DEV Community: Sumit Soni

Embrace business continuity with Cloud VDI

Sumit Soni — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 11:32:41 +0000

Long breaks from work and disastrous weather conditions – not to mention, a global pandemic – have taught us the value of planning for business continuity in advance. While the pandemic may be behind us, the lessons learned should serve for years to come. With weather conditions getting increasingly out of hand, and the frequency of weather extremes becoming less and less predictable, businesses worldwide have tremendously suffered from travel restrictions and locked-out office resources. Sadly, unforeseen circumstances pose a risk to business continuity that many organizations are not able to manage sufficiently well.

What follows is a discussion of factors that lead to potential gaps in business continuity, and how to comprehensively deal with these.

Business Continuity during Holidays

Holidays are spread throughout the calendar, but in the US, end-of-year holidays always pack a special punch. Not only do they come in batches, but they are also the most anticipated of the lot. Many employees take time out to travel to meet with their families and relations during this time, while others relax at home and work remotely on occasion. In other words, holidays in this time of the year quickly turn into a vacation and no matter what the plans are, employees stay away from the office for an extended period of time. But this is not the same as staying off work. As recent times have proven, the need to put in remote work hours can make or break a company. Those that do not allow for this flexibility, lose out on vital workforce productivity. On the other hand, businesses that enable flexible working conditions, discover how effective productivity does not have to be tied to the office desk.

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With many businesses having to do with a severely short-stuffed workplace during the holidays, cutting out on remote working can prove pricey. But remote working, on its own, isn’t solution. There’s the undeniable fact that losses and thefts take on a whole other level during the holidays with more employees reporting theft and loss during this time of the year than any other time. These incidences are no doubt facilitated by in-transit working. Busy airports, change of flights, and congested cafeterias can all conspire against employees looking to stay agile while formally off from work. Those in the habit of using personal devices for office work are frequently affected by this and the loss of laptops and smartphones often mean the loss of data and access to vital business processes. More than reduced workforce productivity, data breaches lead to failure of mandatory compliance standards and turn out to be the single largest concern for most companies. Even when devices are recoverable and employees come back online in a jot, the risk of compromise cannot be overridden. Added to this is the lesser but no less inevitable hassle of setting employees up with replacement hardware in case losses are not retrievable.

When Disaster Strikes

Global pandemic scenarios aside, natural calamities are known to cause significant disruption to businesses. Everything from storms and tornadoes to forest fires and earthquakes, natural disasters are something every business must, in principle, be prepared to deal with. In the US, for instance, winter snowstorms frequently render offices inaccessible for days as it takes a good while for roads to open again. These seasonal occurrences can translate sudden interruption to business continuity unless employees have the means to work remotely. Weather events come in different sizes and even a moderate icefall during the night can leave roads closed in the morning. While these can take businesses by surprise, remote working can make sure employees remain productive even under unforeseen circumstances.

In reality, the term BCDR or Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery incorporates two aspects that may not always converge. For instance, business continuity may simply mean enabling employees to work remotely and stay productive even outside office. On the other hand, severe weather events such as an earthquake or a tornado can take out a server located on or off-premises. Server outage can negatively impact an entire business, with all work suddenly coming to a halt. In this case, a DR (Disaster Recovery) plan is needed with adequate redundancy to access business-critical data and applications.

Risk Measure to Disaster Mitigation

For most business, hoping for the best is just not an option. This is because, even a vague assessment of the consequences of business discontinuity is enough of a warning. It is true that interrupting events come unannounced; that is why, it is important to assess the risk of potential business interruption and make that assessment part of a mitigating strategy. The truth is, no business can survive an unforeseen discontinuity if not prepared well in advance.

Business interruptions come in varying shapes and sizes. One of the best ways to prepare for disruptions is by putting in place specific safeguards that deal with each area of potential disruption. One can start by imagining the consequences of just one employee sitting idle for a day and go up to cover such extended circumstances as unavailable customer service, project completion delays, big data losses, and major revenue loss. Naturally, each of these potential bottlenecks are not only inter-related but all of these, save for the last, can lead to revenue losses so substantial a business fails to recover from.

