud services are dealing with potential threats. Some providers can isolate your records so they won’t be accessible to other employees.

You can also configure your compliance and security requirements based on the specific needs of your company.

Benefits of DaaS

DaaS does not rely on an existing hardware infrastructure to get services to work. This service is a more affordable option because it can lower the total cost of ownership.

Even virtual desktops don’t require new hardware because you can just use the available technological resources. You’re not only saving money but a great amount of time installing replacements as well.

Since BYOD has its own policy, you need to keep in mind that data can be stolen or compromised anytime. If you allow employees to store business files on their unsecured devices, you’re increasing the risk of data breach. DaaS addresses this concern by storing your data in the data center.

Human error is one of the reasons businesses have been suffering from the data breach, data loss, and fraud. With traditional setup, you will need to carry around your device wherever you want to work.

DaaS eliminates this risk by keeping everything within the cloud. Virtual desktops give you access to your files on any device. With improved mobility, you’re also increasing the productivity of your business.

Choose a DaaS provider with a disaster recovery strategy in place because hackers can easily penetrate into your infrastructure if you fall short on providing strong security for your business assets.

Cloud Migration Strategy: Why You Should Move Into The Cloud?

IronOrbit October 10, 2018 Cloud Migration

Cloud migration refers to the process of deploying some or all of your data, services, applications, or other essential business assets into the cloud, which is run by a cloud service provider.

When it comes to implementing your cloud migration strategy, two things usually come to mind: planning and execution. Before you consider migrating your data to the cloud, it’s vital to be aware of the implications of the migration.

Once you have a solid plan, the next step you need to take is to execute your migration. When carrying out your migration, you’ll face some challenges such as minimal disruption to your normal business operation. Since the migration will render your data inaccessible, you need to be prepared for the risk involved that can seriously impact your business operations.

Successful cloud computing migration strategy means that your data have been kept secure and optimized. Since it’s a critical infrastructure, real-time monitoring of changes is essential.

Migration strategy for cloud also requires meeting regulatory compliance such as GDPR. Make sure you perform an assessment regarding the security of your data to ensure it’s going to work in a cloud-based environment.

The Benefits of Cloud Migration Strategy

Data Protection

Data loss due to power failure, virus, or natural disaster is costly and can affect business productivity and continuity. Moving your data into the cloud will spare you the headache of recovering everything from scratch because the cloud can store backup copies of your data in a secure location so you can access it from the cloud.

Complete Document Control

Cloud stores your document via a centralized data center. You don’t have to go through a series of tedious processes just to share your document with the rest of your team. Anyone who has access to a document can edit or view the file depending on the type of access you have permitted. Circulating the same file allows better collaboration across workers, partners, customers, and companies.

Data Security

Saving and storing your sensitive data on your machine or laptop are not good practices to follow. If someone gains access to your device, you could lose your important files at the drop of a hat. When you store your data in the cloud, you’ll be able to access your document from any device and reduce the risk of exposing your data to cybercriminals.

Scalability

Another reason why it’s a good idea to implement a cloud strategy migration is its scalability. You can scale up or scale down your storage based on your business needs. If your business belongs in a fluctuating market, cloud enables you to add or reduce the space on your cloud environment.

Key Points To Remember Before You Migrate

Cloud Migration Only Takes Minutes

Migrating your resources into the cloud is not as complicated as it may sound. In fact, it only takes a few minutes to move everything into the cloud. Unless, of course, your project needs planning. There are several variables that you need to take into account to determine how long it would really take to complete the migration process.

The size and components of your migration project can affect the process.

Evaluate your company’s readiness to embrace cloud data migration strategy

You can’t just wake up one day and decide that you want to migrate your files and applications into the cloud. It requires mapping out a strategy that will address downtime and other challenges associated with migration. The purpose of migration is to minimize challenges and not the other way around. This is where performing a cloud readiness assessment comes in.

Performing the assessment is the first step to your journey through cloud adoption. The assessment will help you to gauge the current situation of your business and its ability to achieve goals. So what will you accomplish from the assessment? You’ll be able to know the aims and drivers of your business, the benefits you’ll obtain from the migration, and the effort that the process will require.

Migration also requires communicating with everyone who is involved in your business operation. You need to discuss how the migration is going to affect your clients, customers, and employees. Your discussion should focus on the effects of cloud migration on your business operation, the benefits it will bring to the company and the opportunities for upskilling and training.

Know what to include in cloud migration strategy

Migration is easier said than done when you don’t have a strategy in place. After performing a cloud readiness assessment, you should start defining your data migration strategy to cloud so you and your team can work towards a common goal. Determine the success you want to measure and the solution to problems that you may face along the way.

You may or may not need cloud consultants

Switching from traditional to cloud-based environment isn’t easy. This is why some businesses prefer to engage the services of cloud consultants. It enables them to identify areas for improvement within the business and the skills and training required for everyone in the company to successfully implement cloud technology.

Public, private, or hybrid cloud?

Migration strategy from cloud services will not be complete without choosing from the cloud models-public, private, and hybrid. When choosing cloud models, make your business and its objections as a basis for making an informed decision:

Public Cloud

Public cloud makes your resources available to everyone. It’s managed by third-party providers, which enable you to make use of external software and hardware over the internet, which saves you from maintaining your own. The company that provides the cloud services owns the infrastructure. If you want to have more control over your data and applications, the public cloud is not a suitable option because it has limited visibility and controlled from the provider’s data center.

You also share the computing infrastructure with other organizations. Although the applications, infrastructure, and data are only accessed by the authorized individuals, all of these resources are separated. Some of the known advantages of the public cloud are scalability, reliability, low cost of ownership and automated deployments.

Private Cloud

Private cloud, on the other hand, gives exclusive access to your business. It has a highly secure environment, which resolves the security issues that a public cloud model may not be able to provide. It’s the type of cloud model suitable for government and financial sectors. However, you’ll be held responsible for managing, maintaining and updating the cloud.

The costs of purchasing and maintaining all the IT infrastructure of a private cloud is more expensive than a public cloud. This is why a private cloud migration strategy is ideal for organizations that require strict data privacy and security levels. If your company is large enough to cover the costs associated with next-gen cloud data center, a private cloud model works for you.

Hybrid Cloud

Hybrid gives you the best of both worlds. It combines the affordability of public cloud and the multiple layers of security of the private cloud. For businesses that choose to migrate sensitive applications while the non-sensitive application can operate through a public cloud environment, hybrid cloud migration strategy provides this option.

Are you going to choose, public, private, or hybrid cloud? You might want to start with assessing your environment and identifying the factors that affect cloud migration. These factors may include application interoperability, legacy data, and application data.

Keep in mind that the type of data migration strategy for cloud you choose has its own advantages and disadvantages. If you intend to move your data into a public cloud, security is going to be in question. Since the public cloud is run on a public server, you cannot control data access. Putting a solid plan in place will help you decide which type of cloud is suitable for your business.

If your company is still embracing traditional IT infrastructure, it’s about time you implement cloud migration strategy to improve data security, increase productivity, and promote business growth.

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Day: October 10, 2018