DaaS/PaaS — Educational

DaaS stands for Desktop as a Service. It is a set of technologies that allows
users to utilize a remotely located computer as if it were a desktop directly in front of
them.

This connection can be accomplished on any number of networked devices and,
therefore, has proven popular with companies that have a BYOD (Bring Your Own
Device) or CYOD (Choose Your Own Device) policy. Organizations can provide the
same application capabilities within a uniform technical environment while still granting
users the power of choice in their hardware.

DaaS is an application of Remote Desktop protocols, a set of technologies that have
seen continuous improvement over recent years. DaaS itself has gained significant
momentum in the past 4-5 years, and the major players in cloud computing: Amazon
AWS and Microsoft Azure, both have strong offerings in this category. Leaps in
technology have resolved major question marks in the viability of DaaS and remote
workstations in general as an enterprise solution for end users.

Critical Savings in Hardware Costs
Firstly, the cost of deployment is no longer a major obstacle for small to medium-sized
companies. It used to be that enabling a remote computing or remote desktop
infrastructure meant large CAPEX expenditures upfront for the purchase of in-house
servers. This type of infrastructure was referred to as VDI, or Virtual Desktop
Infrastructure.

Having servers in-house also necessitates in-house technical support and having the
expertise to not only set up the infrastructure, but also maintain it. This is in addition to
deploying a software environment on top of the hardware infrastructure that meets
company standards. The IT department also needs to onboard the organization's users
while also making sure the various mission-critical applications used throughout the
company are properly installed and readily accessible to all levels of users.
In short, establishing a VDI in-house was a complex and expensive expenditure. The
use cases would have to be very compelling and at scale for such a step to be taken.
The proliferation of cloud services and their attached computational networks, such as
those provided by Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure, mean that physically owning and
maintaining your own servers is no longer a necessary step. Companies can lease
machines and provide multiple users with remote access to applications. Therefore,
organizations now only need to spend an amount proportional to their actual use of the
machines without a prohibitive upfront cost.

Latency Concerns Minimized
Early protocols used for remote desktop access were high in latency to the point that
certain applications were essentially out of the question. The necessary data usage
was commensurately high.

Now, with the optimization of Remote Desktop protocols, latency has improved to
where any response-time difference between a remote desktop and a local desktop is
insignificant. So long as a sufficiently powerful network is in place, the vast majority of
applications can be run without issue.

Compatibility of Software and Licenses
Early Remote Desktop protocols had compatibility issues with certain operating
systems, such as Microsoft Windows. The major protocols being used today by
Amazon AWS Workspaces and Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop, as well as
competitors such as Remote Workstations, all allow excellent compatibility. These
services not only boast an impressive list of compatibility certifications for multiple
domestic and international markets, but will also pre-install customized software suites
for you. Which leads us to our next point....

Ease of Deployment and Use
This point is really a combination of two trends.
Firstly, as opposed to a traditional in-house VDI, there is no need to install physical
machines on location. Internal IT staff’s main concerns become the proper
specification of software, the suitability of their network for remote applications, and
the local installation of access portals to the remote machines.

Secondly, as cloud applications have become more and more the norm, the number of
users familiar with cloud-based software has grown tremendously. As such, the
onboarding of new users to a Remote Desktop or DaaS environment is a much
smoother process.

Where DaaS Is Headed
As cloud computing and subscription services become more and more the norm, DaaS
has a strong potential to supplant local desktop deployments for a majority of
applications. Now that usability, compatibility, and cost are no longer barriers to
adoption, the inescapable advantages of Remote Desktops are prominent.

Security, performance, centralization of data, and the ability to scale with speed and
cost-effectiveness are all major factors in favor of using DaaS in your organization. As
adoption of this service becomes more widespread, Amazon AWS Workspaces and
Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop will no longer be the only major players. Expect
strong competitors such as Remote Workstations to secure a place in the marketplace
as comparable services with matching specifications and lower costs. The current
value proposition of DaaS will only improve with time.

(Written Q2 2019)