Comprehensive risk assessment comes from a clear-headed inspection of all potentially disruptive scenarios. Typically, these are absent workforce caused by holidays, adverse weather, seasonal illnesses or pandemics, loss of office-ware or personal devices, data compromise, server outage, vandalism and even fire. Listing the incidence of such events from past years can send a clear directive about the significance of each of these. This ‘real-life’ stock taking takes away the abstract part of planning and designing meaningful action toward each incident becomes fruitful.

Why You Need Cloud-hosted VDI in 2022

Sumit Soni — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 05:19:08 +0000

Why You Need Cloud-hosted VDI in 2022

The pandemic may be behind us, but the changes it made to the workplace are not. That is because, workplaces around the world underwent a transformation that made them more collaborative and accommodating.

The pandemic brought at its wake the need for flexibility in the workplace so employees could remain productive, and businesses stayed alive.

While this may have just begun as a survival strategy, flexible working conditions have now emerged as a much anticipated albeit unexpected push toward greater levels of productivity.

A change of mindset has been in order, and ways of working or doing business have suddenly multiplied. Theoretically, the notion of employees putting in work hours from anywhere has always been a possibility.

(In pre-pandemic times, employees would sometimes be required to working remotely and clock in extra hours – this being the most we have seen of this trend). Practically, however, employers never took this aspect seriously until now and instead tied employees to their physical, on-premises workstations as a guarantee for workforce productivity by remote desktop services

The best we have seen in this trend during pre-pandemic times is employees working remotely to clock in extra hours.

Application virtualization has steadily emerged as a liberating force in not just untethering employees to the bother of offices and commutes, but also for their productivity levels.

When employees are able to work from a location of their choice and at their convenience, they are happier and willing to ‘give back’ with better performance and increased self-management.

As employees become self-reliant, the need for micro-management or intense oversight is gone. This further adds to work-satisfaction among employees and drives more engagement, collaboration, and cooperation among teams.

More businesses are realizing this today, than they did in the middle of the pandemic. But sooner late than never, we say!

They are moving their databases and software to the cloud, or to put it in another way, deployed hosted VDI services offered by third-party cloud service providers such as Ace Cloud Hosting. So, what is hosted VDI all about, and does your business really need it?

What is Hosted VDI and why it matters

Hosted VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) utilizes the technology of application virtualization to deliver virtual desktops over a secure cloud environment.

The virtual desktops, hosted on the provider’s cloud servers, are made available to end user devices by means of a secure internet connection and unique login credentials.

What this means is employees can access their digital workstation anytime and from anywhere by simply logging in from an internet-connected device.

Hosted VDI is a cheaper and more secure option than traditional VDI based on office-premises, that is vulnerable to on-site breaches and demand a high-end infrastructure as well as a dedicated team of IT experts.

With remote working having taken the world by storm, the hosted VDI market is set to grown tremendously in the next five years. Apparently, the many advantages of hosted VDI are not lost on anyone, and it may only be a matter of time before businesses, small and big, take to the cloud.

Hosted VDI services are already quite popular across the small and medium sectors. It is a more efficient and cost-effective option for workforce management that works perfectly for remote, hybrid and in-office employees.

Small and medium businesses can also easily implement BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies with hosted VDI so infra costs go down even further.

Hosted VDI Needs in 2022

This is set to be an exciting year for the worldwide Cloud VDI market. According to this report by Gartner from last year, 72% of surveyed organizations are set to adopt hosted VDI (also known as managed VDI services or Desktop-as-a-Service) between 2022-23.

The need to migrate employee workload to the cloud is gradually emerging as the key to a secure and productive workplace.

What follows is a list of 3 factors driving the Hosted VDI market in 2022:

Shift from CapEx to OpEx

Businesses around the world have evolved magnificently in recent years. As organizations become complex and more versatile, the need for resources has soared. Every business needs a fair amount of capital expenditure (CapEx) and operational expenditure (OpEx) to run smoothly.

