Hosted Desktops are…
Hosted desktops are computers that you access and operate over the internet. You have the normal factors; the hardware, operating system, and processing power. However, the beauty is this is all available via the cloud. This gives you access anywhere, anytime.

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A short history

In the beginning, desktop PCs were little more than dumb terminals connected to a centrally located smart computer (server). This central computer did all the work. It had all the processing power and data storage. Remote communication was poor and accessed via expensive leased lines. When networked office computers arrived, the processing was done at employees desks. Valuable data was still stored on servers. Remote offices could connect via VPN (Virtual Private Network).

Fast forward to today. With the speed of network connections, hosted desktops are turning computers back into dumb terminals. The old smart computer has been replaced by a secure, resilient and cutting edge data centre. Due to the custom settings, the Windows Operating System is the same as on the traditional computer. So all the features are available, with endless benefits.

Employees now don’t notice a difference between what they see on their office computer, tablet at home or mobile on the move.

Why isn’t everyone using Hosted Desktops yet?

The ever increasing speed and security of networking computers improves every day. And the direction of  business is centred in the cloud. For new businesses without legacy hardware or costly finance on servers, hosted desktops are the #nobrainer option.

Established companies with an open mindset to advancing their IT to strengthen their business are already using the technology to gain a competitive edge. By working more efficiently and cost effectively than their rivals, they have become stronger and win more business.

It is commonly agreed hosted desktops and utilising cloud services in business produces far more positive results than the traditional IT setup. With expensive IT departments, hardware, care and training making the majority of the cost. So it’s not do we move to a hosted desktop platform; it’s when.

The benefits of remote workers

Enabling a hosted desktop platform increases productivity when employees are working away from the office. The flexible nature and device portability means the work/ life balance is easier to manage. This is proven to positively impact the business long-term.

Staff are more productive, mood and happiness are improved. Remote working reduces commuting costs for them, and business overheads for you. Plus it boosts talent recruitment and keeping your best staff whilst lowering the turnover of employees.

In addition, 50% of UK workforce will work remotely by 2020 (ONS).

Hosted Desktop Pros

Secure – Highly protected & resilient UK based data centres.

Cost-effective – no additional hardware costs or care.

Scalable – instantly add and remove users and licenses.

Accessible – almost all devices can access data securely.

Hardware – no more servers to care for, update or replace. Centralised computing power means even your current slowest laptop can use up to date software.

Software – updates happen automatically so no delays and don’t have to replace old applications. Licenses are only live when necessary saving considerable wastage.

Confidence – No contracts or tie-in periods – it’s that good.

Easy budgeting – pay per user per month.

Hosted Desktops Cons

Graphically demanding applications – At this moment in time, until high gigabyte internet speeds become the norm, nothing will beat a specifically designed computer for high-level 3D rendering or similar activities.

Requiring the internet – if you don’t have connectivity, you can’t access the data centre. Even if you don’t use a hosted desktop though, you should have fail-safes in place in case of emergency anyway.

Traditional Desktop Pros

Speed – An expensive high performance computer is unmatched in speed.

Graphics processing – CAD, 3D, anything requiring dedicated graphics.

Familiarity – infrastructure is likely in place, a team can manage it and for the most part, it works.

Traditional Desktop Cons

Remote working – to connect to the businesses server, you need a VPN. These have deep-rooted problems and fairly unreliable and inefficient. IT staff must constantly monitor and maintain the connectivity.

IT Staffing costs – salaries and outsourced costs to manage networks and keep everything running can reduce the overall profitability.

Hardware – Care, upgrades, replacements. Servers, laptops, switches, cables, more desktop computers. All of these impact the business at various times in a given year not including any surprises.

Inflexibility – Purchase the wrong server and you’ll have too little computing power and storage, or you’ll pay for more than you’ll ever use.

Resistance – Investments add up, infrastructure, staffing, training, contracts, mindsets. This can be a big change and as a result, people are naturally cautious. Especially if someone in the IT department will become redundant as their role is now done a lot cheaper and more efficiently. These are the people saying “We’ve always done it this way”.

Why Hosted Desktops?

Hosted desktops are the future. The relatively low cons are being addressed and hugely outweigh traditional desktops. If you don’t need access to applications away from the office, or you don’t have limited broadband connectivity, hosted desktops can change your business for the better.

The hosted desktop option is cost-effective, fair priced, easy to budget, green, scalable and secure. It is remotely supported, reliable, has a high-availability, it’s highly-resilient enterprise-class IT for businesses of all sizes.

If you are curious what the benefits to you and your organisation are, you need to try it.

Next Steps

We are a leader in the Desktop as a Service solution (DaaS). We can show you the benefits first hand of why traditional IT setups are not able to compete with the ever increasing power of hosted desktops.

With over 30 years in Fully Managed IT Support, we are fully aware of where the technology is heading. Because of this, we used some of the Countries finest minds, building one of the most cutting edge platforms available. We want you to experience how simple it is to use. And see how we’ve helped companies gain a competitive advantage whilst reducing costs. This has resulted in them being more efficient and have a stronger position in the market place.

For a FREE 30 DAY NO-RISK TRIAL, Click here and let’s start the ball rolling.
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