Five Common Myths About DaaS
By Anas Sabbar, Shells.com
Desktop as a Service (DaaS) is a relatively recent development. While professionals are more knowledgeable about the concept now, many of them have preconceived opinions and false beliefs about the technology. This list will walk you through five of the most widespread misconceptions about DaaS.
Myth #1: DaaS is not secure
Many businesses erroneously accept that their private servers are safer and more secure than the cloud. While in reality, cloud systems are monitored by the world’s most qualified experts with years and years of experience to make them invulnerable. According to Gartner, the security offered by most cloud service providers equals or surpasses that of most private data centers. DaaS and Virtual Desktop Infrastructures (VDI) make use of a variety of mechanisms from physical security including biometric access and bodyguards to top-of-the-line security and data protection which most companies cannot afford. All of these factors in combination with the top system administrators and security aces creates a level of security that no professional, business or the casual user, should ever feel wary about.
Myth #2: Virtual Desktops are not compliant with regulations and standards
Virtual desktops can and are generally fully compliant with industry standards and regulations. For example, in the payment card industry, the PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) has clear and specific requirements in their virtualization guidelines in maintaining compliance in cloud environments. A virtual environment, just like a physical machine, is no different than anything else and must comply with the requirements of all major regulators and standards.
It is important to make sure that the provider of your choice protects your data properly and sets up the necessary security controls such as data recovery and encryption. There are different processes and responsibilities as well as compatibility rules that have to be respected; if they are, then there should be no issues to adopting DaaS for your enterprise.
Myth #3: I will have less control
The DaaS provider manages and takes care of all hardware maintenance, software updates, and security patches. This will save you a lot of time and worry, thus enabling you to focus on what drives your success: your core business.
Time, budget, man-hours, and resources that you would have previously invested in storage, maintenance, security, workloads, and servers can now be spent on something less tactical and more strategic. It is maintenance that you eliminate, not control.
Myth #4: DaaS is not reliable
Gone are the days when virtual desktops were unable to provide a rich user experience, especially on modern network infrastructure. Modern protocols that DaaS providers, such as Shells.com, make use of multimedia redirection so that the user gets the best possible experience.
Other approaches include hardware-assisted offloading from the server, shared hardware-assisted protocol encoding, and graphics encoding. These techniques provide rich graphical detail without exorbitant consumption of server resources. The modern DaaS can use offloading technology to achieve multimedia clarity or hardware-based protocol decoding.
Users of cutting-edge DaaS technology such as dynamic buffer management and monitoring of network conditions typically experience no latency issues with graphics, streaming, or communications in a desktop environment.
Employee satisfaction is also increased, as each employee has an up-to-date device that is adapted to his or her needs. These benefits lead to improved productivity, value-added services and are a source of great satisfaction for both CEOs and CTOs.
Myth #5: DaaS is expensive
DaaS is a better alternative to traditional in-house infrastructure which usually entails servers, networking, and storage as it requires no upfront capital investment. Traditional VDI is expensive, and it requires a heavy initial investment and subsequent maintenance budget allocation. But with DaaS, you will not be providing your own infrastructure, and you would be utilizing your provider’s data centers and only paying for the resources you need. DaaS expenditure is predictable, highly affordable, and flexible as you would be borrowing from the buying power of a large provider.
Just like other cloud solutions, DaaS means that the company no longer has to acquire IT assets that are recognized in the balance sheet as capital expenditure and require an amortization period. IT expenses can be accounted for as operating expenses.
On a day-to-day basis, DaaS is a smart investment for those hindered by the hefty investment in private VDI. All expenses are drastically lower because there are no actual machines to deal with. For example, you can simply access a DaaS provider portal, like the one at Shells.com, to order, customize, and make use of virtual desktops on a device of your choosing regardless of specs. Unsubscribing and resubscribing are also as quick and simple!
Take the leap into DaaS
DaaS is a relatively new concept for many; therefore, it is not unexpected to have myths and misconceptions about the technology. DaaS represents the future of computing, and although it is a change for many, it is a change well worth taking that allows users and enterprises to adopt a solution that is right for them.
Shells DaaS offers are tailored to the needs of professionals, casual users, growing businesses, and large enterprises alike. We deploy a reliable high-performance user experience with security in mind. Whether it’s an office suite or a resource-intensive application or specialty software, implementations and constant improvements ensure that all end-user requirements are met in order for the individual or enterprise to have the tools they need to succeed.