These expenses having skyrocketed in recent times, small and medium businesses are on the lookout for CapEx elimination via cloud technologies. With the goal to achieve business objectives and keep a firm grasp on the budget, businesses are now moving to hosted VDI services that come with pay-as-you-go pricing plans.

Because these services are entirely managed by the provider, there is no longer the need for an in-house IT team or expensive infrastructure. With many businesses intent on implementing BYOD policies, hardware costs go down even further. Thus, cloud hosted VDI services not only shift CapEx to OpEx but also ensure minimal operational expenditure.

Zero Work Interruptions

Remote Working is designed to cut down on work interruptions by ensuring that employees remain productive irrespective of time and place. Hosted VDI enables anytime, anywhere access to critical workload so employees can get back to work outside office.

The practice of working remotely fosters greater workforce collaboration as employees can take turns in managing the workload and not have to do with geographical or time constraints.

Mission-critical workloads demand remote access and team collaboration to an extent only hosted VDI can meet. Uninterrupted working also necessitates easily switching between personal devices and office ware.

Depending on where the employee is located, they may need to work using their personal device. Instant access to databases and applications is a must for flexible working.

Maximum Security

Businesses responsible for managing sensitive information demand top-notch security standards from their cloud service providers. Public Cloud, although the most economical option, can compromise with the desired levels of security.

That is why, organizations frequently opt for a hybrid cloud. A hybrid cloud is a combination of public and private clouds wherein the public cloud hosts massive workloads and mission-critical data and the private cloud stores sensitive client/employee information.

This way, more employees can access and work on files hosted on the public cloud while confidential data remains restricted to a handful of permissioned users. No matter the type/s of cloud a business chooses to deploy, cloud service providers ensure the maximum protection for data and application.

They do so by implementing best-in-class safeguards and end-to-end protection designed to detect and mitigate security breaches in real time.

Why the Accounting Industry is Adopting Cloud Hosted Virtual Desktops

Sumit Soni — Sat, 02 Jul 2022 08:21:53 +0000

Financial information arguably is the most heavily guarded. Industries in every sector and of every size go the extra mile to protect and safeguard their financial records against all forms of theft and intrusion. The reason for this is transparency.

Keeping a transparent record of all financial dealings, assets, and accounts makes sure that accounting operations and audits can run without hiccups. Security being something of a taciturn requirement in this area, accounting firms have often reconsidered adopting cloud technologies. After all, their concerns are both grounded and understandable.

When data is hosted off-premises on servers controlled by third-party cloud service providers, having security concerns is perfectly normal.

This is also the reason why some companies with stricter compliance standards choose to deploy workspaces on a virtualized desktop infrastructure (VDI) that is created and maintained within the office or on remote servers but does not involve a third-party cloud-service provider.

This is and has been the traditional use of the VDI technology. However, many businesses today and especially accounting firms – big and small – are transitioning to the cloud. Why?

Myth-Busting 101: Cloud Hosing is Insecure

The reason for this is that most data loss occurs due to the breaches arising from within the office. Meaning data is actually more (not less) secure when hosted on off-premises servers.

There is however another more important reason why data hosting is commonly outsourced. Third-party cloud providers are often more reliable and professional when it comes to safekeeping data. After all, some of these providers have considerable expertise and years of experience in doing just that.

Their IT teams are highly competent and knowledgeable when it comes to guaranteeing security as well as uptime of the servers. While it is true that these providers offer similar services to multiple businesses, they take every precaution to make sure that the data stored on their servers is as safe as it can possibly be.

Because businesses rely on these providers with their data, the providers in turn do everything in their power to keep earning that trust. Because if they don’t, they quite simply go out of business.

One important aspect of the enhanced data security standards implemented by third-party cloud providers is BCDR or Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery.

Cloud service providers are typically much more adept at ensuring that businesses pick up from they left off after an IT outage than the businesses themselves are. Wan to know more details about Pricing so you can know VDI Pricing

The Unitrends State of BCDR Survey Report from last year found that in most cases cloud technologies formed a ‘key aspect’ of BCDR strategies. From retention and disaster recovery to endpoint backup and data resilience, cloud provides a comprehensively protected environment for storage, retention, and recovery of business-critical data.

