What is a Hosted Desktop and why do I need one?

Hosted Desktop terminology can cause confusion with all the different acronyms used. This article explains exactly what Hosted Desktops are, why they are so beneficial and how they help enable the new Hybrid and Remote Working models. For further information visit Flexiscale Technologies Ltd.

Hosted Desktop, Virtual Hosted Desktop, Desktop as a Service (DaaS), Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), Cloud Hosted Desktop: there are many terms for it but what exactly is a Hosted Desktop and why do you need one?

Simply put, a Hosted Desktop is a desktop that is hosted in the cloud. The operating system, your applications and all your data is hosted in secure Data Centres and your local device merely serves to display the remote session that are you are accessing.

A Hosted Desktop looks and behaves exactly the same as your physical desktop computer, the only difference being where the actual processing is taking place and where the applications and data are stored.

Hosted Desktop Benefits

1. Work at any location or on the go

Your Hosted Desktop is available to access anywhere from any device. You don’t have to transfer files or install applications on a new device, you simply need an internet connection and you can log on to your desktop from home, in a coffee shop, in the office or anywhere else you find yourself and all your applications and data are available to you – you can securely access your Hosted Desktop from any desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone.

2. Overcome Challenges of Hybrid & Remote Working

The shift to hybrid and remote working, which has been accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, has created challenges for organisations in IT infrastructure support for remote workers.

Hosted Desktops address these challenges instantly and with zero CAPEX required.

3. Enhanced Productivity & Performance

Hosted Desktops enable seamless hybrid and remote working from any location globally, dramatically increasing productivity. Being out of the office is no longer a barrier to teams collaborating and moving projects forward.

The user experience with a Hosted Desktop is vastly improved compared to using a traditional desktop computer. As the processing is carried out on high powered servers in the Data Centre, older hardware that will struggle to run many applications locally can be given a new lease of life as they are only required to display the screen scrapes from the Hosted Desktop.

Applications and documents open in an instant and data and downloads are carried out at high speed due to the sheer amount of bandwidth available in the Data Centre. This means no more time is wasted waiting for large documents to download or for applications to open or process data.

4. Increased Flexibility

Users are no longer chained to their device, enabling them to work on the go, even on borrowed devices.

Since the data resides on a separate server, there is no risk of data compromise as all information remains on the Hosted Desktop in our secure Data Centres.

5. Security

Hosted Desktop solutions have built-in protection against viruses, malware and ransomware.

The security burden is shifted away from the individual device and places it within Data Centres that are set up with the highest levels of protection.

Data is no longer vulnerable on local devices but held, and regularly backed up, in a secure hosted environment. It can also be made accessible only through multi-factor authentication protocols.

With a Hosted Desktop your applications and data are stored in a far more secure location than on your local hard drive – no longer does a laptop left in the back of a taxi mean sensitive data could fall into the wrong hands.

6. Securely support BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)

Because Hosted Desktops reside on a remote server, the operating system of the device being used to access the Hosted Desktop is irrelevant. Users securely access their Hosted Desktop via our client application or any web browser.

All corporate data is retained on secure servers. No data is stored on the local device, nor can it be corrupted by a virus or malware on the device itself.

7. Built-in Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity

Since the data does not reside on the end-user’s physical device, all data is automatically stored in an off-site location. So regardless of the environment around the user, they can access their data from whatever device they have available, anywhere, enabling them to remain productive.

8. Lower IT Support Overhead

IT staff can focus on supporting line-of-business functions instead of spending time dealing with low-level, generic PC troubleshooting and support.

Instead of trying to figure out why Word won’t start on a particular PC, a system administrator could spend their time designing a new workflow policy to expedite client billing, for example.

Your IT department will be able to focus on more critical business growth and needs, allowing your business to grow faster.

IT staff can tangibly add value to the business rather than supporting commodity desktop real estate.

9. Simplified Administration

Updates and changes can be made to every desktop in the organisation from a central point and rolled out instantly. Administrators can make changes to a workstation from their location with no need for physical access to the device.

10. Reduced Costs

Hardware needed to run a Hosted Desktop session requires far less resources than running application locally. By moving the processing power to the Hosted Desktop platform in our Data Centres, desktop hardware life is extended and it is no longer necessary to constantly upgrade and refresh to the latest high spec PCs.

11. Reduced Capex

With its subscription model, Hosted Desktop puts an end to the cycle of investment in desktop hardware, servers and licensing, with funds no longer leeching away into depreciating assets but available for more added-value initiatives.

12. OPEX Model (with greater budget predictability)

Fixed, monthly pay-as-you-go pricing gives you cost certainty and simplifies budget planning and forecasting. This can positively impact on cash flow and aid strategic planning.

13. Greater Business Agility

With its rapid provisioning and inherent scalability, plus its affordable Opex model, Hosted Desktops are a good fit for organisations needing to expand quickly or wanting to respond to opportunity, both in terms of bringing Hosted Desktops online or pushing new applications across a Hosted Desktop estate.

14. Future Proofing & Consistency

Updates and new features can be easily rolled out across all users, requiring less admin overhead, meaning you will always have the most up-to-date environment for your users.

All users benefit from a common core desktop build, whilst still allowing for customisation, with the same versions of applications delivering a uniform environment and optimum user experience.

Additionally, should new software necessitate more computing resources, there is no need to invest in new equipment to replace aging PCs, instead simply increase the resources available to the Hosted Desktop on the fly.

15. Space Saving

Hosted Desktop solutions reduce the need for large and power hungry on-site servers and other hardware, such as desktop PCs, freeing-up vital desk and floor space and minimising the need to find extra office space.

16. A “Greener” Business

Hosted Desktops reduce the need for new, more power hunger equipment and help lower energy requirements. They also extend PC life and enable hybrid and remote working.

Additionally, Flexiscale’s Data Centres leverage Liquid Immersion Cooling which reduces carbon footprint by 75% compared to traditional air cooled Data Centres.

These factors all help to reduce a company’s carbon footprint and address corporate environmental commitments and targets.

If you would like to explore how Hosted Desktops can help your organisation, visit https://flexiscale.com/hosted-desktop, or visit Flexiscale’s listing on our Lincolnshire Chamber website here, email sales@flexiscale.com or call us on +44 (0)115 8240770.