Feature
The Gist:
- DaaS market growth. The DaaS market is predicted to reach $18.7 billion by 2030.
- Cost savings. DaaS offers significant savings compared to traditional VDI solutions, reducing expenses on hardware, maintenance and security.
- Flexibility and security. DaaS provides flexibility for remote work and enhanced security by keeping business data in the cloud.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated on June 12, 2024 to include new data and information. The original content was authored by Kaya Ismail.
The tech world is well-known for being a maze of acronyms. You may have heard of SaaS, PaaS and IaaS — but here's one you might not be as familiar with: desktop as a service, or DaaS.
The service DaaS is a way of providing workspaces that is increasingly popular with businesses that prioritize security and flexibility. In fact, experts predict that the DaaS market will reach a value of $18.7 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 20.6%.
What Is DaaS? How Does It Work?
DaaS stands for desktop as a service. It refers to a form of virtual computing that provides remote or mobile workers with cloud workspaces. Using DaaS, workers can access virtual desktops that run in the cloud using whatever device they have — laptop, PC or even a mobile device like a tablet.
There are two types of desktops available in Daas: persistent desktop and non-persistent desktop.
- Persistent desktop: With this setup, users can customize and save virtual desktops so that they look the same each time they log in. It requires more storage via the cloud infrastructure, however, which can increase costs.
- Non-persistent desktop: This setup is merely a way for users to access shared cloud desktops, and the DaaS environment is wiped each time the user logs out.
Why Use DaaS?
The main benefits of desktop as a service are:
- Flexibility with virtual desktops
- Reduced maintenance costs
- Improved data security
- Enhanced digital employee experience
With DaaS, companies can offer virtual desktops to new employees without having to worry about provisioning hardware or worrying about individual configurations. It allows for virtual meetings, remote training sessions and even dispersed sales calls.
Using DaaS means businesses can implement Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies and allow employees to work from anywhere from their own devices. All applications and data storage is in the cloud or on a server in the company's own infrastructure. No business data ends up on personal machines.
Related Article: 6 Ways to Balance Customer Data Security and CX
DaaS vs VDI: What's the Difference?
In some ways, DaaS may sound a lot like virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). However, there's one key difference between DaaS and VDI.
With VDI, businesses use on-premise servers that are maintained by in-house teams. This means the IT team is responsible for the deployment, maintenance and management of those systems. They're also responsible for security monitoring and upgrades. For many companies, the expense of managing that infrastructure in-house is prohibitive.
DaaS is a cloud computing offering. This means businesses can use a third-party DaaS provider that handles the hardware, networking, desktop management and software for them. To the end-user, the result is the same. They can log in to their virtual desktop and use it from any reasonably modern internet-connected device. This can be a big cost savings for organizations.
DaaS Is More Efficient Than Legacy VDI Solutions
Virtual desktop infrastructure is provided through on-site technology solutions and requires a hardware stack maintained by IT administrators, according to Brad Peterson, field CTO and former VP of marketing at Workspot.
"Legacy VDI solutions are complex tools," he explained. "Not only do they require a complex stack, they also require purchasing servers and storage and obtaining a data center." Plus, he said, they're expensive to implement.
A virtual desktop server could cost anything up to $200,000 to set up, according to Peterson. This figure takes into account the cost of purchasing and implementing all of the needed infrastructure.
What Are the Advantages of DaaS?
One of the most significant advantages of incorporating a DaaS model is cost-saving. With legacy IT, businesses must purchase a perpetual license for every desktop and every laptop in use by the company.
For many companies, a subscription works out to be much more affordable than perpetual licenses. DaaS also saves companies money on security, technical support and maintenance. Any sensitive data is stored in the cloud. If an employee's device is stolen, all the IT team has to do is change the password to that user's cloud service.
DaaS Helps Avoid Viruses and Ransomware
Windows laptops and PCs are often a target for viruses and hacking attacks. In 2023 alone, ransomware attacks cost businesses more than $1 billion. And predictions cite that number will be even higher in 2024.
Desktop virtualization via DaaS can reduce the risk of these attacks by creating sandboxed desktop operating systems. Each employee can access a secure working environment and the software they need for their work. The virtual desktop is reset when they log out. This restricted access cuts off many common attack vectors that are open on traditional desktops.
DaaS Provides Flexibility and Scalability
Trave Harmon, CEO at Triton Computer Corporation, said that a DaaS system can be “easily and quickly” provisioned to meet your requirements. Onboarding new employees is simply a matter of creating an account for them on the DaaS platform.
Temporary workers can be assigned logins and have those credentials and data access revoked when they leave the company. It's easy to add and remove accounts based on business needs. Plus, many DaaS providers offer flexible pricing via a subscription model. This means you can increase the number of seats you pay for during busy periods then scale back those accounts later.
Cloud Computing Integrates With Legacy Systems
Harmon also commented on how the cloud-based virtual desktops can easily integrate with legacy IT systems, including VPN technology. Plus, you don’t have to worry about hardware failure, simply because the system is cloud-based.
For an organization that has a mixture of office-based and remote workers, cloud service providers offering managed cloud services and remote desktops can be a powerful resource. They enable remote workers to log in to a secure environment where they have access to all of their productivity apps and information. They can do this using a VPN for extra encryption. There's no need to spend a lot of money on expensive hardware to access their operating systems.
Related Article: The Role of Data Privacy in Customer Trust and Brand Loyalty
Choose Your Hosted Cloud Service Provider Carefully
Investing in a DaaS solution can be cost-effective for many companies, but the wrong virtual desktop solution can lead to higher-than-expected costs, as highlighted in research from Enterprise Strategy Group. For this reason, it's important to choose a DaaS provider that offers transparent pricing that makes sense for your use case.
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One of the key issues highlighted by ESG is that VDI and DaaS deployments require staff to maintain them. The report found that 44% of deployments required ongoing third-party managed services for maintenance. These costs should be factored into any installation plans.
Another thing to consider is the reliability of the internet connections your workforce has. In one research paper, Remote Access Protocols for Desktop as a Service Solutions, the authors note: “VDC usability imposes more severe requirements on the minimum network speed and maximum latency for the company Internet access links and the path from the local network to the closest DaaS cloud.” High latency, in particular, can lead to a frustrating user experience.
For employees who are simply running standard Windows applications, high-speed internet connectivity and adequate computing power are less of a pressing requirement. It's still wise to have a backup plan to allow employees to work offline.