As such, the role of cloud in BCDR is testament to the cloud’s natural resilience and immunity against cyberattacks.

In matters of security, Cloud Strikes a Much Better Deal.

As a rule, physical desktops are prone to wear and tear as well as employee outbursts that can have a negative impact on overall productivity and work-output. More importantly, however, implementing safeguards to protect data and maintain the integrity of these machines can be very expensive.

Because security upgrades occur regularly and automatically on cloud via a central console, data as well as endpoint devices are secured without the need to purchase and install isolated security protocols. To understand how cloud accomplishes data safety maneuvers, let us look at the security implants a third-party cloud service provider like Ace Cloud Hosting would have in place.

In an attempt to ensure comprehensive physical and digital security, virtual desktop hosting implements a multi-layered security infrastructure to surround all hosted desktops.

This usually begins with the encryption of all mission-critical data with TLS 1.3 and 256-bit data encryption to make data loss-proof while in storage and transit. IP restrictions, Intrusion and Prevention System as well as protection against ransomware and DDoS attacks are similarly deployed.

For amplified digital security, Security Socket Layers (SSLs), best-in-class antivirus software and multiple firewalls are set up by a third-party VDI as a service Comprehensive end-user device protection is ensured by the latest state-of-the-art security measures such as the Multi-Factor Authentication system (MFA), OS Hardening, and OS patching.

24X7 monitoring of the entire network ensures brute force protection so that malicious traffic and hacking/activities are detected and nipped in the bud in real time. Typically, tier 3+/4 data centers are used to host data and application-hosting servers.

These centers are equipped with top-notch security features such as round-the-clock CCTV surveillance. The location of these data centers is spread across massive geographical areas including multiple continents – for instance, Ace Cloud Hosting maintains multiple Tier 3+/4 data centers across the USA and Asia Pacific region – that are safe and reliable (anti-disaster-prone, with minimal power cuts) to ensure high data resilience and zero performance latency.

Thus, security concerns are rapidly changing from being an obstacle to being the biggest incentive for accounting firms to move their data and applications to the cloud. Handling sensitive, financial information and managing/implementing compliance standards are easier on the cloud because cloud hosted virtual desktops rely on centralized IT resources that cover all areas of design.

Deployment and regular upgradation. Moreover, data storage in solid-state drives (SSDs) ensures top speed and optimal performance across all compute-intensive applications.

That being said, choosing the right cloud provider is imperative. Reputed cloud providers implement the latest and highest security standards, offer 24*7 customer support, and provide end-to-end managed services.

They also come with a team of reliable IT experts who can handle unforeseen crises and BCDR processes like second feature.

Accounting firms cannot and should not tolerate cost-cutting when it comes to the security of their data, and it is always advisable to go with the more experienced option than just a cheaper one.

Cloud-Only Features for Pro Accounting

With the resolution of security requirements, the other benefits that cloud hosted desktops or HVDs (hosted virtual desktops) offer become clearer.

With the elimination of hardware restrictions that come with an on-site setup of the virtual desktop infra, customization of accounting processes becomes a reality for the first time.

From inventory tracking and payroll management to report processing and online accounting, accounting involves a host of operations that occur synchronously across multiple applications.

Virtual desktops hosted on the cloud bring together all apps and add-ons on a singular platform, so access becomes centralized and more convenient.

The less time it takes to access the information you need, the more time you gain in putting that information to use!

The ability to collaborate with colleagues in real-time is another boost to productivity and ease of information sharing, as it cuts down on the time taken to email accounting files among multiple users.

This also prevents the serious issue of file multi-versioning for arising at all. Similarly, the presence of multiple high-end servers lends an uptime guarantee of 99.99%, so accounting applications run uninterrupted and data is accessible at all times.

In Conclusion

The permanence of a distributive workforce is a post-pandemic reality that accounting world have had to reckon with.

But the sooner it embraces the emergent global trend of a hybrid workforce, better are its chances of multiplied workforce productivity.

As we saw, cloud hosted virtual desktops offer the best guarantee of a secure and high-performance computing environment for remotely managing complex accounting operations with greater ease and convenience.

No wonder then that the accounting industry is taking the virtual route to security, growth, and ease of operation.

Why use Cloud GPU Services?

Sumit Soni — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 07:29:52 +0000

Why use Cloud GPU Services?

Cloud GPU Services also known as GPU as a Service (GPUaaS) is a managed services offering by third-party providers. It involves the deployment of virtual desktops equipped with GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) to support graphic-intensive applications.

Virtual desktops that run on GPU typically offer high performance and superior graphics and come at a cost higher than standard virtual desktops. Many providers, such as Ace Cloud Hosting, utilize NVIDIA GPUs so users can seamlessly run high-end apps across multiple devices.

GPU as a service comes with a host of features that businesses regularly benefit from. Some of these features include centralized management, least latency and guaranteed uptime.

Although these have largely contributed to the growth in popularity of Cloud GPU Services, there exists another reason. The implementation of a physical infrastructure to support GPU-only applications can be very expensive.

However, with GPU being created on the cloud and delivered to end users via virtual desktops, per-user deployment costs come down substantially.

Below is a discussion of the most attractive features of GPUaaS that explain their growing adoption and usage across multiple industries:

Cloud GPU Services are remotely accessible.

One major benefit of using cloud GPU services is remote accessibility. For flexible workload management, it is crucial to be able to access and work on high-speed virtual desktops from any device located anywhere in the world.

Performance wise, location no longer proves to be a constraint for GPUaaS as all it needs is a steady internet connection to deliver High-Performance Computing (HPC) with zero latency issues. Cloud GPU services from renowned providers, like Ace Cloud Hosting, guarantee an unmatched experience for managing intensive workloads. They offer storage on SSDs (solid state drives) for enhanced speed and performance of virtual desktops, 99.99% server uptime for uninterrupted operations, data centers with multiple layers of redundancy, and NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 GPUs for an exceptional graphic experience that is accessible anytime, anywhere.

Why user experience matters in GPUaaS.

The GPU is closely related to CPU (Central Processing Unit). As opposed to the latter, however, GPU is specialized and optional. The aim of GPU is to facilitate graphic-intensive workloads, while that of CPU is to generate all-around computing performance.

GPUs have massively evolved over the last two decades to go beyond the gaming industry.

Having started in the early 2000s as a means to achieve 3D graphic renderings in real time, GPU has now become much more programmable and generated a wide range of applications.

To accommodate highly flexible graphics applications, GPUaaS now supports superior graphics performance, so that faster frame rates and higher resolutions become a simultaneous possibility.

Multiverse gaming deploys hyperreal and complex graphic renderings that are tied with higher refresh rates, 4K display and compute-intensive applications.

Such intense graphics-processing needs have also been found outside the gaming industry for purposes of design and video-editing. Video editors and graphic designers have long suffered from poor processor performance tied to considerable rendering times and stifled computing resources.

With the emergence HD renderings of video and graphics, GPU now offers parallel processing that cuts down on rendering times to deliver a fast and superior performance.

AI and Machine Learning technologies also benefit massively from the deployment of GPUs for such compute-intensive applications as image recognition.

Because GPUs provide parallel processing, they also support deep learning technologies that require extraordinary computation power. No matter the industry that benefits from the use of GPUs, powerful computing experience is synonymous with the need for and growth of GPUs.

GPU as a Service comes with the highest security standards.

Many businesses that deploy cloud GPU services are somewhat specialized in nature. While they do a great job in their respective arenas, they sometimes exhibit a lack of knowledge when it comes to data security management.

Often the implementation and maintenance of the latest security protocols necessitate a great deal of additional expenses.

For businesses already investing in a costly GPU-equipped physical desktop infrastructure, this can burn a sizeable hole through their budgets. Reputed GPUaaS providers address all security concerns by ensuring best-in-class physical and digital safeguards.

Physical security includes access authorization systems and 24X7 CCTV surveillance in data centers located at secure and isolated locations, while digital security includes a multi-layered infrastructure

involving two factor authentication system so virtual desktops are accessible only after logins with two layers of OTP, continuous monitoring for real time threat detection and mitigation, extensive protection against DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks, OS Patching and Hardening to protect against malicious intrusion, etc.

Cloud GPU Services are significantly cost-effective.

GPU-supported physical workstations demand expensive hardware and high-end configurations that may not fit the bill for most medium or small businesses. Besides, physical infrastructure cannot do without upfront set up costs. Not to mention, such huge initial investment can make or break a business.

In contrast, GPU as a Service comes with flexible pricing options that enable businesses to work on graphic-intensive applications at minimal costs. With the guarantee of a superior experience, virtual desktops equipped with GPU enable firms to operate in an OPEX (operational expenditure)-only mode without the need for CAPEX (capital expenditure).

Cloud GPU services are fully managed.

To run a GPU-supported physical workspace, on-premises servers with high-end settings are indispensable. Their management requires an expert IT team to put in round-the-clock hours.

In other words, the installation and maintenance of physical desktops and hardware for handling graphic-intensive applications can easily exceed budgets. Naturally, it makes sense for businesses to opt for GPU-on-the-cloud because Cloud GPU Services are managed entirely by providers from start to finish.

All of designing, creation, hosting, deployment, installation, support, and maintenance form part of GPUaaS. This means, the need for in-house IT team as well as additional maintenance costs are gone. But that is not all. There is another major cost-saving component associated to GPUaaS.

GPU-powered virtual desktops can run just as well on low-spec end-user devices and are not bound by existing hardware constraints. Thus, business no longer have to undertake the cost and hassle of replacing, purchasing or upgrading any existing physical hardware.

Are you looking to deploy Hosted VDI services? Here’s what you should check with your provider first.

Sumit Soni — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 05:45:40 +0000

Are you looking to deploy Hosted VDI services?

Businesses are continually looking to adopt industry-wide smart practices for maximum impact. Frequently, these practices are tech innovations designed to increase performance and reduce expenses at the same time.

Industry leaders understand that the key to optimal business performance has to do with enabling the workforce, and that is why they (rightly) expect growth and productivity to originate with the workforce and how does vdi work

Mostly, technologies that help with performance enhancement come at a higher cost. Accordingly, businesses must choose between more output or greater savings.

But not anymore. Hosted VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) is especially made to work wonders on a lean budget so that productivity is no longer expensive.

This is possible because, hosted VDI ensures both cost-cutting and greater output by optimizing workforce potential.

what exactly is Hosted VDI?

Hosted VDI enables the creation and hosting of a virtualized desktop environment on the cloud that is accessible to every employee via their personal device irrespective of their location.

By helping employees move their work to home or anywhere else, what hosted VDI solutions enforce is workforce mobility.

A distributed workforce can remotely access business workload by the simple power of a log-in. Because virtual desktops are accessible from end-user personal devices, implementing a firm wide UYOD (Use Your Own Device) policy becomes effortless.

The benefits of mobility, flexibility and enhanced productivity are fast catching on.

As more businesses adopt hosted VDI, the worldwide VDI market is set to grow at around 18.2% CAGR between 2020 and 2030 and, according to one report, should reach a market cap of 56.14 billion dollars.

Why choosing the right VDI provider is important

Choosing a VDI provider comes down to the economy of fit. The right provider offers features that best suit your business needs.

Note that just like the many providers available in the market, the requirements of your business are many. Depending on the sector and services you provide,

your business requirements are typically a mix of sector-specific regulations and features you prioritize.

Just as you should begin by assessing your needs, a comprehensive understanding of a provider’s services is crucial.

To find a fit that will hopefully work in the long run, features that can directly impact your businesses processes must take precedence.

Below is a curated list of five MAQs (Must Ask Questions) that you should ask a provider before deciding to go with them:

1. What is the level of security you offer?

For most businesses, security is the topmost concern. It means, this is an aspect many refuse to compromise with – and for good reason.

For the security of business-critical data, the single sign-on (SSO) feature in virtual desktops is vital. Similarly, the ability to manage these desktops centrally – via a dedicated central console – is also important.

This ensures that user-level access permissions to access files can be granted easily.

Cloud servers typically come equipped with physical security details such as CCTV surveillance at data centers and multi-layered digital security features such as Intrusion Detection & Prevention Software, firewalls, antivirus software, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), 256-bit data encryption, etc.

2. Do you offer flexible pricing plans?

Many providers today offer flexibility in pricing. The whole point of hosted VDI services is that they inject flexibility into workload management.

Employees can work flexibly from anywhere they are located and using any device they have.

It is only fair that the VDI services are also priced flexibly so businesses can pay only for what they end up using. Carefully examine the pricing plans and models on offer and bear in mind that the base prices should be nominal.

Providers often charge higher prices and demand an upfront charge, but these should not be the case. Although the pricing for the plan you end up with will depend on multiple factors, always start by comparing base offerings.

It is also a good idea to ask for discounts that may be available as part of long-term contracts. Some services such as 24X7 support and DRaaS (Disaster Recovery as a Service) usually come at a greater cost. If you need these features, ask about additional costs.

3. What is the server uptime?

Server uptime determines the availability of virtual desktops. Server uptime is the necessity for a remote workforce to perform optimally.

Hosted VDI services come maintenance-free, so you need not fix server downtime. But because service maintenance is outsourced and out of your control, you must choose a provider that guarantees 99.99% uptime so that virtual desktops are available anytime.

Not only that, but the uptime guarantee must also form part of the SLA (Service Level Agreement). Along with uptime, the time for provisioning is crucial.

The time taken to provision new virtual desktops or the existing ones with apps and functionalities is the time you will need to set up your expanding team or manage an evolving workload.

4. What about desktop performance?

Just like server uptime, high-performing desktops are an absolute necessity for business to implement remote working.

Virtual desktops, like their physical counterparts, should suffer from zero latency and offer a reliable and consistent working environment for maximum workforce productivity.

Additionally, businesses with high graphics requirements cannot do without computers without considerable RAM, storage, and bandwidth requirements. The use of solid-state drives (SSDs) instead of hard drives for

storage of virtual desktops is also becoming a standard. So, for some businesses, the knowledge of these specifications can help choose the right provider.

5. Do you offer data backup?

Data loss is a common occurrence despite the best precautions. It is also the nightmare of every business. Sometimes, technical glitches rather than malicious intrusions can result to accidental data loss.

Whatever the cause, this is one security aspect of cloud storage that businesses can ill-afford.

So automatic data backup is a must-have option. Ask if your provider offers a monthly backup plan along with a dedicated IT team to manage data restoration without the need for you to get involved.

How Virtual Desktop Solutions Help Small Businesses Make a Splash

Sumit Soni — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 11:34:43 +0000

How Virtual Desktop Solutions Help Small Businesses Make a Splash

Virtual Desktop Solutions, also known as Cloud VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure), consist of cloud-based virtual desktops delivered to individuals and businesses by third-party providers. Because the desktops in question are virtual in nature, they are understood as a service rather than a product.

That is why, Cloud VDI providers offer end-to-end managed services to cover everything from design and deployment to monitoring and maintenance.

With the emergence of the post-pandemic hybrid workspace, many small businesses have adopted Cloud VDI Solutions as a necessity. Even so, misplaced notions around the essential features of a Virtual Desktop solution – such as security, benefits, cost – continue to abound.

Businesses that have adopted this form of VDI solution merely to stay alive in the post-pandemic environment now realize the game changing potentials of Virtual Desktop Solutions. To their surprise, what started as a survival strategy has rapidly evolved into the reason they are now ahead of their competitors.

How Virtual Desktop Solutions Emerged as a Winner

While the pandemic has changed many things, the workspace has transformed to an extent nothing else has. remote desktop services

This is because, the very first victim of the pandemic was the ability to work. Employees around the world found it challenging to continue working and delivering with travel restrictions and office closures in full effect.

Small businesses were the first to realize that the way we worked had to change if we were to keep working in a world that had changed irrevocably.

Out of this necessity to keep going, windows virtual desktop solutions emerged as the best possible decision these businesses made toward growth and sustainability. Today, VDI services are not just a big hit, these have become a business-critical tool that everyone needed but did not know they did until now.

In relation to small businesses, Virtual Desktop Solutions seem to have made all their dreams come true. It is as if virtual desktop solutions were developed with small businesses in mind. Although virtual desktops have been around since the early 2000s, it is only now that their use for small businesses has made a strong resurgence.

Virtual Desktop Solutions and Small Businesses

Even without a digital workspace, the benefits of virtual desktops are clear. They reinforce multi-level cost advantages with the qualities of agility and flexibility in the modern workspace that would have otherwise grown stagnant and unproductive. But the reason virtual desktops exist is not only to keep things exciting, but because they have become business critical.

Small businesses can now eliminate the need for in-house IT infrastructure, because virtual desktops come in the form of an end-to-end managed service that a third-party cloud VDI provider would be responsible for. In place of their own expensive IT teams, small businesses can now enjoy world-class IT services for their virtual desktops that do not burn a hole in their pockets.

Having said that, small businesses still struggle to cope with the aftereffects of the pandemic. So, an overview of what Virtual Desktop Solutions is and how they work can help make up a lot of minds.

What is meant by Virtual Desktop Solutions?

Virtual Desktop Solutions are understood as a service that provides businesses with cloud-hosted virtual desktops developed using the VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) technology. These virtual desktops are available on end-user devices and come fitted with applications that do not need to be purchased separately. The applications are stored on the cloud and can be accessed with a working internet connection.

Why Virtual Desktop Solutions are perfect for Small Business

Virtual Desktop Solutions are meant to make small businesses agile and flexible by ensuring anytime-anywhere access, and the capability to work uninterruptedly.
For a distributed workforce working on a remote or hybrid mode, the ability to deploy a dedicated workspace from any location is vital. When businesses adopt virtual desktops, employees can work from any location using a personal device connected to the internet. All they have to do is sign in using a set of unique credentials for data and applications to become available instantly.

Virtual Desktop Solutions are also a way for businesses to minimize capital expenditure. Because a Cloud VDI solution is managed entirely by the VDI provider, the need for an in-house IT team is gone. And with that, operational expenses come down significantly.

But cost-deduction is hardly effective without higher levels of efficiency. The reality is Virtual Desktops work because they help a workforce maximize their potential by taking away the need to manage IT. As IT challenges are outsourced to the VDI provider, small businesses can deliver more efficiently by focusing instead on business-critical processes.

Following are the factors that demonstrate how Virtual Desktop Solutions help small businesses make an enormous impact:

· Virtual Infra: Virtual infrastructure is not just cost-effective; it can be fully outsourced. With remote desktop services being entirely managed by third-party providers, small businesses need only pay for services they end up using as part of the pay-as-you-use pricing plans.

While physical infrastructure warrants in-house IT management and its associate costs, a VDI provider is responsible for the maintenance of virtual desktops. This makes Virtual Desktops the perfect tool for small businesses looking to make the most out of a tight budget and limited expenses.

· Increased Control: For all businesses, complete control on data is crucial. To prevent unauthorized access and data loss, complete data protection armed with state-of-the-art security measures is the need of the hour. Companies end up paying heavily to implement enterprise-grade security measures that ensure maximum protection against data theft.

For small businesses, this is particularly difficult to accomplish on a lean budget. Virtual Desktop Solutions come pre-installed with bank-level security measures to establish 360-degree data protection and control. Incorporating both physical and digital security best practices, many trusted VDI providers treat data security as their topmost concern.

· Greater Security: Virtual desktops are typically protected within a multi-layered secure infrastructure that deploys such security safeguards as access controls, end-to-end encryption, antivirus software, firewalls, Intrusion Detection and Prevention System (IDPS), smart policies, etc. These measures ensure complete safety of both end-user devices and the network.

· Hyper-compatible: Compatibility is never an issue with Virtual Desktop Solutions because every user is provided with a dedicated Virtual Machine (VM) running any OS they prefer. This means, although Virtual Desktops are accessible from end-user devices, they run independently of the device OS. Thus, Virtual Desktop are truly platform independent.